DogFish Head Burton Baton

Hello Beer Drinking Friends!

Tonight I'm reviewing a beer from my overall favorite brewery, Dogfish Head! For about the last five years, I've been enjoying their beers on a regular basis. They have such a great, unique approach to the beer business. They don't try to appeal to the typical beer drinker, rather they create extreme beers .. beers the test the definition of beer. They gather ingredients from all over the world and experiment with crazy brewing techniques. I can guarantee you this, the beers of this brewery will get a lot of blog entries from me!

Tonight I'm having Dogfish Head's Burton Baton. At $15 a four pack, this beer better be great. The bottle says it's a oak-aged imperial IPA with a 10% ABV. Let's see what I thought of it.

The beer poured nicely, with a decent sized head of foam. The color was a deep amber, slightly opaque. The beer had a big aroma. Besides the overwhelming hops profile, I noted burnt sugars and alcohol. I took a big first sip. It hit me hard. Hops, hops, and more hops hit my tongue, and a big wave of alcohol taste hit the back of my mouth, enough so to make my cheek quiver. Despite the big taste, the beer finished surprisingly smooth. Here is where I noted a complex mixture of malts and I picked up on the flavors of the oak barrel. As I drank more of the beer, I no longer got shocked by the 1-2 punch of the hops and alcohol, and I enjoyed the complex malt profile more and more. I enjoyed this beer with a jalapeno and onion turkey burger and thought it was a great pairing. I give this beer a 9.5 out of 10.

Cheers and drink on!

Zack