Immort Ale - Dogfish Head Brewery

phishsihq

Colorado

4.06/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The brew pours a dark bronze under a modest off-white head that provides a solid amount of lace. The peat-smoked barley and vanilla standout in the nose, but they do not overshadow hints of maple, caramel, and alcohol. The smokiness leads on the palate with the richer malt flavors of caramel and toasted biscuits joining in to simmer down the smokiness. As the beer warms, maple and vanilla flavors begin to become more assertive, s well as a nice little hop profile in the finish. Lighter in carbonation, this 11%er has a fairly heavy mouthfeel. A great sipper from the folks at DFH!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 00:53:14 | More by phishsihq

xShoWTeKx

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from bottle to pint glass. Beer has a off white 2 finger head that dissipates slowly leaving a little lace, the color is a dark amber.

S: The nose on this beer is simply amazing, strong maple notes with a light smoke.

T: Taste is right along the smell, huge maple and oak front with a slight smokey middle. The finish has a fairly light hop presence and despite being 11% abv the alcohol is very well hidden.

M: Very full bodied beer with a surprising amount of carbonation.

O: Another very well done Dogfish beer will definitely buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 06:16:58 | More by xShoWTeKx

Heavenisbeer

Georgia

3.99/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: Translucent copper tone. Off-white head that fades to a thin ring. Nice legs.

S: Wow. Not what I remember from previous experiences. Powerful smokey quality, with a bit of peat and leather. Molasses and dark fruits follow but the initial Scotch-like notes remain.

T: The smokiness takes a step back here, working as more of a complement to the more pronounced sweet toffee and dark fruit maltiness. Some piney hops join the party towards closing time, but don't stick around long.

M: Softer on the palate than I recall, expected, and wanted for that matter, but it retains its flavor and presence well after initial contact; although there is some alcohol heat midway that fades in the aftertaste. Light carbonation. DFH says it ages with the best, and I think it should, at least to tame the heat a little.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 01:54:15 | More by Heavenisbeer

Moe101

New York

1.96/5  rDev -48.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

I love Dogfish Head Brewery but had I had a difficult time with this one. This beer tastes like if one of your friends left their chewing tobacco spit in a cup and you accidently picked it up and drank it. I couldn't think of any other way to describe this beer. I will never purchase this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 02:19:01 | More by Moe101

AMW

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from 12oz bottle into Mystic tulip glass. 2013A batch.

A: Pours a beautiful clear reddish brown.
S: Smells smoky and sweet maple. Wife says it smells a bit like dried shiitake mushrooms and i agree.
T: it's definitely interesting. At first you taste the smoky peated barley, then the maple and oak comes in.
M: really smooth. almost dangerously smooth given that it's 11%.
O: It's definitely worth grabbing a single and trying it. I don't like smoky beers, so i won't have this again, but i'm glad i tried it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2013 23:23:11 | More by AMW

flayedandskinned

California

4.25/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled in 2013
Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours an absolutely stunning and transparent dark amber with a striking red hue when light hits it. A small, finger tall, light tan head slowly rises out of the slightly viscous ale. The head lasts for quite a while and leaves some faint trails of lace behind.

Aroma: Some slightly sweet and smoky notes of juniper and herbs right away, with some light citrus interwoven between the plum and bubble gum tinged Belgian yeast phenols. Sweet and bread-y notes of malt are tucked nicely between suggestions of vanilla. There is little to no alcohol present in the nose. Very complex smelling ale.

Taste: Sweet plum and bubble gum from the yeast phenols hit your palate right away, then a quick slap of juicy, succulent citrus before some sweet, chewy and bread-y malts coat your tongue which are interlaced beautifully with a huge, sweeping wave of juniper laden smoke. The beer finishes very dry with a mere kiss of alcohol with some accompanying lingering notes of juniper, vanilla, faint maple and herbaceous hops.

