I've told you about the writings of Bob Cowser Jr., right? More here but buy these books. You will be happier or wiser or something.
I wonder if Dogfish Head's 10% blend of young and oak-aged Imperial IPAs will make me feel as good as those books did. The brewer says:
A blend of oak-aged English strong ale and our 90 Minute I.P.A.. Citrus notes from Northwestern hops meld with vanilla notes from the oak.Bob would never use "notes" twice in one sentence. And can vanilla have more than one note in a mouthful? Like vanilla! plus vanilla!? No way.
The beer pours orange under a cream-tan head that resolves to a thick rim. Plenty on the nose: orange and tangerine with something back there saying sweet cherry pie, too. Some of the oak as well with the booze. Yup, plenty to smell but don't get people pointing at you - have a drink. Thickish ale with plenty of sweetness and a creamy rather than hot mouthfeel, despite the scale of this beer. Honey, heat, Seville orange marmalade, something exotic like passion fruit and an odd pastry thang. You know how people say biscuity or bready when they combine the yeast and malt? This one is sort of...well...donut. A Tim Horton's jelly doughnut. It's not bad at all but it is that rich - doughnut rich.
Do I like it? I think I would have been happier with a higher percentage of the oak-aged ale in the blend, more tartness from the wood or acidic hop or maybe a hint of black malt bite to cut the cloy. But it appears to have only been bottled on the 8th of January 2007 which makes me think it could well benefit from another year in the stash. This might have been infanticide. The BAers love with the Alstrom bros. both on side.
