Dogfish Head Rosabi Review

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewery | Beer: Rosabi
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 8.0% | IBUs: ~50
Serving Method: 750ml bottle poured into tulip glass

Another of Dogfish's musical collaboration brews, Rosabi (a portmanteau from the beer's rose color and the inclusion of wasabi) was created with Julianna Barwick. Accompanying the beer is a five song EP.

Rosabi is an "Imperial Pale Ale" with Lousiana red rice and a touch of wasabi, one of Julianna's favorite ingredients. They've classified it as an Imperial Pale Ale to distinguish that it is moderately hopped, rather than being as bitterly hopped as your typical IPA. I'm throwing this in the American Strong Ale category here, because Imperial Pale Ale isn't a real style. At least not yet.

Here's how Dogfish Head describe it:

What’s hoppy? Wasabi. The Japanese root adds bittering and herbal notes similar to hops, with its subtle heat creeping in after the kick of carbonation.

I don't have any sashimi or ginger on hand, but I think we'll be okay. Let's dive in!

Appearance: A crystal-clear reddish-amber-brown body capped by two fingers of bubbly off-white head that fades slowly, leaving brilliant lacing.

Aroma: Resinous and grapefruit peel-like hops along with sharp and hot wasabi over big sticky caramel malt.

Taste: Up front, resinous, syrupy, citrusy, herbal, and moderately bitter hops and a nice flourish of wasabi. The wasabi is more flavorful and less angry than a usual encounter with wasabi, as the chemical burn character is diminished. Underneath, a big rich almost burnt caramel malt body balances everything nicely. Mild spicy alcohol throughout. All of the elements mesh rather well. Green and herbal hops, a hint of wasabi, and sticky toffee pudding malt in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation and a drying finish. Heat from the wasabi and booze throughout.

Drinkability: Drinks about as expected given the alcohol content and imperial tag.

Verdict: Rosabi is really a syrupy and resinous IPA or mild Double IPA with an interesting touch of wasabi. To be honest, I was hoping for a bit more aggressive/crazy wasabi attack here.

Grade: B+ (3.8 out of 5 stars)

Review by Christopher Hunt

Dogfish Head Immort Ale Review

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewery | Beer: Immort Ale
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 11.0% | IBUs: 50
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

It's always exciting to see a new Dogfish Head beer show up on shelves in Houston, so when I saw Immort Ale for the first time a while back I picked up a few packs despite the high price tag.

First brewed in 1995, Immort Ale is released each spring. It's built with English and Belgian yeast yeast strains, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, vanilla, and maple syrup from Sam Calagione's family farm then aged in oak tanks at the brewery.

I've seen this called a Barleywine, but I don't quite agree with that. I think it fits better in the catch-all American Strong Ale category, so that's where it's going.

Here's how Dogfish describe the finished product:

Vast in character, luscious & complex. The sweet and earthy flavors meld magnificently in the Immort Ale. But, be warned the abv is 11%, so after 1 or 2 you may start feeling immortal (even though we promise you won't be).

A big Dogfish brew with a witty name is almost always a good thing, so let's get started.

Appearance: A dark and murky red-brown body capped by a little less than a finger of off-white head that recedes rather slowly but leaves little lacing.

Aroma: A rather complex combination of smoke, oak, vanilla, and dark fruit over a rich malt base. As you'd expect with a beer that weighs in at eleven percent alcohol, there is plenty of booze around the edges.

Taste: Just as complex as the nose suggests. Oak, smoke, and peat on top of a rich malt backbone. There's lots of assertive alcohol throughout, but it never seems out of place. Oaky malt and a good amount of alcohol in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: The body is a little fuller than medium and is accompanied by adequate carbonation. There's some definite warmth in the cheeks and throat from the substantial alcohol content.

Drinkability: Unsurprisingly, given the big flavor profile and eleven percent alcohol content, this is quite the sipper.

Verdict: Once again, Dogfish Head have pushed the boundaries and come up with something special. Immort Ale really is a complex and unique brew, but also probably one of those "love it or hate it" beers. Luckily for me, I love it.

Grade: A

Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: The Hairy Eyeball
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 8.8% | IBUs: 57
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Here we have another Stong Ale from Lagunitas. Once again there's a little bit of confusion as to what category this beer falls in—Strong Ale or Barleywine. From what I can tell, Strong Ale seems most fitting, but who really knows. These jerks sure like making it difficult for me to fit their beers in neat little boxes, don't they?