Mouthfeel: Very full bodied and creamy with just the right amount of carbonation to lift the viscosity of this big beer off of your palate, without overpowering or masking the more subtle flavor components.

Overall: Another crazy beer with tons of wild ingredients from Dogfish Head, whoda thunk it? Well, I was expecting this beer to be a complete convoluted mess with all of the ingredients that were used in crafting this massive ale, but it turned out to be artfully balanced with hardly any alcohol presence at all! With an 11% beer, that is pretty hard to do. All of the components shine through very well in the this beer and come to a very nice crescendo in the finish. I'm looking forward to cellaring a few bottles of this to see how the ale develops over time. Highly recommended for a curious drinker who doesn't mind a big, sweet and contemplative ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 02:03:17 | More by flayedandskinned

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Immort ale has a coppery amber color an is quite clear. The head is fairly tall and dense with carbs being rather gentile in action.
Aroma was mostly alcohol but there was still a good amount of maple and vinnilla and oak pews and molasses and peat maybe even.
Taste finds a good depth of flavor with dark fruits earth molasses and sweet malts. Alcohol warms around the edges.
Drinks smooth and chewy with a warming finish. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 11:16:17 | More by micromaniac129

enjayvee

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I should be reviewing more beers, because I drink terribly too much and I love writing, but I saw that this only got an 86 and it blew my mind.

Appearance: The appearance is a dark brown, semi-thick liquid that has no head. It just seems manly.

Smell: The smell is adequate to match the manliness of the look. It smells strongly of maple, vanilla and an almost-whiskey (oak) bourbon-flavor.

Taste: Again, manly. I gave a sip to my aunt who said "too strong for me, that's like taking shots of whiskey." It's maple, vanilla intense character with the nice alcohol burn of 11% really makes this a wonderful sipping beer.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel isn't anything out of the ordinary for a strong ale, but it matches the beer. It doesn't coat your mouth but you know it's there and doing it's work. It has light feel but the manliness of the alcohol is present throughout the sip.

Overall: I think this beer is terribly underrated and has so much complexity. Just as the bottle says, it's "vast in character." The maple, vanilla and oak all combine to make such a wonderfully different brew that I think it's worth at LEAST a 1-time investment.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 01:57:07 | More by enjayvee

DMXLOX22

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a single of this beer from my local establishment, Civera's. First time I've noticed they had it so lets see how it matches up.

Appearance: Pours a nice, semi-thick, brown, amber copper color. Lace is almost non-existent. Still, not a bad pour atall. I'm assuming dark fruits were used in this recipe.

Smell: Complex scents of smoke and and slight hint of caramel. Also noticed was a hint of vanilla and some maple. Not exactly as loaded with roasted malts as I hoped.

Taste: Immediately, I'm almost overwhelmed with a rush of smokiness, heavy wooden molasses. Only the slightest hint of vanilla comes to mind, but nothing obvious. Alcohol is prevalent, as it should given the content. Something that was too overpowering for me. Not my cup o' tea if you ask me. Too smoked, and the alcohol doesn't fit well with this kind of flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation, heavy in texture. The bitterness is barely masked by the sweetness of the maple.

Overall: I was a little too optimistic going into this brew. I was a little excited to see something new I haven't had before from this brewery, but unfortunately, this beer wasn't for me. Too much smokiness, and the maple flavors didn't fit well, along with slight traces of vanilla. Not the easiest beer to put down, as it should for the ABV for this brew. Maybe next time Dogfish Head can put out something that is drinkable. I highly doubt I would have this beer again, and most likely would not recommend to a friend. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 00:54:40 | More by DMXLOX22

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A - A slight half fingers worth of crisp fizzy off-white colored head that quickly fades away leaving the slightest veil of splotchy lacing an uber thin collar... A slight to moderate bit of mixed paced carbonation... The color is a murky brown that s a bit lighter than medium...

S - A huge slightly intoxicating nose can be noticed well away from the glass... Caramel... Pineapple... A plethora of dark fruits... A slight bit of maple syrup... Vanilla... A very light oak component lies beneath the surface... A deeply complex and exciting nose...

