derryX Dogfish Head Review: Immort Ale

Early in 2010, at the recommendation of John Jordan, I tried a Dogfish Head 60 Minute India Pale Ale. This came with much reluctance because I have never been a fan of IPA style beer or any beer with a decent bitterness; as a matter of fact, in the past, I got into homebrewing and decreased the intensity of the hops used in almost every recipe that I made.

There was something special about this 60 minute IPA. I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time, but, while out with my friends, I kept ordering Dogfish beers whenever I would see them on the menu. After trying a few different styles of beer by Dogfish Head Brewery, it occurred to me that they put a decent amount of effort into toying with the intrinsic concept of “beer,” and, if you visit the Dogfish Head website, you’ll come across their motto: “Off centered stuff for off centered people.”

As a result of my curiosity, I decided to do the “derryX Dogfish Head Reviews,” and, in doing so, spending a decent amount of money to seek out a number of different style Dogfish beers.

Aside from the descriptions contained herein (all of which were copied from www.dogfish.com), all comments are the opinion of derryX.

derryX Dogfish Head Review: Immort Ale

Description – From www.dogfish.com:

Vast in character, luscious & complex.

We started brewing Immort Ale at our brewpub in 1995 and began bottling it in 1997. For this beer, we use maple syrup from Red Brook Farm – Sam’s family farm in Western Massachusetts, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, and vanilla.

Immort is fermented with a blend of English & Belgian yeasts, then aged in the big oak tanks at the brewery.

The sweet and earthy flavors meld magnificently in the Immort Ale. But, be warned the abv is 11%, so after 1 or 2 you may start feeling immortal (even though we promise you won’t be).

Immort Ale is released each and every spring (after the sap starts flowing).

Price – $ 15.99/4 pack of 12 oz bottles (Source: Latham Beverage)

Alcohol by volume – 11 %

Nose –Taking a whiff of this gave me hints of vanilla, lots of malt, and a good aroma of wood (probably from the oak).

First Sip – The first sip is very smooth. The maple stands right out. Lots of Vanilla comes through, and an almost cinnamon taste comes through.

As You Drink – It goes down really smooth. As it warms, the maple really stands out more and more.

Last Sip – The same flavors stand out. Tasted a little less bubbly and more flat on the last sip, but still great.

Food Pairings – Pizza, sweet potato fries or any recipe with sweet potatoes, pasta carbonara, Mexican molé, very versatile