Anyway, The Hairy Eyeball is Lagunitas' Winter seasonal. There's not many published details about specific ingredients out there, save for a mention on their website that "several types of crystal malt" are used.

It's become traditional here on PintLog to post the wonderfully batshit-insane text that accompanies each Lagunitas beer, so without further ado, here's what can be found on the six-pack holder The Hairy Eyeball:

We hope you enjoy our Mondo-ultra-mega-super-premium Holiday Offering. We first brewed this five years ago while in our Ross Street Petaluma brewery and have looked brewery and have looked forward to its' return every solstice season since. For us, these are days of light and hope in the midst of the darkest months of the year. A time when we reflect on the possibilities of the coming year even as our present days are bourne ceaselessly and forever into the past. Hold close what is important to you this season and share what matters—thoughts, meals, long walks, a knowing look from across a crowded room, maybe even a beer. We all are all we have left, and in a world that is ever less forgiving, it's good to have friends.

That was a little sweeter and less rambling than normal—warms the heart, doesn't it? To be honest, I'm slightly worried this might end up a little too similar to Brown Shugga', but I'm optimistic. Let's get to it.

Appearance: Dense dark brown body with ruby highlights. A tannish head clocks in just shy of a finger high and great curtains of lace.

Aroma: Lots of sweet, caramelized, almost burnt malt with some dark fruit and a healthy dose of booze.

Taste: Still lots of sweet caramel malt and dark fruit with a little spiciness mixed in and a decent splash of hops for some balance. The alcohol is kept in check, but is a constant companion.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and smooth with low carbonation.

Drinkability: A sipper, but perhaps a little above average for the style.

Verdict: Hairy Eyeball is somewhat similar to Brown Shugga', but certainly different enough to warrant its existence. Perfect for a cold and drizzly day like today. I'll be aging a couple of bottles next to the bottles of Brown Shugga' to see how it evolves.

Grade: B+

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 9.7% | IBUs: 72
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale takes its name from an incident in 2005, when undercover California Alcoholic Beverage Control agents busted the brewery on charges of "disorderly house" and "moral turpitude" when they found people smoking weed on brewery premises. The organization revoked the brewery's license, and they ended up enduring a three week suspension (during which they installed a new bottling line).

Lagunitas refer to all of this as the "2005 St. Patrick's Day Massacre." This beer is a nice little middle finger the California ABC, and yet somehow won label approval from them. If you end up trying this one out, I recommend you read the ramblings on the bottom of the six-pack holder, though they might make more sense if you read it after drinking some of the contents.

Undercover is categorized by the brewery as an "Imperial Mild," which they freely admit is an oxy-moron. Since that style doesn't really exist, I (as most others) have classified this as an American Strong Ale. The American Strong Ale style is a bit of a catch-all, but I think it works for this beer. You could probably make a case for this being a Double IPA, as the lines can be pretty blurry. But, with just 72 IBUs, I'm sticking with American Strong Ale.

But that's all just splitting hairs—what really matter is how it tastes.

Appearance: A beautiful red-orange body with two fingers of off-white head that leaves good lacing.

Aroma: There's a flood of hops the second the bottle is opened. The hop profile is intense and smells grapefruity, piney, and almost candied. Underneath all of this there's lots of sweet, almost syrupy, malt.

Taste: It's much the same in flavor. A hardy does of grapefruity and piney hops over a big, sweet malt backbone. Most of the alcohol is hidden rather well, and what remains is pleasant. The aftertaste keeps the hop-fest going.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied with good carbonation and a little alcohol in the throat. It coats the mouth well, allowing for some great aftertaste retention.

Drinkability: Despite the high ABV and large flavor profile, this still goes back relatively fast, giving this above-average drinkability for the style.

Verdict: Since Laguintas has quite a full lineup of American Strong Ales, one would expect them to be pretty good at crafting them by now. So, it's no surprise that Shut-Down is a solid example of the style. It's may not be the most intense or interesting Strong Ale out there, but it's tasty, quite drinkable, and features an interesting focus on hops.

Grade: B+

Note: While this review is being published in September, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh this past March.