T - The flavor profile is a slight departure from the nose... Vanilla and a subtle yet assertive oak are at the forefront... Caramel and brown sugar are next... The pineapple and dark fruits take a very distant back seat... The maple syrup may be present, but it hard to detect... Not bad by any stretch, but the flavors don't compliment each as as well on the palate as they did on the nose...

M - Medium to full bodied... A bit chewy... A bit syrupy... Limited carbonation yet lively... Sleek... Rather nice...

D - An interesting brew... Solid and enjoyable all the way around with an absolutely stellar aroma... An enjoyable sipper with a hefty 11% ABV... Not my favorite DFH brew, but definately worth investigating for the curious BA...

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 02:27:45 | More by philbe311

YieldToNothing

New York

3.71/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

poured from a bottle into a duvel tulp.
pours a reddish brown. smell is a little sour, kinda reminiscent of like a cabernet sauvignon. kinda has a wine texture going on with a slightly bitter aftertaste. not too hoppy, not very heavy on the carbonation either. vanilla/maple notes are subtle, but definitely present. abv is hidden well
paid a little under 4 for a single bottle at my local store that will split up any 4 or 6 pack. was definitely worth a try, but probably not a beet i'll get back to any time soon...if ever.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 03:07:19 | More by YieldToNothing

themind

New Jersey

3.09/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Interesting brew that seems like it could have been great but has fallen short. It has a slight smokiness to it with an interesting aroma. I didnt taste much maple in the brew but overall I enjoyed it watching UFC on Fuel. That said with all the great beers out there I would not buy it again.

Bottom Line: Worth the scratch to obtain the experience.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 01:04:41 | More by themind

ZRBE

Oregon

3.51/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Great color, despite a noticeable lack of head. Smells more like a barleywine than anything else. The heat is pretty apparent. Definitely doesn't taste like a barleywine though. The vanilla is nice, but I seem to recall enjoying this a lot more last time I tried it. Probably best served with a meal, I found it to be a little too busy and robust to just have on its own. A lot going on here.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 04:25:43 | More by ZRBE

Lonestargazer52

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Found this in a grocery store in Tyler, TX, and in my opinion it was about as good as bottled beer, not fresh from the brewery can get. Very dark, rich taste, with some chocolate and coffee aroma. Excellent balance of hops and malt, and significant "alcohol aroma", which is to be expected based on the relatively high alcohol content. Goes great with steak.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 17:30:07 | More by Lonestargazer52

mpedara429

Massachusetts

3.81/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Can't describe the color any better than a very clear "brown". Poured out with a thin layer of off white head. Not much retention or lacing

S: Molasses, charred wood barrels, and vanilla. Definitely some dark fruit in there too.

T: The charred wood is prevalent in the taste as it is very smoky. It is almost a bit spicy, probably a by product of the smoky flavor. The molasses and vanilla can also be tasted here as well.

M: Chewy, somewhat heavy body. Carbonation is thin and light. No sharp alcohol bite and this is a whopping 11% above.

O: I was digging this one. The smokiness made it unique but it did not deter from the sweet vanilla and molasses (maple syrup).

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 04:25:50 | More by mpedara429

Lucho

Florida

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: pours a rich copper red with a nice white head that foams up thick and white and has decent retention.

Smell: booze, fresh tobacco, chard oak, dark fruits,

Taste: Sweet at first with maple and some vanilla. There is almost an off putting taste of a corked wine, maybe that is the oak and maple playing together. Once it warms up the the maple really comes through with some fresh tobacco flavors. not too bad.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with sweet residue that coats the mouth with each sip.

Overall: This is an interesting brew with some nice flavor notes. I am interested to see how it will mellow out in 6-12 months.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 05:47:22 | More by Lucho

MacQ32

South Carolina

3.86/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours a nice orange amber with slightly less than a finger of caramel colored head, decent retention, only a thin but respectable layer remains across the surface after ~3 minutes. A decently thick outer lacing remains with a moderate, decent thin lacing.

