While in Delaware I went to your average liquor store and picked up a 4 pack of this beer. I have tried and tasted many of Dogfish Head's beers, and considering that I am somewhat of an "off centered" person their beer really appeal to me. I got to visit the brewery in Milton and even though there were over 70 people on the tour it was still a good time.
I wish I could quit my job and go work for this company. Not because I want to brew beer for a profession (that would be nice), but because this company is continuing to make leap and bounds over the brewing industry and my expectation for their beers. We know the craft beer, by definition throws the cares of the macro brewing landscape to the wind, but Dogfish is walking down the hall of all beer, laughing and saying… we know that people out there want to not only taste, but feel something different when drinking beer. And that is what happened when I drank the Festina Peche this weekend from Dogfish Head Brewery.
When drinking beer, we have all come to expect things. We expect a sound when we pop the cap, and when we pour it into a glass. This beer shattered those expectations with the first seconds of the pour. As this straw colored extremely cloudy liquid poured into my glass, I thought… “did someone bottle pineapple juice by accident?”
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After being knocked down by the appearance of the beer, I then when in for the obligatory initial whiff of the libation. From dogfish, we have grown most of the time to expect an aroma that will lead us down the path of the beer be it either hops or malts. They are not afraid to wear their beers… on your nose. But this one lacked that usual pungent aroma that Dogfish is known for. This beer may have had a slight crisp aroma that you are familiar with when drinking a wheat style, but nothing to set you palate down a certain path.
I then sat down not knowing what to expect from this beer that was in my glass. It had already broken too many expectations for me to even try to predict what would come across my tongue in a matter of seconds. As I brought it to my mouth, I began to start to imagine those fruit beers, wheat beers, even the Berliner-Wiesses that I have had in the past, but as the Festina Peche crossed my palate I was brought to a new place on the beer landscape a place that could not be matched by any other beer I have ever tasted. I wanted to take another taste to make sure that that there was no pulp in my mouth or maybe my brain shut down and I was imagining tastes. But no, this beer brought the tartness of a Berliner-wiesse to a new level. Almost to the sour point of a sugar-covered candy, but with a great fruit flavor. This beer gave me a feeling that in Milton Delaware Sam Calagione and his crew are really making a difference in the beer world. That they are changing beer today like Jim Koch’s and Fritz Maytag’s did before them. I am glad that the beer landscape is continuing to grow and evolve and not stay stagnant
Like other DFH beers, it doesn’t make a bold statement with aroma, but with how it is their summer seasonal that make all other summer seasonals look, taste, and feel like just you normal average everyday beer. Thanks for the great beer Dogfish Head and I hope to continue to enjoy “off centered ales” for years to come!
Beer Advocate, an online and print magazine, will be hosting June 20th and 21st the first annual American Craft Beer Fest (ACBF). This will be one of the first large craft beer festivals on the east coast, having over 75 brewers with over different beers to be served. The Alstrom Brothers have become a fierce presence in the online beer sence over the past few years and started a print magazine in 2007. The event will happen at the World Trade Center in Boston and there is an expected attendence of over 15,000 in the 3 sessions. For more information visit Beer Advocate's website http://www.beeradvocate.com/
ion created to commemorate and celebrate the life, interests, and good works of a well-loved and leading Northwest brewer. Learn more about The Glen Hay Falconer Foundation here.
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