Festina Lente - Dogfish Head Brewery

mjohn27603

Michigan

3.3/5  rDev -15.8%
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

taez555

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -29.8%
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

marburg

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I nearly cried after I realized I'd consumed half the bottle.

OK, maybe it wasn't that bad. But after drinking this, I found myself wanting more -- and then some more. And after that, maybe another bottle for good measure. Addictively excellent beer from DFH.

Its color lies somewhere in the spectrum between yellow and Crayola's "Atomic Tangerine." The modest head forms only upon an aggressive pour -- we all know the story there -- but this isn't nearly as "undercarbonated" as I was expecting. Certainly, the mouthfeel would have been dramatically improved by increased CO2, but this is still an impressive beer.

True to form lambic tartness is an obvious factor in both the sweet-tart peachy aroma and the style appropriate flavor. A bit funky to be sure, but DFH just convinced me that peach might be the perfect lambic fruit. The fruit is a force here, but the transition from the initially tart flavors to the peaches is practically seemless. An absolute refresher.

A burp, hidden from those around me, replays the tartness to be sure. This is one acidic sonofabitch, but I think anyone who finds true Belgian lambics a bit tough to swallow and the uber-sweet Lindemans beers too sugary might find their perfect lambic companion in this treat.

And 7% alcohol is clearly either a lie or an example of DFH's mastery of clever flavors and unique conccoctions. I'll guess the latter.

This is something of the beer equivalent of a breakfast treat -- peach crepes and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Sweet and ascerbic. Light and refreshing. Fruity and complex. If the carbonation were there, you could rank this flawless in appearance and amazing in mouthfeel -- and among my favorite beers. Anne and Randy are too good to me. Perhaps I'll UPS them my first born.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2004 03:33:57 | More by marburg

chaduvel

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy peach color, no head to speak of, but many bubbles rising from the bottom and clinging to the sides of the glass. Smell is sour with some malt, but dominated by peaches, mmm peaches. Taste is sour and flavorful with a touch of barn or horse blanket and with an aftertaste of unripened sour peaches. Not artificial at all. A fair amount of carbonation and a bit thicker mouthfeel than most lambics that I've had. Goes down very easy as I ended up drinking most of the bottle as others at the table were more interested in wine. I liked this beer, too bad it's gotten a bad rap.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2004 19:57:38 | More by chaduvel

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev -12.5%
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

beergeek279

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in the 750 mL bottle, into a pint glass. The color is copper, with bubbles in the beer, and no head to speak of. The smell is a strong peachiness. The taste is somewhat sour, not nearly as puckering as a Belgian lambic, with a bit of subtle peach flavor. Mouthfeel is slightly undercarbonated. As for drinkability, could have a few of these.

A nice try at a lambic. Though not as face puckering as a Cantillon, it's still a nice lambic, and I'd certainly have this again, and maybe DFH can take a stab at some other flavors as well,

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2004 02:19:46 | More by beergeek279

goindownsouth

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -6.9%
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

UnionMade

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a deeply cloudy orange gold. Pretty much completely opaque. A vigorous pour generates nothing but a few sparse bubbles, which quickly drown in the liquid, never to be seen again.
The aroma is rather complex and surprisingly authentic, with a huge brettanomyces farminess. Fairly tart peach aroma, blending well with the bacterial sourness. A bit of sugary sweetness, mingled with rotted pulp wood and dogwood flowers. A bit of damp hay, sweetly pungent decaying compost, and mouldering paper.
The flavor starts with a nearly still carbonation. Pretty much flat when you sip, but a light flicker of carbonation is present in the swallow. Very similar to the Hanssens Oudbeitje in terms of the carbonation. The sip starts off with a light sugary sweetness, fading quickly into a moderate bacterial farminess. Lots of wet hay and rotted, bug infested wood, the kind you peel the bark off of and discover a colony of silverfish and centipedes. A bit of wet earth and forest floor leaves. Some tartness ensues with flavors of rotting peaches, mold and a bit of heartwood tanginess. Brettanomyces is in full effect, adding a huge amount of complexity. Somewhat tannic and acidic, although not quite as much as some of the more bad ass lambics I've tried. No heartburn here. The beer finishes quite dry, with a slightly astringent bacterial funkiness. Wierd stuff. Fairly light bodied, with a full, almost stinging mouthfeel full of acidity.
A very good, authentic lambic. My only complaint is that it could be a little more tannic, with less unfermented sugars. The keg version seemed a bit more acidic. Perhaps it's the unfermented priming sugar from the bottle conditining, since that obviously didn't take off yet. Aging will certainly help this beer, and it should acquire the proper acidic dryness with time. A commendable, impressive attempt at lambic brewing. Every bottle I've tried tastes a tiny bit different.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2004 20:57:51 | More by UnionMade

xgrigorix

Michigan

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Brown bottle, 750 ml size, corked & caged.