Stone 13th Anniversary Ale Review

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. | Beer: 13th Anniversary Ale
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 9.5% | IBUs: ~90
Serving Method: 22 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

This year, Stone Brewing Company celebrates their 13th year of serving up world-class craft beer. In that time, they've grown into the 18th largest craft brewery in the nation, which is no small accomplishment. To mark the occasion, they brew up an anniversary beer each year. This is the first time we've seen a Stone anniversary brew here in Houston, and I couldn't be happier to finally get in on the party.

Stone describe 13th Anniversary as an Imperial Red Ale, though I've listed it as an American Strong Ale. It took them three iterations to get the beer to the level demanded of a Stone anniversary release. The brewery claim this is the hoppiest beer in their history, with more pounds of hops per barrel (4.5 lbs. to be exact) than anything they've ever released.

Chinook hops are used during brewing, and the beer is dry-hopped with a 50/50 blend of Simcoe and Centennial varieties. It's dry-hopped again just before packaging, making this the first double dry-hopped Stone beer available in a bottle. The backbone is built with pale, crystal and amber malts with just "a touch" of chocolate.

Stone intend you to enjoy this beer fresh, and have marked the bottle "do not cellar, enjoy in 2009." I recommend you follow their advice, though I'm still going to age a few bottles, just for the hell of it.

Appearance: An exceedingly dark brown body with just the barest red highlights. Up top, three tannish fingers of head featuring great retention and fantastic lacing.

Aroma: A pungent blast of piney, resiny hops on top of a rich caramel malt base. Based on aroma alone, I'd mark this as a Double IPA every time.

Taste: Up front, a brawny and bitter hop character composed of herbal, pine, citrus, and resin components. Underneath, there's a substantial toasty caramel malt backbone keeping things pretty balanced. There is plenty of spicy alcohol throughout, but the bulk is masked well. It all ends up somewhere in the Imperial Red/Double IPA/American Strong Ale region. The aftertaste is resiny as all hell and lasts well into your next gulp.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and creamy with good carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: Slower due to the big hop character and alcohol content, though not quite a sipper.

Verdict: Stone 13th Anniversary Ale is a big, brash beer that's brimming with character, which makes it a fitting memorial to 13 great years of Stone brews. Cheers to Greg and the rest of the Stone team!

Grade: A

Lagunitas Brown Shugga' Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: Brown Shugga'
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 9.5%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

While brewing a batch of their Old Gnarlywine back in 1998, things went a little askew at the Lagunitas brewery. But instead of just ditching the batch, they saw the process through and ended up liking the finished product so much that they ended up bottling and selling it. And that's how this beer, Brown Shugga', was born.

There's a bit of confusion as to whether this is a Barleywine or an American Strong Ale, but I ended up going with the latter based on what I could find online. Unfortunately, Lagunitas doesn't provide much information about Brown Shugga' on either their website or the packaging itself. Here's what the bottle reads:

Feeding brown cane sugar to otherwise cultured brewery yeast is akin to feeding raw shark to your gerbil. It is unlikely to ever occur in nature without human intervention. And it looks weird besides. But it has happened and now it's too late.

Bizarre label aside, let's see how the beer is.

Appearance: A crystal clear, rust-colored body with brilliant orange highlights and a finger-and-a-half tall, off-white head that dissipates quickly. What's left leaves passable lacing.

Aroma: As you would expect, the nose is very sweet with a big brown sugar malt body. There's also some dark fruit, maybe cherries. Not much as far as hops go, but there's plenty of booze ready to bite your head off.

Taste: Lots of spices over a very solid brown sugar and caramel malt base. That big 9.5% ABV really makes its presence known, but never steps over the line (given the style). The hops perk up a little in the finish but are soon beaten back by the booze and residual malt.

Mouthfeel: A thick and chewy body that leaves a good coating on your mouth. You can easily feel the booze in your cheeks.

Drinkability: For sure a sipper, based on both the intensity of flavor and alcohol content. If you sessioned this, it would knock you straight on your ass.

Verdict: Brown Shugga' is a decent enough little Winter evening sipper. Having tried it now, if given the choice between picking up a bomber or a six-pack, the bomber would win for sure. Six bottles is a little much for me, so I'm planning to cellar what's left of the six-pack I bought to see what happens.

Grade: B