Toss in a blue, and you've got yourself a pretty patriotic beer

Having tried the Dogfish Head Black & Blue, I figured I'd hit up the Red & White...which I think would be the opposite beer on the color spectrum. This beer is an unique type of witbier, which has been fermented with Pinot Noir juice.

Appearance - The beer has a real rich thickness to it. This one has a bit more carbonation going for it, as well as some sediment in it - reminds me of pulp in orange juice. The head was rose colored and held itself for a long while. - 4.5/5.0

Smell - Light fruit aroma, champagne, grape, some citrus and coriander - 3.5/5.0

Taste - I can pick up the sweetness and spices that I would expect out of a witbier (orange and coriander). It starts off this way, but then it phases into the more oaky, robust Pinot Noir flavor. - 4.5/5.0

Feel - There's a discernable alcohol flavor, which isn't a negative. If you want a standard witbier, keep moving on as this one is a strong ale with witbier characteristics. The carbonation makes this feel a bit like drinking champagne. - 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - I would prefer drinking this over champagne any day, so would be a very suitable replacement for a special occasion. I liked the fusion of the witbier and strong ale styles - you can definitely get elements of both in this brew. 4.0/5.0

This beer really did a number of me, I'll all Black & Blue

Like most trips to Phoenix, I usually hit up BevMo! and pick up some fun stuff for while we're there and some to take home. This last trip was New Years, so we picked up the obligatory New Years supply. The Dogfish Head Black & Blue was part of that stash, but didn't end up getting opened, so it got deported to New Mexico. Tina and I tried this the other night and had a nice little tasting.

As you can see in the picture, this pours a really beautiful amber/nectar color, looking very rich and proper like the guy on the label. Even with the light head, this is thick beer. The lacing is light and drops pretty quick. There is sweetness to the aroma - mostly subtle berries. The flavor is unique - there is a thick, crispy malt taste combined with a tart sweetness from the berries utilized in the beer. Expect the beer to hit hard at first, then blend itself in the background. No hint of alcohol on this, which was unexpected for a 10% ABV brew. There is great mouth coverage and heavier body to this one, with crispy carbonation. I really enjoyed this beer, even though it's not one I'd get often, it was fun for a special occasion (or just to enjoy once in a blue moon).

Appearance - 4.5/5.0 - Amber nectar color, looks rich and thick, light head, lacing is light and drops fast
Smell - 3.5/5.0 - Sweetness, berries, but a bit subtle
Taste - 4.0/5.0 - Thick crispy malt, tart sweetness, cidery, hit of flavor up front - different but flavorful, no hint of alcohol for a 10% beer
Feel - 4.5/5.0 - Definite thickness, great mouth coverage, crisp carbonation
Drinkability -3.5/5.0 - Very good, but not one you have all the time - fun for special occasions

60 Minutes equals a Tasty Beer

I had the 90 Minute IPA at the Yardhouse a while ago and never had a chance to try its sister brews, the 60 Minute IPA and the 120 Minute IPA. I would expect them to both be tasty and finally picked up the 60 Minute at Papago Brewing tonight. Almost went for the 120 Minute, but I couldn't justify a $8.80 12 oz. beer...just couldn't do it.

The beer poured a light golden color with a stout white foamy head, which really stuck around. You get the lovely floral citrus boutique that you would expect from an IPA. The beer isn't terribly bitter, but does have some bitterness to it. The hops are still there, just not overly pronounced. The beer feels really smooth and well blended, which I come to expect from Dogfish Head brews. If I could get this in town, I would get it again. This is a high quality IPA that I would definitely use to introduce folks to the style.

Appearance - 4.0/5.0 - Light golden color, good white foamy head that stuck around for a bit.
Smell - 4.5/5.0 - Lovely citrus, floral boutique
Taste - 4.0/5.0 - Enough bitterness to be in line with the style, but not so much to knock your socks off. A good representation of the style.
Feel -4.5/5.0 - Smooth, well blended. Very little aftertaste
Drinkability - 4.5/5.0 - If I could get it in Albuquerque, would be a regular purchase.

Raisin Denter

Dogfish Head Brewing puts out some...interesting beers. I really enjoy their 60 and 90 Minute IPAs, but I've heard of some of their brews where they use some gold dust or something. I saw this one at BevMo! and figured, it can't possibly be awful, so why not?

The Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre pours really well - a nice rich mahogony/amber color. Expect some nice oaky, malt aroma with a hint of sweetness. Nothing that special, but good. The taste was different too - you definitely had a smooth roasted malt flavor, with this hint of sweet raisin and banana. Definitely a punch of alcohol in the taste too, so take that or leave it, it's what you're going to get. The aftertaste has more malt to it, which was nice. A good beer, but not one I'd probably go and get a lot, given it's pretty pricy (I think it was $10 a six pack).

Appearance - 4.5/5.0 - nice rich mahogony color, amber
Smell -3.0/5.0 - oaky malt smell - nothing that special about the aroma
Taste - 3.5/5.0 - smooth, malt, raisin, banana, little bit of roasted flavor, crisp, aftertaste is malty and very nice; lots of alcohol taste (a bit overpowering)
Feel - 4.0/5.0 - aftertaste is very refreshing and malty, - 4.0
Drinkability - 3.5/5.0 - very good beer, but maybe not what I would spend 10 bucks on regularally

Do you feel lucky, Punk(in)?

In the honor of the month, I figured it would be fun to try out a few seasonal brews that scream October (scream...get it? Halloween? Whatever...). During October, expect to see some Oktoberfest type feers, some pumpkin beers, etc... It's all about the orange, baby.

And the first beer that is getting this oh-so-special treatment is the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Dogfish Head Brewing is known for their unique takes on beer, including an uber-peach ale, some potent IPAs and this little gem, the Punkin Ale. You'll also know that you can't get them in New Mexico (wha wha.....), but fortunately Phoenix is only about 6 hours away and Arizona gets the Dogfish Head beers.

At first glance, this beer has a nice rich amber/pumpkin color, with a little bit of heat doesn't stick around all that long. Lots of "fall" smells too - nutmeg, cinnamon, a little sweetness and, obviously, pumpkin. The Punkin Ale is definitely a pumpkin beer, but it's not so pumpkin that you feel like someone shoved a pumpkin pie in your face or crushed a jack o' lantern over your head. The brew tastes flavorful and spicy, but not over the top where it could offend. It goes down really smooth and you get a moderate malt and spice aftertaste to finish off the beer. The biggest downfall of this beer is the price - $10.00 for a 4 pack...of course, that's the way Dogfish Head rolls.

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - amber pumpkin color, some head but dissipated quickly
Smell -4.5/5.0 - great smell - pumpkin , nutmeg, cinnamon, little sweetness
Taste - 4.5/5.0 - delicious, not overly pumpkiny, but has the spice and malt with that autumn flavor profile
Feel - 4.5/5.0 - smooth, with a solid malt and spicy aftertaste
Drinkability - 4.0/5.0 - definitely would have again! Really great beer, price is higher than I'd like, but a small complaint.

Furry Four Legged Amphibian Cabeza

I had heard a lot about the Dogfish Head beers from Cap'n Bishop - but unfortunately for me, you can't get them here in ABQ all that often. So, I had to go to Durango to get it. My buddy G.I. Joe wasn't up for an IPA, so we opted for this Indian Brown Ale as a compromise. From what I knew about the 90 Minute IPA, this would be a potent beer.

And it was.... There is a very malty, tart alcohol flavor to the beer, and it offers up a strong aftertaste to boot. You can really taste the roasted, nutty oat flavor. And it was surprisingly hoppy, but not so much you'd assume you accidently poured a dirty IPA. I should have figured an IBA would have some hop in it. With a 7.2% ABV, it had a kick to it....

Beer Score version 2.0 is going to kick in with this beer, so any comments - very welcome. This will be a similar scoring system to Beer Advocate (so I can double post), but also will feature some other aspects of the beer that my lovely wife thought would be helpful.

Look - 4.0/5.0 - A really nice brown color for the beer, with an almond-esqe creamy head
Smell - 4.0/5.0 - You can really smell the oats and malt, but the alcohol aroma is a bit more than I would have liked.
Taste - 4.5/5.0 - A wonderful blend of hop with a brown ale that created a very unique taste
Feel - 4.0/5.0 - Robust flavor and strong aftertaste.
Drinkability - 4.0/5.0 - Would have this one again - the hybrid of the brown ale and IPA makes for an interesting flavor.

Light (1) - Dark (10) - 7...This is a brown ale, so it's not as bitch black as a stout or porter, but it's a pretty dark beer.
Clear (1) - Cloudy (10) - 3...while this beer is not transparent (b/c it's dark), it isn't cloudy/unfiltered.
Sweet (1) - Bitter (10) - 7....due to the hybrid nature of this beer, the brew is higher than you'd expect in a brown, but still not as bitter as you'd expect in an IPA.