Au Courant - Dogfish Head Brewery

gueuzegeek

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured a very appealling copper reddish color. It was very clear with an average head. I could immediately smell a sweet aroma, but did not immediately pick up on the currant. The first taste was just some sweetness, but then after a bit (and after eating some mild cheese), the total fruitiness of the currant started to appear. It was a bit slow to develop, but then all of a sudden I could really taste it. The aroma also developed and the fruit was definitely present. I am not sure how much was the cheese acting as a palate neutralizer or simply that as it warmed the fruit came through. The beer just got better as I continued to enjoy it. Of course, when tasting, eating food is not always advised, however, I will definitely say mild cheeses had no ill effect, but do not serve this beer to anyone while they are eating anything spicy or they will really miss out on its beauty.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2003 17:58:20 | More by gueuzegeek

matjack85

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +18.4%

02-11-2013 17:35:59 | More by matjack85

POTABLE83

New York

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%

07-06-2012 21:28:12 | More by POTABLE83

jfcaa193

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -16.4%

02-14-2012 01:49:47 | More by jfcaa193

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -16.4%

12-20-2011 05:48:00 | More by JAHMUR

HopStoopid120

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +39.3%

12-16-2011 19:41:56 | More by HopStoopid120

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle split and poured into a Duvel tulip.
7% ABV, no date (Bottle from 2004!)

A big sloppy wet kiss-thanks to bnieman for sharing this aged bottle from his cellar!

A - Not pale in the least, but oh well, what's a (style) name good for anyway. Blood red and cloudy, Au Courant isn't topped by much head. Thin, loose bubbles cling around the outer edge.

S - Slightly funky yeast notes give way to a fruity underbelly of currants and black cherries. Notes of lactic acidity forewarn of light sourness to come.

T - Merlot-like in flavor, currants and grapes blend nicely with a smooth malt balance. Not totally nuanced, but good regardless.

M - Lightly tart and minimally sour on the finish with a medium-light body and wine-like dryness to the back end.

O - Interesting blend going on in this brew, it's pretty unique but probably much better fresh. Still, Au Courant has hung on very well for it's age!

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 23:23:33 | More by BeerFMAndy

rab53

Massachusetts

1/5  rDev -72.1%

12-01-2011 05:27:01 | More by rab53

Beertracker

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev +11.4%

11-29-2011 05:05:13 | More by Beertracker

THECPJ

Delaware

4/5  rDev +11.4%

11-23-2011 01:48:34 | More by THECPJ

ROGUE16

Delaware

4/5  rDev +11.4%

11-17-2011 04:52:34 | More by ROGUE16

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

1.85/5  rDev -48.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Notes from camping trip, Wisconsin 2004. Copper and bright golden color, white head. Aroma was tart berries and I guess the offputting part would be currants.

Taste was just horrible. Nasty currant sweetness with fruit bitterness of shitty berries birds won't even eat. Struggled to drink just 1 of the bottles myself. Hoped to pawn the rest of the 4pack off on the girls. Rotten fruit with acid. No hops. Tastes like a boilermaker of rotten fruit and rubbing alcohol + currants.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 23:20:58 | More by Beerandraiderfan

brew3crew

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle is from 2004.

A-murky read with almost no head whatsoever
S-really weird. Can't quite put my finger on it. I like it though. Courant smelling perhaps?
T-very sour tasting. Courant maybe? Well past its prime
M-medium bodied and not so crisp
D-ok at best. Not the worst out there

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 02:56:34 | More by brew3crew

udchemist

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 2~23~2011. This is a 7yr old beer, and for its age is really good.
Appearance - cloudy, orangeish red. Little bit of carbonation remains, but not terrible amount
Smell - sour, maybe a hint of grapey goodness
Taste - sour, grapes, it has a winey aftertaste, little bit of off flavors there but not too bad.
Mouthfeel - medium mouthfeel, sour aftertaste
Drinkability - I'm not a huge sour fan, so was hesitant to drink it but after getting over the initial sourness, it has a decent drinkability.

Thanks to Urbancaver - great night of tasting and tickers! :)

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 02:09:31 | More by udchemist

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pour a murky reddish brown. With a good amount of head. Well carbonated. Smells sour and tart. Certainly past it's prime but intesting to try. Tastes like courrant. The tart and sour kicks hard. I would be curious to see how it is in another 2-3 years. Decent mouth feel. Well carbonated and pretty drinkable

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2011 02:03:41 | More by Urbancaver

ekardz

New York

4.1/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

based on some other reviews, you'd think this bottle didn't hold up well to age. i personally think it is has aged/changed very nicely. It pours a reddish purple with a one finger head, very hazy and cloudy, thick/syrupy looking, not much carbonation. Smells of currants, wine, grapes, resiny, floral, sour/tart smell. If I didn't know any better I could've sworn this was something Vinnie brewed. There is a lot of flavor in the taste. Sour, malty, mellow grapes and bitter. There is a very dry finish with a great overall medium bodied mouthfeel. Superb drinkability after all these years. Wish this was brewed again, and would love to have one more!!!

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 20:32:28 | More by ekardz

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark golden orange color with burnt orange hues when held to a light source and a frothy, pillowy two finger off-white head. Very god retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap. Large chunks of lacing left behind.

Very sweet dark fruit aroma with subtle hops, caramel malt and sweet alcohol. Slightly spicy with a bit of pepper that accompanies the apple and currants.

