Mould's Beer Blog

It's been awhile since I've talked about Dogfish Head here, but a few recent news clippings have caught my eye.  In late October, Dogfish Head announced the release of a new winter seasonal, Piercing Pils.  From its label, Piercing Pils is "a Czech-style Pilsner brewed with pear juice, pear tea and Saaz hops."  Definitely another off-centered beer for the Dogfish crew.  I haven't tried this one yet, but here's a Blogfish link from July that has a more in-depth description of Piercing Pils.  Also of note, the previous winter seasonal, Chicory Stout, will still be made, but in smaller, draft-only quantities. Here, Dogfish announces that Namaste, their Belgian-style white beer, will be moving to 12 oz. bottles to be sold in a 4-pack, and will be year-round.  More importantly to me, though, is that they will be brewing and releasing Raison D'Extra, which is similar to Raison D'Etre, just amped up a bit to a hefty 18% ABV.  However, to h...

Hey everyone!  Thanks for coming by.  I'm super glad we finally reached Friday!  This morning we woke up to a surprising 5 inches of snow on the ground.  We were supposed to have gotten the snow the night before, so it was around 24 hours late!  Tonight, Kerry and I are sharing a bottle of Birra Etrusca Bronze from Dogfish Head.  This is one of their Ancient Ales, and is based off of chemical evidence taken from jars found near tombs in Tuscany.  The evidence dates back to the 8th century B.C.  Let's give this one a try! Dogfish Head Birra Etrusca Bronze Birra Etrusca Bronze Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Gruit / Herbed / Spiced Beer 8.5% ABV 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. poured into my Dogfish Head signature glass and Victory Brewing tulip Dogfish Head Birra Etrusca Bronze Birra Etrusca Bronze pours a deep amber color with a two finger width white head, which doesn't leave much lacing on the glass.  Bringing the beer to my nose...

Hey there, thanks for stopping by! Tonight I am trying the winter seasonal from Dogfish Head, Chicory Stout.  Now I don't know about you, but before drinking this beer I didn't know much about chicory, so I did some research.  Chicory root is apparently commonly used as a coffee substitute or additive.  I have nothing to back this next statement up, but Wikipedia says that beer brewers used chicory in stouts (like this beer) and in Belgian blond ales.  That's enough for me, let's open this one up! Chicory Stout Dogfish Head American Stout 5.2% ABV 21 IBUs Chicory Stout pours black with a small, light tan head.  Coffee really comes out in the aroma.  It's also earthy (from the chicory maybe?), smokey, and contains an aroma of roasted barley.  The coffee and what I am guessing is chicory really come out in the flavor.  It gives me the aftertaste of a dark, bitter iced coffee.  Chicory Stout has a body somewhere between mediu...

Frankenstorm is on it's way.  Bread: Check.  Candles: Check.  Ice: Check.  Beer: Check!  The big storm is supposed to strike land here in NJ late Sunday night into early Monday morning, and last until late Tuesday.  Kerry and I live in the western part of NJ, so we should be safe from most of it, except for local river flooding.  Tonight I'll be reviewing Positive Contact from Dogfish Head.  This is their collaboration with Dan the Automator (who I honestly had never heard of before this collaboration). I poured Positive Contact into my Yards Brewing tulip glass.  It poured a pale orange, golden color with a two and a half finger width head.  Apples, bananas and peppers hit my nose right away.  The smell is incredible and strong.  The Positive Contact is full of flavor, and reminds me of a smooth drinking Belgian tripel.  It tastes immediately of fruity esters, mainly banana.  The finish is peppery.  I'm ...