Beer #174 - Life and Limb, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company & Dogfish Head Brewing Company

Beer. Sometimes, the attempt to take notes after having a few beers gets a little tricky. My handwriting is already a bit dodgy, but at time downright illegible. In the case the notes for Life and Limb, it seems to lean toward the illegible, cut I'll give it a shot....
The beer is a collaboration between Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada and features birch syrup in the brew. Let's pour!
It pours opaque with a thin head.

The aroma is malty with vanilla and pronounced maple.

It has a full-body, with birch and maple evident. There is sweetness, but the malt tends to curb it from being too dominant on the palate. It has low carbonation and finishes with a nice toasted malt. A few more lines and something about the hop that I can't quite read!

It finishes clean with maple and toasted flavors lingering nicely on the tongue.

I'll attempt to be a little more responsible next time and BLOG before BEER!

Cheers!

Palo Santo Marron, Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton Delaware

The Dogfish Head craft brewery likes to challenge with their interesting and often, strong beers. I picked up the Palo Santo Marron a while ago which is described on the bottle as "Malt beverage aged on Palo Santo Wood." (That is a Paraguayan wood.) At 12%, it is available in 12 oz bottles.

It pours opaque with a dark head.

The aroma is sweet with vanilla, caramel and heavy malt. It does have that "oak-aged" element that I've had before (though noted this is Palo Santo wood - which is used in wine making in South America).

The full body launches a lot of flavor. The malt starts right off, but vanilla and caramel catch up on the tongue. The sweetness builds there before dissolving a bit in the finish where wood, and a smoky malt curb the beer from being overly sweet. Alcohol tang rounds up the finish.

The aftertaste is malty and thick with initial sweet notes (mostly vanilla) kicking around - but that releases into a wood/aged alcohol flavor. It resonates on the tongue almost like wine.

This is a deliciously interesting strong beer - definitely worth the try - a slow sipper to enjoy all the flavors offered up...

Cheers!

Olde School Barleywine, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton Delaware

Don't let anyone tell you that there is a wrong time for Barleywine. Yes, they are good in the cool depths of winter, but they are also equally good on a late spring eve. A storm just passed through Portland and I think it's a good time to crack open a beer I've had on standby for about six or seven months now. Let's give the Olde School a try....
It pours a deep amber hue

The aroma is brown sugar and molasses.

It is a viscous beer - thick with sugars. The molasses and brown sugar jump up right away. A burnt caramel flavor kicks in with subtlety in the body (which is full, quite full). The finish curves away from being too sweet - the 15% becomes apparent and the beer finishes heavy with oak and bitterness (85 IBUs).

The aftertaste is a mix of molasses and oak, a little chewy - like a cigar or cognac, it settles nicely on the palate despite it's bold flavor.

HIGHLY recommended, especially after a little aging. Give it a try anytime, any season. Available a certain times of the year in the 12oz bottles -

Cheers!