#238: Allagash Brewing Co » Interlude 2013 (Saison)

Allagash Brewing Co » Interlude 2013 (Saison) | ABV: 9.5% | Rating: 9.2/10
Riding high from the Cantillon, I decided to make another selection from Pig + Fish's reserve menu. For a moment, I mixed up which Allagash I'd pictured in my mine, and thinking for a moment I'd just bought a bottle of beer I have in the fridge back home. Close, turns out I have the 2012. Crisis averted (insert smirk).

This saison is fermented with Belgian farmhouse yeast and a house-Brettanomyces, partially aged in red wine barrels.

Interlude hits the tongue with bright, juicy apricot notes, finishing off with an aridly dry finish. Distinct mild red wine mouthcoat with elegant flavors of pear, crusty bread, and plum.

Overall, Interlude walks softly, offering up complex wine and Am-Belgian hybrid qualities that ever never overbearing and remain tastefully drinkable.

#187: Dogfish Head Brewery » Hellhound On My Ale (Double IPA)

Good reason to be bitter...

The Brewery: Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)
The Brew: Hellhound On My Ale (Double IPA)
Availability: Bottles & Draft (limited)
ABV:  9.0% | IBUs: 53
Rating: 9.1/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? Last year, I finally got around to burning through Supernatural on Netflix. The Hellhound episode and Robert Johnson intro reminded me it had been some time since I'd had Dogfish's Lemon-infused Double IPA, or much of their rarity series of late, and prompted this recent Dogfish run of reviews.

Originally brewed for Robert Johnson's 100th birthday, aptly using 100% Centennial hops at a rate of 100 kilos per 100 barrel brew-length. Catching on? Good. To top it off, dried lemon peel and flesh are added as a nod to Johnson's mentor, Blind Lemon Jefferson.

The Beer? The beast emerges with a hazy orange-copper body, crowned with a tuft of lacy ivory head. The subsequent pungently hoppy nose is even more brutal than expected with notes of blood orange, lemon, toffee, dates, and hop resin.

Not for the faint of heart, Hellhound On My Ale is an incredibly potent, sipper of an ale. Dark and murky, with a thick, date-filled malt thickness that puckers into a lemony finish. Hellishly hoppy, deep notes of apple, blood orange, and pine are found throughout and continue to build in the finish.

Overall, a flavor-packed, hell-spawn of a beer.

#070: Dogfish Head » Aprihop (IPA)

A few drops of summer left this fall...

The Brewery: Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)
The Brew: Aprihop (IPA)
Availability: 12 oz. bottles & draft
ABV:  7.0% | IBUs: 50
Rating: 8/10
Location: Silky Jones

The Story? Birthday's are best with a bit to wet your whistle. This time around, my partner and I hopped on a bar crawl for a friend of ours who we don't see often because, well, bartenders don't really do the Friday/Saturday weekend out thing. First stop for us was Silky Jones, which I realized I hadn't been in over a year. I forget what a solid beer (and scotch) selection they have. Looking over their beer offerings, well-scrawled in chalk, I also realized I once again had forgotten to give Dogfish Head's Aprihop a try. Summer's over (well over in Upstate NY), but why not keep it going for one more night?

The Beer? Floral nose with lots of apricot up front, plus some mild citrus. Transparent copper body with a cap of which, fluffy head. Open the hatch and Aprihop goes down amazingly smooth. This is likely the most drinkable Dogfish Head I've had.

At the bar and on Dogfish's website this one is described as "massively hopped", which coming from DFH, is a bit misleading if you're expecting a fruity 90 Minute or something to that effect. Instead, we're met with a creamy, easy on the palate brew with a firm hop backbone, but a very low bitter intensity. The apricot really mellows out the hops and puts some juice behind them. A unique, but accessible spin on the ever expanding world of IPAs.

#029: Dogfish Head - Festina Pêche (Berliner Weisse)

Dogfish Head continue to innovate with their take on this classic German style...

The Brewery: Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)

The Brew: Festina Pêche (neo-Berliner Weisse)

Availability: 12 oz. bottles (4-Pack) & draft

ABV:  4.52% | IBUs: 08

Rating: 9.5/10

Location: Home

The Story? I've been on a bit of a peach beer kick since that Peach Porch Lounger I grabbed our last night in Baltimore. Sam Adam's Porch Rocker subdued a bit of the cravings, but I've still been hankering for a true peach quencher. With Dogfish Head's Festina Pêche back in season, I have my fix. 

The history of the Berliner Weisse harken back as early as the 16th century and was the most popular drink in Germany by the 1800s. Sadly, only 2 breweries in Berlin still produce its unique, namesake brew. Luckily, a mirade of American breweries have been taking their spin on it. 

The Beer? Very effervescent head that quickly fades. Minerally on the nose, with hints of the peach to come with some clean, tart notes. Pours a beautiful straw color. 

A truly sublime summer beer. Wonderful, refreshing mouthfeel with bubbly carbonation tickling the tongue. A bit of funk and plenty of smooth peaches on the finish of the first gulp.  Exactly what I've been looking for.

The peach is perfectly present and not sugary sweet. Instead, it's expertly blended to the Berliner Weisse's traditional acidic tartness. Delicate hops, quenching wetness, and the smooth pucker of lemon & green apple dance with sweet peach, fully interwoven into all aspects of this beer No need to add syrups to this BW, Dogfish Head flawlessly executed the balance. 

Overall, a dangerously drinkable, refreshing take on a classic, but at just 4.5% you'll probably be OK putting back a few. A new summer favorite hands down.