Pale shade of clear yellow - gold. No head forms, but some very faint carbonation can be seen.

Nose is tart, acidic, & peaches. Quite inviting.

Funky, earthy, tart, acidic, oaky, & an intense peach flavour. Light on the mouth, with almost no carbonation. Shows promise, looking forward to re-reviewing this when a properly carbonated batch is made available.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2004 18:18:42 | More by xgrigorix

ngandhi

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Surprisingly earthy and musty on the nose for an American lambic; certainly not Cantillon, but not Lindeman's either! Festina Lente is a gorgeous lambic -- tart and sour to style, but very, very drinkable. Up front the palette is all peach and apricot which then fades into just a hint of funk, tartness, and then, unfortunately, washes out. A touch spritzy, this is a wonderful summer brew and really holds its own against more authentic lambics. Among American interpretations of the style, Dogfish Head's Festina Lente comes, perhaps, the closest to resembling the wild (and oh so delicious) characteristics of a spontaneous fermentation.

Thanks, Joel.

Relax, relax.
ng

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2004 01:20:09 | More by ngandhi

pezoids

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -26.5%
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%
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

mschofield

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -20.9%
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

GeoffFromSJ

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was a nice lambic. The appearance is just above average but could be better. It smelled just peachy (couldn't resist). The fermentation took out the sweetness of the peaches which made this quite interesting. The high alcohol content lowered the mouthfeel. A person there commented that it did not have enough carbonation. I agree. Despite that, I found it quite good.

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2004 04:08:43 | More by GeoffFromSJ

GreatPondBrewer

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a hazy peach orange which resembled apple juice. There was absolutely no head or carbonation and even a vigorous pour resulted only in some air bubbles on top. So much for a striking appearence. However the smell and taste begged to differ. Smelled slightly tart and lemon like with a pretty good musty odour resembling traditional lambics. Taste was very refreshing with more tartness, medium dry, but very little in the way of any barnyard effects. The flatness f the beer was replaced well by the tart, mouth-puckering feel. The finish was more peachy and softly fruity with some excellent creamcicle and vanilla flavors. The fruitiness definitely improved as it warmed. This is a higher gravity lambic, but there were only very subtle hints of the increased alcohol. Neo-lambic you say? Me like. It has enough innovation to be distinctly american, but gives an excellent nod to tradition.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2004 22:14:45 | More by GreatPondBrewer

ADR

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Extreme Beer Fest 2004...

Murky deep yellow color, small head and no real lace on the glass. Nose prickling aroma, good astringency. Finely carbonated and soft in the mouth (nice to see this problem is getting better). Flavor is great, sense of Brett and musk farminess, properly tart with a fine sense of real peach (not peach syrup) coming through, all the way to a pit-like bittering. Great sourness that's just leavened rather than overwhelmed by fruit. Much better than pretenders from either side of the ocean. Probably the top North American "Lambic" I've had, despite taxonomic or geographic subjectivity....

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2004 18:24:02 | More by ADR

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Amber orange hazy peach tone that's almost noncarbonated very thin white head. Very similar to a Cantillion lambic in camparison to this peach infuesed ale in front of me with a peach scented tartness very impressive stands up to a Cantillon lambic to me. Taste: Very tart peach flavor, leaves me with fruit juices and puckering lips nice and somewhat of a dry finish. Mouthfeel: Thin to light bodied lambic this is an amazingly complex ale that I will stand by everytime very good beer is present. Drinkability: Amazing fruit lambic quality that will stick with you throughout the tasting session, a very tart and full flavor great tasting lambic that makes your lips pucker until the last drop.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2004 07:55:01 | More by WVbeergeek

WesWes

New York

3.18/5  rDev -18.9%
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

beernut7

Massachusetts

2.1/5  rDev -46.4%
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

mikeys01

Colorado

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a brown wine bottle style 750ml, with a white paper label stating it to be a "right lusty ale brewed with honest to goodness peaches". I had the unfortunate luck of getting one of the bottles with very low carbonation, but it was still very good and did not hamper my enjoyment of this beer. The Festina poured out a very peachy light orange/golden color with no visible head any only traces of carbonation, slightly hazy. Aroma is very peachy and sharply sour, definitely looks and smells like a lambic. Taste is very full of fresh peach flavor and a crisp but not overwhelming tarness. A bit more grainy flavor and a bit of oak flavor is noticeable once you adjust to the peachy tartness, but you're still left with a nice tang in the finish. Fairly light bodied, very enjoyable, would probably be excellent with a little more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2004 05:05:31 | More by mikeys01

