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.

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

Yet another excellent product from the folks in Delaware. Nor as strong as the 90 Minute IPA, but good. I love stouts,oh yessiree, I do.



Appearance: Blah,Blah Blah it's dark Blah. With a fairly typical brownish-red tint coming through the bottom. It started off with a fluffy ,tan head that was about 1- finger in width.

Scent: The scent hit me as soon as I opened the bottle. Mostly malt with some sweet complexity.

Taste: Tastes of coffee but without the good amount of bitterness I have come to expect from stouts.

Mouthfeel: As a stout, through and through.

Artwork:Typical simplistic DFH logo with a basic modern art pattern for the label. Nothing special.

Overall: I let this one get to room temp, and it was perfect for what it was. A good session drinking stout.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

I don't typically pay attention to too many IPA's. If I had a choice between an IPA and a stout, I would take the stout on any day of the week, or so I thought. The 90 Minute is not your standard India Pale Ale. It's 9 % abv to start, and doesn't taste anything like the many of the brit beers in which style it emulates. I love this beer and so does many of the people I know who have tried it.



When poured into one of my several pint glasses, it's appearance was amber with a thick cloudy head, and smelled of hops from a foot away. This is definetly and IPA! The initial taste is bitter,which is to be expected. The kicker is the tastiness. Complex flavor and sweetness make this product a step above the other IPA's in the world. As it warms, it's still has bitter undertones, but those are easily forgiven due to the tastiness and the alcohol content. I love this beer, and can see my self having a beautiful future with the Dogfish Head company.