Medium bodied with slight oxidization up front. It's still very sweet with lots of caramel apple and vinous dark fruit. Unfortunately the alcohol hasn't mellowed much, adding heat and more sweetness. Stale hop profile which is understandable considering the age. Hints of grape, currant, apple and grape along with spicy pepper. Dry finish.

I was glad to try this beer but it kind of tastes like spicy, alcoholic apple cider.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 07:25:12 | More by corby112

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 2004 vintage bottle into a wine glass.

A: Dark, murky, eggplant color with a decent fizziness and white ring of carbonation.

S: Prunes, grapes, and a little rum raisin. A little mustiness in the background too.

T: Currants! Grape skins shine as well providing the tartness. A little booze still comes through believe it or not.

M: The best feature of this beer. Very dry and crisp. Still has the bubbles!

D: This beer held up pretty well for being 6 years old.

Overall, I miss old Dogfish Head beers like this.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 22:03:14 | More by hoppymcgee

drabmuh

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Beer poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a standard pint glass. Beer is yellow / dark yellow with a white head made up of a small bubbles that collapse into medium bubbles. Carbonation is moderate to low but steady of medium bubbles that rise slowly through the beer. The beer is mostly clear. There is a faint pinkish coloring to the head. The head falls away leaving some lacing on the glass as I drink.

Kind of tart smelling with a strong acidic component to it, lots of fruit notes (I suppose those are the currants). No hop aromas to speak of but that's fine, I am expecting this to taste like grapes.

Yep, grapes. Definitely some acidic presence as well, tastes a little bready which is a surprise and I don't think its adding a whole lot to the overall beer. Beer is light to medium bodied and slightly dry. Overall drinkability is good. They should reprieve this beer, it was a more successful use of currants in a brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 17:00:11 | More by drabmuh

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

One from the vaults! It is funny what you can find looking through old notes.

A-Golden copper with a medium white head that vanished to a thin ring and left spotty lace.

S-Sharp fruity acidity, some white wine notes and a nice dose of biscuit.

T-Grape and a tang of fruity sourness. Some balancing biscuit but this one is all about the fruit.

M-Light bodied very sharp and crisp....like a fruit spritzer. Dry finish.

D-I remember having this on tap at the brewpub years back and was impressed. Glad they bottled it and am pleasantly surprised at how nicely it came out. A pleasant and easy drinking fruit beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

10-15-2009 06:32:00 | More by Deuane

MMAJYK

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A. Bright golden color with a little bit of head which lacks retention.

S. Honey, white grapes, lemons.

T. Just exactly like the mouth. Very rich and the currants are dominating. Complex.

M. Medium in the mouth with medium carbonation.

D. Great experience! Never heard of this beer before my buddy brought this one up.

Cheers, hurleymanvw for this one!

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

03-16-2009 19:13:35 | More by MMAJYK

doho95fu

California

2.83/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Wow - some beers are not for me and this is one of them. Some experiments are doomed to failure and in my mind the strength of the inclusion of currants was overwhelming to point of the beer being unrecognizable.... as a beer. Color is cabernet. Smell was again currants, with some maltiness and oak. The taste was where the wheels fell completely off. Tasted like a bad diet grape soda with a splash of Hoegaarden. Way too much grape. The mouthfeel was odd as well with a thinness not usual for an ale in my experience. No alcohol burn at all. The tartness and flavor strength make this a low drinkability beer.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

09-25-2008 19:25:05 | More by doho95fu

brentk56

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brewed in 2003

Appearance: The color must have settled down over the years as the color is honey colored with just a hint of garnet; very cloudy with a decent head for its age that settles to a ringlet with lots of splashy lace

Smell: Tart currant aroma - bold and rich, with just a hint of biscuity malt underneath

Taste: Opens with a hint of the malt but jumps to the tart currant flavors; by mid-palate, the tartness has really built and there is just a bit of almost woody malt flavor upon the swallow; the tartness returns afterwards, with an underlying wheat beer character, with hints of almonds, banana and clove

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Looking through some reviews, I think the age has really benefited this beer; I was impressed by the complexity and some of the surprising elements; a lot of wine character, too

Thanks, aerozeppl, for an opportunity I had just about given up hope of getting

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

09-12-2008 23:07:47 | More by brentk56

aerozeppl

New York

4.2/5  rDev +17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2003 bottle

A: Poured with 2 fingers of white head that quickly went down to a half finger. Looks almost like a dark heff in the glass. Cloudy around the edges but the center light has a hard time getting through.

S: Grapes. A little bit bready as well. The obvious wine comparison must be made but it really does not smell like wine at all.

T: Damn I thought the grapes would fade but they are right up front. Grape bonkers! Holy shit. They made this beer taste like that awesome artificial grape using real grapes. Where is there Nobel prize? Little hint of the yeast in the back. Few other things I really cant get down.

M: Very carbonated which cuts it down a touch. Light to medium body. Dry finish.

D: Don't remember what this tasted like fresh but not bad with 5 years on it. I was expecting the worst. Again very Dogfish very good.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

07-31-2008 22:57:22 | More by aerozeppl

mhewes

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2003 bottle served at room temperature

A : Pours a light brown/golden color with some red tint to it. Not too much head

S : Very nice sweet aroma mainly consisting of currants with a hint of malt

T : Very nice currant flavor with some nice sweet malt flavors in it also. Not much else going on.

M : Medium-bodied, very little carbonation

D : Easily drinkable. I really enjoyed it and was surprised at how well it had held up over the years.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

07-23-2008 17:44:43 | More by mhewes