Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Sometimes it's hard to to grasp just how much the craft beer market has evolved in such a short amount of time in terms of ABV percentage. It was only about a decade ago that the highest grade micro available on the common market, at least in my neck of the woods, was the Trouble Bag at 8%. Back then, all it took for me to consider myself a beer snob was to indulge in Guinness, Bass, and Franziskaner in between some pretty severe PBR sessions. I didn't really hold the craft beer market in such high regard, even though I came from an Old New England town with a long brewing history (Portsmouth,NH). It wasn't until the Double Bag that my my interest in high test, and therefore craft brew, really to a grasp.

Fast-forward 3 years - Dogfish Head 60 and 90 Minute IPA's become readily available in the NH Seacoast and I'm hooked, over the next year after discovery I hear rumors of a 12% ABV. I must have it!

2 more years - Upon arriving in NYC I am finally able to indulge in the sweet nectar that is the 120 Minute IPA. At 10 bucks a bottle, it's a rare treat.

Today - By this point, I rarely drink anything under 7-8% ABV, unless it's session drinking. Even then, I try to stay away from the old standards like PBR if I can help it. By this point, Dogfish Head has produced a 15% beer that is still cheaper than the seasonally-released 120 Minute. But there is a new 12 percenter in town and it goes by the name Palo Santo Marron.



I cracked open the Palo Santo Marron for a Saturday morning breakfast a couple of weeks ago after a long night out on the town. I find that beer is a perfect accompaniment to my double-meat breakfast sandwich that is an almost daily staple, especially when feeling a bit hungover. Poured into a pint glass, I was immediately impressed by how dark this particular brown ale was. With it's dark coffee head, that doesn't last very long at all. It poured more like a porter or stout. As baffled as I was, after tasting I was not going to be doing much complaining. Chocolate malty goodness with a fair alcohol presence, in both taste and smell. I found that the brew tasted best about halfway through when the vanilla started to become more prevalent. This tells me that next time I should let the bottle sit out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before I crack it open.

At 12% ABV, Palo Santo Marron is not a session beer, but knocking back 1 or 2 while relaxing is not going to kill you. In fact, I find that it makes a whole afternoon of marathon TV that much more relaxing, as well as eliminating a hangover better than an Advil. While cheaper than the 120 Minute, drinking a whole 4-pack to your head could put a damper in your plans, if you have any. As far as the label art is concerned, it's a standard Dogfish Head logo with some funky colors added to distinguish it from anything else in the flagship. Nothing worth noting. I feel the Dogfish Head has made such a name for themselves in recent years that they don't even need a flashy label to sell beer, the name speaks for itself. The Palo Santo Marron does a really good job representing the company.

Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale

Corsendonk. Sounds good, doesn't it. Even if the beer wasn't good, I would still give it 2 thumbs up based on the name. Say it with me. Corsendonk. I love funny words.

I picked this one up at the Williamsburg Thrifty near the BQE. They don't have a large selection, and the guy behind the counter looked at me like I was scum. Most likely because he thinks I'm some kinda hipster scumbag who is ruining his neighborhood. Well fuck him. He doesn't have to be nice to sell me good beer.



Appearance: Brownish-red with a tan head the lasted for a very short period of time.

Smell: malt and mint (weird), with a hint of hops.

taste: Mild bitterness, and slight spice that left my tongue tingling. Sweet. later on I realized the taste reminded of a port.

Artwork:Jesus n' Mary Blah, Blah etch printed on the glass. looks like a traditional abbey seal. Whatever. Corsendonk! Hehehe...

Overall: This beer makes me realize I need to have a seperate fridge of some kind just for beer preservation. Considering I don't have a cellar. How else am i going to keep good beers like this at 45% all the time?