Festina Lente - Dogfish Head Brewery

beerman599

Connecticut

1.9/5  rDev -51.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

first i' would like to say that i love the beers from this brewery. most reviews on this sight doesn't acount for a bad bottle well i had one here , it was flat sour and had an off flavor, i'm not putting down the beer just the bottle i had. i would be interseted if anyone else has had a problem with bad bottles?

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2003 00:57:29 | More by beerman599

beernut7

Massachusetts

2.1/5  rDev -46.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

After opening this bottle, I wonder whether carbonation was part of the plan here. Pours a thin flaxen hue with no hint of a head or any carbonation at all. Aromas of a honey braggot and peach predominate. The initial flavor brings forth a mellow sourness with a very thin hints of honey and a following dry peach flush. As is, this brew goes well with Chinese food on New Year’s Eve, but leaves one wondering as to the true nature of this concoction.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2004 15:46:52 | More by beernut7

Dithyramb

Maryland

2.15/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Purchased as a wine sized 750 from Midtown Wine in Nashville. The born on dating was sans notch on the labeling. Didn't seem overly old, though. Haven't heard much of this brew and haven't seen it available in MD.

Less than ripe peach colored hazy brew, with a short lived white foam head. Tiny little pieces of lacing.
Brett and ripe peach on the nose.

A thin bodied brew, this at times was marvelous. There is the slightest hint of faint delicate peach. However, this was intermingled with the Brett. Sorry, but I'm not a fan of the phunk. There is substantial tartness and bittness to the brew. Finishes dry and acidic.

I didn't finish the big bottle, as myself and the others at the house didn't dig on bret. This is perhaps my least favorite DFH brew. The brett phunk was even more distastefull than the lawnmower. Kept the scores up, though, since this is closer to the style. I was just hoping for more fruit and less geuze.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2005 14:44:12 | More by Dithyramb

snilsen13

Georgia

2.48/5  rDev -36.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Okay, only becasue I remember this beer with near perfect clarity I feel compelled to add the obvious two bits. Poured off tap at the EBF, I think it was the only Lambic around. This, is extreme lambic. I've had a few and the range is from light sourness to serious sourness, but this one just tips the scale. Too sour to sip, I quickly deduced, so quaff quickly and be prepared for something surprising... not a bad after taste. The taste is difficult to figure out behind all the sour and I wasn't going to let it linger. Maybe best left in the glass, were it proivides a nice ruby glow and fruity aromas. On the other hand, this is good one if you want to hit the rest button on your palate. Drink quickly and not copiously is my advice.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2006 20:56:31 | More by snilsen13

danadeny

Colorado

2.55/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours with no head, no carbonation, and a murky yellow with a little orange color. Peachy wine smell, a little apple cider like. The flavors start with a tart bite, followed by sourness. Tastes like a peach that was not ripe yet. Like other people suggested this may become better with age. Cider like dryness to the mouth feel. Overall it was too tart, and sour. I had to struggle to finish this one, hoping it would get better as it warmed up, but it didn’t.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2004 13:15:54 | More by danadeny

necoadam

Connecticut

2.58/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured out a peachy color with almost no carbonation visible. Smell was peachy and a little tart, but not that bad. Some granny smith apples seem to underly the tartness in the aroma. Taste was..ok. Quite fruity with a stinging tartness. The more you drink this, the less harsh the tartness becomes. But it's almost like drinking the juice out of some canned fruit. Mouthfeel was medium with lacking carbonation. Well it was an attempt at least, just needs a few adjustments to it. It needs carbonation for one...

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2005 19:07:50 | More by necoadam

taez555

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -30%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750ml bottle.

This beer poured a clear pale orange tan body with absolutely no head. It looked like watery apple juice.

The nose was a mix of sour fruit, fresh peaches and alcohol. It actually smells a lot like an old can of peaches that’s been sitting in your pantry for a while.

The body was very light and TART. Very thin, sugary sweet, tart, sour, peaches. Essentially it tastes like watered down peach lambic. There’s really nothing more to this beer. It’s thin, watery and tastes like sour peaches.

As far as lambics go it’s not to bad. Pretty impressive really for an American brewer, but basically this a poor excuse for a lambic. It’s not undrinkable, but it’s definitely not a beer I’ll be having anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2004 07:54:43 | More by taez555

kaszeta

New Hampshire

2.78/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

From the 2004 Belgian Beer Festival.

