My son has been sick all week, so my wife and I have had to juggle staying home this week to be here with him. Today, I went into work in the morning, and then spend the afternoon working from home. Now that work is done for the day, it’s time for a beer. I bought a six pack of this beer a few months ago on our vacation to Washington DC. I hadn’t seen it before, and the label says it is a continually hopped India Pale Ale, brewed with Syrah grape must. So, it sounded kind of interesting even though it was only (their beers are normally higher) 6.5% ABV.

Location: Poured into a TEKU glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 6.5% ABV, 60 IBUs, ~200 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s very clear, and bright red in color. There’s a lot of carbonation in it, giving it a small, fluffy white head with decent retention. The aroma is very unique and hard to describe – earthy and musty with a hint of alcohol sweetness.

Taste & Feel: The body is solid and the mouthfeel is smooth, with a little bit of crispness. The flavor up front is lightly sweet like white grape juice. The middle brings a big, bold grape sweetness and some earthy-musty bitterness. The finish is a bit Chardonnay like with a bit less sweetness and dryness, cut by some musty-earthy bitterness. These flavors last for a bit in the aftertaste and are joined by a slight warming sensation.

Food Pairing: This beer has unique, Chardonnay wine-like flavors, and I’d probably pair this with pasta and garlic bread and similar Italian foods.

Overall Impression: I figured it would it would be fairly unique, since it was from Dogfish Head, and this one was almost more like a wine and a beer. I enjoyed the wine like flavors, and I thought the hops and malt from the beer helped to smooth out the wine sharpness a bit. It was pretty complex, with a range of flavors I found hard to describe, since they’re not often found in beer. Overall, I enjoyed the uniqueness of it, and the different flavors it had.

My Rating: