#178: Dogfish Head Brewery » Black & Blue (Belgian Fruit Beer)

An inspired fruit beer from Dogfish Head...

The Brewery: Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)
The Brew: Black & Blue (Belgian Fruit Beer)
Availability: Bottles & Draft (Limited)
ABV:  10.0% | IBUs: 25
Rating: 8.2/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? Black & Blue is the first of four Dogfish Head Occasional Rarities that I'll be covering over the next week or so. Typically, fruit beers are not the first thing I grab for. Artificial flavoring or poor backbone choice (uninspired wheat beers, etc) are usually the big culpruit, but I never swear off a whole style.

Enter Dogfish Head, who as usual, like to do things their own way. B&B is Belgian-style golden ale fermented with black raspberries and blueberries - real berries; nothing fake here. It also, boasts a 10% ABV, which is one of the highest I've seen on a fruit beer. All signs point to enjoyable on my radar, so far...

The Beer? Black & Blue immediately releases fragrant aromas of sweet and sour berries while pouring. A finger of white head with a pinkish hue tops the hazy deep amber body. Strong blueberry notes dominate the nose on further breaths in.

The use of real fruit really pays off in this one. Rustic, juicy flavors are abound - smooth and refreshing, while tart, but not at all wild or funky. The Belgian Golden style is a good palate choice to allow the sweet blueberries and soft tartness of the blackberries to shine through, without getting overly sweet. There's a slight earthy aftertaste preceded by a slight dryness on the finish.

Overall, a solid beer, nothing terribly groundbreaking, but a must try for any fruit beer lover and recommended for any of your friends into the lighter side of wines and looking for a gateway into craft beer.

#097: De Struise Brouwers » Black Damnation I: Black Berry Albert (Stout)

Imperial Stout aged in whiskey barrels with fresh blackberries...

The Brewery: De Struise Brouwers (Belgium)
The Brew:  Black Damnation I: Black Berry Albert (Imperial Stout)
Availability: Bottles, draft (limited - brewed once)
ABV: 13.0%
Rating: 9.9/10
Location: The Avenue Pub (New Orleans, LA)

The Story? From first glans at the beer menu, I knew I would close out my last evening in NOLA with this beer. Noting the 13% and the brief description mentioning "Proof that too much of a good thing is sometimes a very good thing."  Challenge accepted.

The Beer? The draft pour is long and enticing. Thick, jet black gold emerges from the tap with a generous amount of mocha colored head into a 6 oz. serving. For once I'm thankful for the modest size as at 13%, I would like to wake up in my hotel room.

The taste pure bliss. Rich, sweet, and dark with a bitter finish. I can't even think of the popper verbage to put down at first. I'm impressed with the amount of head for a brew this intense and high ABV.

There's a thick, heavy mouthfeel that is rich and complex. Deep chocolate notes, mild dark fruit, coffee bean flavors are quick present with the berry addition indirectly adds very subtle fruitiness and deepens the complexity alongside a growing amount of heat from the whiskey aging.

Black Damnation is remarkably well balanced. Unlike some Whiskey barrel aging, this imperial stout never burns. Only sweet, magnificent, stunningly sweet stout on the start which evolves into dark, beautiful bitterness on the finish.

Highly recommended if you ever find it. I wish there was a tick more berry flavor, but with everything else, I really can't complain.