Pours with a hazy yellow body, and almost no head. The smell is very tart, reminiscent of strong peach and lemon, but somewhat pleasant. Tastewise, it's one of the most sour lambics I've ever had, and I'd say this one had gone over the edge. A bit of maltiness and a lot of yeast help soften the tartness a little, but this definitely isn't a beer for most people. Not a bad beer, but not one I'll look for again, either.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2004 20:34:15 | More by kaszeta

hustlemuscle

Ohio

2.8/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I am but a simple man, a man who likes his hops, his malts, his beer. This, it appears, has none of the above. Looks like apple juice, smells like peach juice, tastes like something that spoiled. Peachy, but so tart it is nearly undrinkable. A little spicy, but a thin torturous liquid that ruined my drinking for the night. I like dogfishhead, but this was rough.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2004 03:56:14 | More by hustlemuscle

Brent

Kentucky

2.8/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

The bottle label caused me to expect more of a fruit beer (why was the word "ale" blacked out?). Poured with absolutely no head. I feared a bad bottle that had gone flat. Almost still in the mouth, and a distinct tartness reinforced my initial suspicion. However, a tingling on the tongue annouced that there was some minute level of carbonation, and the tartness woke up with characteristic lambic-like flavors. Now, having gotten into the groove of the beer, the cidery, unripened peach flavor bloomed a bit. There is enough depth of flavor to keep some interest up, but the tartness is tedious. Finishes dry and a bit astringent. The 7% abv is well disguised below the sourness. A bit of burning in the belly - alcohol or sourness? Can't tell. Interesting, but I doubt I'll hang in for the whole botte.

Back to the review after a valiant effort to continue, but the tartness simply got the better of me.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2004 00:56:32 | More by Brent

pezoids

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

This beer actually gave me stomach cramps, no kidding. That’s not to say I did not try to enjoyed it. I did. Poured a cloudy and pale yellow. Looked flat without any head at all. The aroma is strong with tart sour apples. The flavor is puckering with an amped up tartness that’s off the charts. It’s almost like drinking malt vinegar. Lacto-sourness in the finish that stings the tongue. I trudged through this pint. Physically it was painful on my stomach, but mentally I still could appreciate the craft of the beer. It’s sort of like a very sweet and sour young riesling. Lots of flavor, but would probably not go for this one again. Sorry, guys.

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2004 05:58:51 | More by pezoids

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Upon opening the 2004 Festina Lente, I noticed when I poured it into my glass (wine glass actually), it looked much like a Chardonney white wine. No head formed at the top and looked very very winey (for lack of a better term). I bought this in a 1 pint 9.6 oz. bottle, so my hopes is that it tastes much like much else I taste from Dogfish Head....heaven....

Upon smelling it, it lets off the scents of being a white wine. The peach that is brewed with the ale is very prominant, and makes me curious as to what I can expect to taste. i also get a bit of the oak that it was barrelled in.

Upon first sip, the peach is very very prominant; not much alcohol burn at all. It is also a very sour peach taste, not sweet, and totally throws me for a loop here. I can't tell if I will enjoy this one or not. Not much of the hops is tasted, but leaves a slight aftertaste that contains the hops I was looking for. However, after letting it sit for a bit to warm, I noticed more of the oak taste coming through, but the peach overpowers this ale.

Overall, I am thoroughly disappointed, and if I didn't enjoy the taste of a decent glass of wine, I would probably throw this out in the drain. I am not really sure what Dogfish and its brewers were going for here. Maybe letting it age would make the best of this situation.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2004 01:21:42 | More by Fish113d

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer is like drinking a liquid sweet-tart. It pours a clear honey color with a little bit of haze in the glass from the yeast at the bottom of the bottle. No head forms on the beer and the aroma is a fruity sour peach smell with a hint of bread mixed in.

Each sip of this light to medium bodied beer will make you pucker. It begins with some syrupy sweetness before it is quickly replaced with a sour fruity flavor. Just like a sweet tart candy. There's a dry malt taste in the background holding it all together. It leaves some fruity notes on the palate after each sip.

The beer seemed to mellow out a bit as it warmed in the glass, but it's still very tart. Scores low on the drinkability scale.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2004 22:25:35 | More by WanderingFool

mschofield

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Cloudy orange-gold, only a small pure white head. Reminded me of Mountain Dew.
Strong peach and grainy taste and aroma, note of a wet hayfield.
Along with the peach and grain taste, it's very tart, puckeringly sour.. Some honey and oak. Light bodied, crisp.
It's different, but I wouldn't want to drink a lot of it, or even try it again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2004 19:46:58 | More by mschofield

WesWes

New York

3.18/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

The beer pours a hazy yellow color with no trace of a head. The aroma is good. It smells of sour peaches and not much else. The taste is different, but not that bad. It tastes a bit watery, but has a strong sour peach taste that is very intense. It is interesting and would be much better with some carbonation. It has some real lambic qualities, but it falls short of most. The mouthfeel is horrible. It is a low bodied beer with zero carbonation. This is a decent idea, but it needs some work. It is a fair drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2004 00:30:32 | More by WesWes

maybrick

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Sam call’s this a “neo lambic.” I call it insane. It’s infused with peaches that are easily detectable in the nose. The color was light straw and was very bright. The taste is tart and reminiscent of the “Sweet Tarts” candy. 7.5 ABV in a 750ml corked and caged bottle. It's different - for the people that like guexe, you may like this.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2003 15:40:32 | More by maybrick

