Archive for February 19th, 2009

Brewery: Dogfish Head
Location: Wilton, DE
Style: Brown Ale

Mrs. Ohabeer picked this up on the recent cellar run. She was intrigued – and I had to agree – by the aged on Palo Santo wood aspect. We’ve been having a great time exploring wood aged beers and )as yet) have not been disappointed. So, a four pack of Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron ended up in the cellar.

To say this is an extraordinary beer would be an understatement.

It pours a midnight black with a caramel brown head. Quite a trick for something described on the label as a brown ale. The head collapses fairly quickly, but – given the aroma rising out of the glass and the taste to come – you’re really not going to miss it.

The taste is huge. Caramel, vanilla, a bit of dried fruitiness like raisins, a wine-y edge created by the wood aging, a touch of coffee and even a little citrus on the back end. So much going on at once it is almost overwhelming.

This is very porter-esque. Thick and creamy with very low carbonation. Again, a great trick for a supposedly brown ale. The sweetness on the back end does get a little tired over the course of a glass, but not so much as to ruin the experience. At 12% ABV, It really should be about all you’ll need for a night. I made the mistake of following with an Ommegang Hennepin and felt no pain.

Thankfully, we have another two in the cellar. Looking forward to trying them in a month or two to see how they age. Certainly returning to the Palo Santo Marron whenever it is available.

Brewery: Shmaltz
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
Style: Nut brown ale

I’ve been on a bit of a Shmaltz Brewing kick lately. Really only discovered them a few months back when I had a Coney Island Lager at House Of Brews in NYC. The Coney Island linkage drew me in as I spent many years living in Brooklyn.

I followed that up on a recent trip to stock the cellar with an Origins Pomegranate Ale and a six pack of He’Brew Messiah Bold.

The Messiah Bold is labeled as a “rich and robust dark brown ale”. The pour lives up to the label. A deep brown color with a thin head and a nice bit of carbonation. There is a lovely sweet malty scent. It’s a solid malty taste with only a hint of the hops on the back end. I did not really get a “nut” brown ale felling with this – more a strong brown ale. As most brown ales are pretty “yeah I’m a brown ale, so what”, this stands out as actually having a real ale taste and character. At 5.6% ABV, it’s not exactly a butt kicker but it will easily help warm you on a chilly winter night.