"Miles Davis' seminal Bitches Brew album was a game changer - a bold fusion of rock, funk, and jazz. To honor the 40th anniversary release, Dogfish Head has created a bold, dark, beer that's a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root. Like the album, this beer will age with the best of 'em."
The above is the text of the label of Dogfish Head's rare Bitches Brew, a special super-limited edition beer released late last year coinciding with the debut of Sam Calagione's now-canceled show "Brewmasters". Well, guess what? It's back! Good luck finding it though. As of Wednesday, November 9 at 9:43 PM, the Falls Church Dogfish brewpub has it on tap, but I doubt you will find it anywhere else. I was lucky enough to snag two 750ml bottles of it at my local Total Wine when I was there last Saturday. Needless to say, one is joining my aging collection, but I am currently drinking one as I write this post. I was lucky enough to grab one of these last year when it came out at the Fairfax Dogfish brewpub, but revisiting this beer is great. It is basically an imperial stout at 9% alcohol and pouring a very dark brown. You can instantly taste bitter malts, most likely chocolate and perhaps some black patent. It's brewed with honey and gesho root, which is used in Africa as a substitute for hops. See, hops are unable to grow in Africa, so they substitute the gesho root for the hops (the beer still has hops, as it's required for any beer brewed in the US). There is honey in it, but it's very subtle, coming through only in the finish. It's a bold brew that has chocolate and coffee-like character with a smooth sweet finish. Very tasty.
But that's not all I found at the Total Wine. In fact, it was quite a successful trip. I was able to find another tasty, rare Dogfish beer, Hellhound On My Ale. This was another limited edition Sony collaboration that Dogfish did and was supposedly on it's way out, but apparently they brewed another batch. It's an IPA brewed with lemons and it's super tasty. I found another coveted IPA while at Total Wine, Stone's Double Bastard. This wasn't exactly what I was expecting. If you have tried any of Stone's big IPAs, you would know that most are super hoppy and some are almost undrinkable for some people. This was decidedly different. Yes, it was hoppy. But there was a very complex malt character to this beer that was unexpected. By the end of the 750ml, I was ready to stop drinking it, but I would definitely get it again. The hop character gave a tasty, citrusy flavor to the beer and it was highly enjoyable for any IPA lover.
But wait, there's more! I also found a new Bell's Beer called Hell Hath No Fury. I have always trusted Bell's since the first time I tried Two-Hearted Ale and they did not let me down. Hell is a brown ale and it has a very nice smoky character. It's not a beer for the faint of heart, but if you like brown ales, you will like this beer. Finally, I found a beer that I've been looking for for a while. Rogue's Double Chocolate Stout. I've tried a lot of chocolate beers, but this might be my favorite. Rogue's regular chocolate stout is tasty, but the best I've had might previously might have been Young's Double Chocolate Stout. As soon as I cracked this beer and gave it a whiff, I knew it would be fantastic. It's so thick it almost pours like a syrup and it basically tastes like a Hershey's Dark Chocolate bar. Imagine putting a dark chocolate bar in your mouth and just leaving it there. There is so much chocolate character in this beer. I paired with it a barbequed pork and rice dinner, but it would work well as an after-dinner beer as well. Fantastic beer and I would recommend it to anyone. Also, you can't miss it, as it comes in a bright red bottle.
I also was able to try the newest addition to Stone's Vertical Series, their 11.11.11 edition. It's brewed with cinnamon and California chilies. It's... interesting. You can definitely taste the chilies in the beer and it's not a flavor you would generally associate with beer. It's definitely a good, different beer to try, but it's not one I am likely to try for a second time. The pepper taste stays with you after you're finished and it's not entirely pleasant.
I have also tried two beers in Ommegang's new series, their Aphrodite and their Adoration. They are both Belgian ales and both brewed with winter spices. The Aprhodite is a fruit beer with pear and raspberry, with a funky Brett middle and a very dry finish. The carbonation is champagne-like. It's definitely one to try if you can find it. The Adoration is their winter beer. It's a winter warmer style, brewed with dark malts and complemented with fives spices: coriandor, cumin, mace, cardamom, and grains of paradise. It's one of the tastier winter warmers I've tasted this year. I also was able to taste another new Ommegang beer, their Gnomegang, which is coming packaged in a three-pack with Three Philosopher's and Hennepin with a souvenir glass. It's a Belgian Abbey-style ale and it compares to Golden Monkey in terms of style. It has hints of spice from the yeast that are understated enough to not make them harsh on your palate.
I had another winter warmer recently as well, the Delirium Noel. It was very similar to the Gnomegang. It was actually somewhere in between a Gnomegang and a Weyerbacher Merry Monks. Very tasty and a must for any Belgian-style beer lover. Finally, I tried a local beer from Starr Hill called Monticello Reserve Ale. It is based on Thomas Jefferson's recipe and is brewed with wheat and corn and lightly hopped. I personally thought it would be better than it turned out to be, but unfortunately it was just okay. There isn't much flavor to it and it lacks... something. I don't really know what that something is, but it's not a great beer despite Starr Hill's good portfolio of other beers.
As for my beers, I finished a Vanilla Robust Porter a couple months ago. It's super dark, almost black in color, and was finished with a vanilla tincture solution in secondary. I also added some vanilla extract prior to bottling to give it some more vanilla taste. It turned out great. It has a sweet vanilla flavor throughout the taste and finishes smooth, leaving hints of vanilla on the back of your tongue. At this point, it's almost all gone. I also have a batch of a Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre clone sitting in bottles carbonating. I tasted a bit while I was bottling and I was surprised by how much it tasted like the real thing. I can't wait to try this one.
That's all for now, but stay tuned for a post in the near future about my Thanksgiving holiday and an event I went to called Hopsgiving!
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