mjohn27603

Michigan

3.3/5  rDev -16%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

1 Pint 9.6 oz bottle. Cork come out without a pop. Poured in the glass extremely flat with no carbonation or head. Smells of peaches. Sweet smelling. Taste is extremely sour and tart. Taste of peaches a little bit like apricots. Mouthfeel is a little thin. Starts tasting like a sweetart. Hmm, not one of Dogfish Head's best examples. A little oakiness and musty taste. A little vinegar - acidic and sour. Hints of an oaky chardonnay or as intense as a sweet reisling wine.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2004 02:36:01 | More by mjohn27603

meathookjones

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -14%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled from a 750ml bottle on 1/15/05. Pours out a flat apple juice color with barely a hint of bubbles erupting from a vigorous pour. Of course no lacing was left with the lack of a head. Aroma is extremely tart with a decent bit of sweetness in the background. No real fruit scents in the aroma, only a strong tartness. Flavor start out with a big tartness before some feint sweet peach notes come across, which help out the taste greatly. Not much else going on but more sour and a lingering sourness on the finish. Mouthfeel is crisp and about medium but the lack of carbonation hurts it a bit. Drinkability is fairly good though a bit more peach flavor and carbonation would help this as well. Thanks for the bottle slander.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2005 14:38:00 | More by meathookjones

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours without a head even with the bottle upside down! Pale amber color. Very good carbonation. Nose is a peach/pineapple but starts and finishes as a sour (the brewer calls it tart) peach. Light bodied. Does not fit in with my idea of a beer since the hops and malts are waaay in the background. $10.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2004 23:34:46 | More by jdhilt

Wolfsdenbrew

New Mexico

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured with almost no head to speak of, just a few small bubbles rising from the bottom then disappearing quickly. A golden color with a bit of chill haze, almost like apple juice in the color.

Aroma was dominated by peach with just a bit of grainy, earthy yeast. No hop aroma at all.

The taste was of tart, not quite ripe peaches with just a slight underlying malt sweetness. Very dry and acidic ale.

Carbonation was light but appropriate and a light bodied ale to compliment the peach fruitiness.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2005 09:03:08 | More by Wolfsdenbrew

ScarletLady

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

had never heard of this until I hit Dogfish Head in Gaithersburg. 750ml bottle made in 2004. The label had the words beer & ale marked out by a sharpie. hmm

It poured a medium orange color, slightly cloudy with no head and minimal to no lacing. I found the peach hard to pinpoint in the smell but a definite citrus, hint of vanilla and a light vinegar/alcohol aroma. It was hard to get a good read with the woodsmoke grill aroma in the restaurant.

Ahh the taste. Crisp, almost ciderlike. It starts a light sour/vinegar but mellows out on the tongue. Wonderfully tart and the more you sip the stronger the flavor of the peach builds. Finish is dry. :)

Mouth feel is light with just a hint of carbonation. The more I drank it the more I liked it. The complexity works itself out to an unusual and enjoyalbe lambic.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2006 16:04:11 | More by ScarletLady

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Wow, this beer is sour. I bought a corked bottle in 2004 and just opened it this past weekend July 22, 2007. Poured it into 2 oversized red wine glasses. The first thing you notice is the lack of carbonation, not fizz at all and a very very minimal head that disappeared in an instant. It has a great peachy lambic smell to it. The first sip almost knocked me out, though. One of the most sour beers I have had in a long time. I expected this from a Belgian perhaps, but not from DFH. Kudos to them for taking a chance and making a beer true to its style. There was no way I'd be able to drink the whole bottle, so it was nice to split. Lente was quite a nice treat and went well with some nectarine cobbler we had for dessert.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2007 23:05:50 | More by morebeergood

goindownsouth

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

This is an intriguing brew, to say the least. Pucker up for this one, as its tart bite will hit you from the very get-go. I will not lie, there are peaches in here and lots of 'em. This concoction has a very light mouthfeel, with some, albeit virtually no carbonation. And that is not as bad a thing as I would have initially thought. A nice palate-cleanser, with its acidic nature. Not bad, but some age on the second bottle I have will do it some justice.

Zum wohl!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2004 19:07:14 | More by goindownsouth

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a mag by beerbeing after DLD 07 in the hotel. The liquid was a light pale yellow with very fine carbonation. The head was small and fizzy very wine like.

The smell was strong, sour and peachy.

The taste was no suprise, a puckering sour peach brew, acidic and dry. The taste was good to be sure as the bottle did not last long.

The mouthfeel was light and airy like a sparkling wine

The drinkability was tough. Eventhough the brew's taste was interesting and drew you in for more with each sip, the acidicness and the sourness made it hard to have a lot.

Thanks again to BB for the taste of this rare brew. MK

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2007 08:18:28 | More by MuenchenerKindl

bog

New York

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Having never seen this beer before, I had to pick it up. This beer pours with no head to speak of. The smell is relatively simple and unique in a beer: peaches. It is rather clear and well, peach-colored. Upon first taste, the beer feels heavy, almost like canned peaches... very interesting, at least. It ends rather dry and crisp. As I continue through the beer, the heaviness seems to lighten, and more of the sweet peach taste comes through. This has to be one of the more unique beers I've had. Another good one from Dogfish Head.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2003 00:40:52 | More by bog