Archive for June 17th, 2009

Brewery: Dogfish Head
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Belgian wit

Mrs. Ohabeer has this obsession with beers made with fruit. Not necessarily “fruit beers” but those where fruit is mentioned on the label. She is also a big Belgian fanatic attracted by the spiciness. So, it is no real surprise when Dogfish Head released Red & White – a Belgian wit made with coriander, orange peel and Pinot Noir juice – that a bottle would end up in the OAB cellar.

Let me say – as a brewer – I am impressed by the process Dogfish used for this beer. After fermentation, part of the batch was aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels and another part in oak staves. Then, these were blended together for the release. It’s more in a long line of brewing wackiness that continues to make me respect Dogfish for what they are doing even if I’m not a fan of a lot of their beers.

The Red & White pours a copper gold with little head. We decided to serve this in a wine glass to get the most out of the pinot aroma. It’s a dense beer with a great deal of “floaties” – I’m guessing the orange peel and coriander as it did not come through as yeasty. The aroma is definitely grape. Not as grapey as the Midas Touch, but certainly a nice wine tone with a light undertone of maltiness.

The taste is not really what I would call a “beer”. Not sure what to call it, but “beer” is not the label. The bottle calls it a “malt beverage brewed with orange peel, coriander and Pinot Noir juice”. I made a reference to malt beverage = Zima and Mrs. Ohabeer felt that was uncalled for. She’s right – this is definitely not some sort of strange wacked out Zima. It is a fruity malt brew perfectly in line with Dogfish Head’s continued mission to push the boundaries of brewing. Plus – at 10% ABV it’s a might big brew whatever you want to call it. It’s something you should have at least once (and I have).

Now I just have to stop Mrs. Ohabeer from buying more “grape beers”…