Burton Baton
Posted on August 20th, 2009As you all read in an earlier article, I visited the Dogfish Head brewery last month and returned with a hefty bounty of beers. This marks the first of several forthcoming articles dedicated to working my way through the spoils of my Delaware road trip.
The History
Dogfish Head is a relative youngin’ in the beer world. Started in 1995 by Sam Calagione as a tiny brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, DE, DFH has quickly risen to become one of the larger and most recognized craft breweries in the US. They’re known mostly for their self-dubbed “Off-centered ales,” brewing several beers over 15% alcohol as well as a lineup of ales aged in various types of wood barrels. This is one of the latter (and almost one of the former).
The Style
Burton Baton is a mix of a Strong English Ale and Dogfish Head’s 90-minute IPA, aged in Oak barrels. That said, there really isn’t a ’style rubric’ that I can hold this beer against. Breaking the blend into its two components, we get a little closer to something mainstream. Imperial IPAs - like the 90-minute - are usually (obviously) big on hops and high in alcohol. Most of the big IIPAs in the market are American, and most of those come from the West Coast. These hops are characteristically very floral & citrusy. An English Strong is harder to nail down. It can describe basically anything stronger than a traditional Pale Ale but weaker than a Barleywine. Strongs tend toward the darker and maltier end of the spectrum, but as far as hoppiness goes they can fall pretty much anywhere.
So, put those together and stick ‘em in a barrel for a few months, and you end up with…
The Tasting
I double-dipped this one. The first pint going into a snifter, the second into a pint glass. My goal was to see if the glassware produced any noticeable differences. My results were inconclusive, yet tasty.
The snifter batch seemed barely carbonated, my vigorous pour leaving only a paper thin lace. The hardly mentionable head quickly subsides, leaving tiny eggshell islands floating about and a thin reef sticking to the edges. There are some big bubbles collecting on the bottom, but they don’t produce much on the surface. As for round two, the pint glass pour produced a better head. A solid inch or so. However, like it’s predeccesor, it didn’t stick around for very long.
Very little aroma upfront, perhaps as a result of the lack of head, perhaps because the beer is a bit too cold (My fridge was set to ‘Tap-the-Rockies’).
On first impression, this tastes exactly like a 90-Minute IPA, just thicker. Lemon and grapefruit. Sweet oily hops. A little chocolate - most likely from the oak, not the malts. Sugary alcohols. A swish around the mouth gives a slight burn on the tongue and roof. Bitterness finally shows itself in the swallow.
Not much difference so far between the two glasses…minus the foam.
More aroma as the beer warms - and I swirl. ‘Bright’ caramel (I’m not going to try to explain this, just trust me), a floral chord, a hint of pine, and… rum. In fact, Dogfish Head’s own Brown Honey Rum.
Increasingly malty towards the end. More of a thick, strong amber than an IPA. The oak character comes out in full force as the beer approaches room temperature (or, in the case of the snifter, palm-of-my-hand temperature). The chocolate I noticed initially turns - oddly enough - to vanilla at the end. And finally, there’s honey.
The mouthfeel of this beer is off the charts. Unexpectedly big and juicy. Syrupy smooth. Hop oils literally stick to the tongue. More the consistency of a cask-conditioned stout than a light and fruity IPA.
The Verdict
This beer is different. It’s not for everyone. I’m still not sure if it’s for me. It’s a bit on the malty side for an IPA, and a bit thick and syrupy. As one who normally turns toward IPAs for a summer refresher (Here’s lookin’ at you, Dale’s Pale Ale), the weight of this beer is a bit of a turnoff. Maybe it’s better suited as a Winter Warmer.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an enjoyable beer, but personally I prefer the plain old unbarrelled 90-Minute IPA.
7/10