Dogfish Head Immort Ale Review

Name: Dogfish Head Immort Ale
Style: Strong Ale
ABV: 11.5%
IBUs: 50

As happy as I was to move back to the Twin Cities last year to start graduate school, there are times where I still miss Duluth and the things I used to do there. Things like riding my bike out to Park Point, having a Sammy's Pizza for dinner, catching a local show at the Red Herring Lounge, and driving over to Superior for beers that can't be found in Minnesota. That's right, it's been well over a year since I last reviewed anything from Dogfish Head, which was featured fairly regularly on this blog (amongst other brands) while I lived in Duluth.

Last weekend, I was in Hudson to visit Pitchfork Brewing when I stopped at Casanova to see what was available. When I was there, I decided to grab some Dogfish Head, particularly ones that I hadn't tried yet. Well, I had a difficult time doing that but I ended up going with today's beer (Plus a 4-pack of Burton Baton). I give to you Immort Ale, a strong ale that is made with vanilla, maple syrup and is barrel aged.

Appearance - Dark brown color with no visible carbonation. The head is fairly thin with a faint khaki color but with no lacing left behind on the sides if the glass.

Aroma - Chocolate malts with some maple & molasses notes with a bit of oakiness, a hint of vanilla and a fairly light bitter hoppiness.

Taste - Strong caramel malts and oak on the front of the palate with some vanilla and bitter hops towards the middle. In the back, I'm getting more caramelized malts with some more maple and molasses noted with some light chocolate roastiness and some moderate boozy heat. Aftertaste is some light vanilla boozy heat and oak.

It isn't the best beer I've had from Dogfish Head but it is certainly nowhere near the worst and if anything, I'd say my biggest gripe about this beer is its price. With that said, I like how it tastes remarkably similar to Founders' Old Curmudgeon, albeit a version that is a little rough around the edges. So my advice would be this: If you're willing to pay the price of admission, you might find something to enjoy with this one.

Dogfish Head Immort Ale - 8/10