DagFishHead

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle that was a part of the batch known to have the low/no carbonation problem at DFH. Stored bottle in warm room for 4 weeks after purchase.
Appearance: First, the bottle opened with a very crisp (and reassuring) pop! Slightly hazy, straw-gold body with orange/peach highlights. A one-finger, frothy pure white head formed and held briefly leaving no lace.
Smell: Oak, earthy, grassy. Wow: sour peaches. A whiff of urine, farm animal sweat, musk and wet wool.
Taste: Big tart peach up front. Tartness expands with carbonation to a fluffiness at the top. Finish dries with earthy/grassy hops and aftertaste is acidic, blood-metallic and moldy sour grapes.
Mouthfeel: Light-medium body. Light carbonation and sour fruit tingle. Puckery in the aftertaste.
Drinkability: As I gain experience with more beer styles, I now find myself giving a 4.0 score for a whiff of urine? This was a fun beer that I will be trying again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2004 03:15:07 | More by DagFishHead

beerman599

Connecticut

1.9/5  rDev -51.5%
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

francisweizen

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

According to DFH they shipped these 750's too early and we should let them sit in a 70 degree room for 8 weeks to have the caronation come up to the adequate level. Well, i'll let my next bottle sit at the beer store for 8 weeks and than give this interesting brew another try. DFH strikes again with this corked and caged, brown glass 750ml bottle of "neo-lambic". This pours a still peach colour with no head to be seen, no lacing either, nothing! The aromas are of gueuze funk and a bit of grainy/mustiness...luckily the graininess in the aroma fades after the brew breathes for a few minutes. The taste is quite gueuze-like, sharp and acidic, yet still quite peachy and light. This beer sits right in between a Lindemans peche and a Cantillion guzue IMHO and that is an interesting place to be seated! The mouthfeel is quite light, but the carbonation may damn well fix that problem. The drinkability is already damn good if you are a gueuze or traditional lambic head, as I am. If this gets better, it may be the best US brewed lambic of all time!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2003 18:21:53 | More by francisweizen

erica

California

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This one was a good one. I know we should've let the bottle sit around for a while to get carbonated, but too bad. Impatience strikes again!

Anyway, the colour was nice, it almost looked peachy, and it definitely smelled peachy. But I couldn't tell if it would be more like a lindeman's peche or a traditional lambic/geuze, because along with the peaches there was that farmy smell, though faint. So I tasted it and found out, it's pretty much a combo of the 2 aforementioned beers, more peche-y than geuze-y, though, which is a good thing to me. It felt smooth in my mouth and it was very enjoyable. The aftertaste was a little funky- at first it tasted like corn chips, faintly like the Au Courant (see my review) but in later sips the aftertaste was more of that farm animal taste, which I hate, but it was so subtle so I can't say it really took away from the beer. And I think it's very drinkable, since I like fruity beers and it was fruity but had that tartness to it to balance.

Looking forward to having another bottle when it's ready! ;)

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2003 20:57:17 | More by erica

cokes

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I purchased this beer today with much anticipation, only to be deflated. I've just read (on the forum) that DFH sources say they've let some under/non-carbonated bottles slip out. After these warnings and the waste of effort that was their Pangaea (sampled moments before). I expected the worst.
Great! I can't wait to sample a botched beer. Glad I shelled out top dollar too!

But wait!

The cork is removed with noise. Oh! Rejoice!
Granted, this pours a limp, hazed yellow with only a suggestion of a head. Undercarbonated? Absolutely. But it hardly matters.
Nose full of piss and vinegar. Literally. Farmy, horse-y. This is lambic alright. Gueuze. Bile and foulness. Fucking lovely. Oh yeah. Peach. But who cares?
Taste begins sharply acidic. More urine along with melted crayons. Barnyard elements are minimal, but adequate. Do you like sweaty mules? I thought so!
Peaches add phantoms of fruitiness, but are ultimately squashed under human waste. Without the evidence on the label, the peaches may not even be noticed.
Gueuze fans will enjoy this.
I am and I do.
Malts add wet hay and sour grapes. The sourness gains strength as this finishes. Bile and blood add exclaimation marks
(!)
(!)
(!).
There is just enough carbonation present to make this enjoyable. If this (as DFH claims) gains CO2 in the bottle, it will morph into something beyond excellent (per US standards).
Even if it doesn't, I am still satifisfied with the result.
Whenever this is "fixed", it will be the best US-spawned lambic around, without a close second in sight.

Even with its flaws, it probably aready is.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2003 06:55:52 | More by cokes