S - Lots of dark fruits, smoked wood/oak, maple and maybe a little bourbon - hint of smoked bacony aroma as well.

T - Maple and oak followed by a slight alcohol burn and dark fruits (raisins/prunes), some sweet caramel, toffee and vanilla.

M - Medium-full bodied, fairly smooth - perfect ~55 degrees F

O - Very tasty, considerably more enjoyable and a warmish temperature. Quite complex, alcohol is very well hidden, very smooth.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 00:06:54 | More by MacQ32

schoolboy

Ohio

4.54/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is an amazing sipping beer. You just want to take it easy. The aroma and flavor are so complex you need a degree to understand them.

It's a very dark reddish brown ale with a small but fine head. The aroma is extremely complex - yeasts, fruits, maple dominate. The taste similarly is challenging. There are many things in there, and they are all making an interesting concert together - kind of like a Zappa concert, very complicated. The aftertaste lingers bittersweet and heavy, like the style usually does, only more so.

For as highly as I rated this I doubt that I would want it very often.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 20:34:02 | More by schoolboy

TomTwanks

Ohio

3.06/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75

I really did have high hopes for this one

Smell - smoky bacon, peat, more peat, charred oak, gamey.

Taste - smooth, hope barely detectable. Very similar to the smell. Immediate front palate gets hit with some vanilla and way to fast afterwards the beer is overwhelmed with a meaty taste. Finishes smooth and velvety.

Mouthfeel - best part of this beer in my opinion. Very slick and smooth. Finishes almost velvety and previously mentioned.

Overall - maybe I'm not a big fan of smoked beers. This one in particular is super gamey and I'm not a fan. I wish the vanilla would be more present as well as the maple ( though I believe the maple does help in the MF). I'll have to go back to this in a year or two to see if it develops for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 03:51:52 | More by TomTwanks

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.51/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: A deep darker amber, very transparent. The body has light bubbles on it with an off-white head with slight orange tint to it. Head maybe rose to 1/3".

Smell: Strong wood scent almost bourbon like. It has a strong scent and wins points in my book because of that but not necessarily the type of smell you want to keep on smelling. To say the least it's the kind that gets old quick.

Taste: Almost a smoked wood, i know i can't be the only one feeling this. Strong vanilla feel as well you can feel the alcohol...not as overwhelming

Mouth: Easily medium carbonation. Nice stickiness and smooth, smoked after feel is a little bit of getting used to but not bad at all.

Overall: When i first poured the glass, I didn't know what to expect. It improves little by little as you keep drinking it. Would I buy it again, maybe factoring in price and it's not quite my top tier of beer preference. Grab a glass and drink...Salud!

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 05:00:13 | More by BlurryVisi0n

uhhuhhuh

2.01/5  rDev -47.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 2

Appearance: Reddish Brown. Low head.

Smell: Strong maple and smoke aroma.

Taste: Sweet maple smoke flavor.

Mouth-feel: Thick. Starts with a sweet vanilla finishing with a strong maple smoke flavor. The strong aroma adds to the power of the overall taste.

Overall: The vanilla hints are quickly over powered by smoke and maple flavors. Too much maple for me. Enjoyed having such a unique beer, but would not purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 01:39:29 | More by uhhuhhuh

Greywulfken

New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: center pour into a pint didn't produce more than a thin film of a head over this dark amber beer with red-orange highlights

S: interesting sweetness, perhaps the juniper coming through? Touch of maple and smoke/peat

T: all the advertised flavors are tangible: sweet syrup and vanilla malty base, hints of smoke and maple and peat give it some earthiness, but the sweetness is predominant - maybe even a little bit of a cherry flavor?

M: a little too syrupy for me, no feel of carbonation or bitterness, medium body, coating

O: I love DFH and their experimental style, but this is a little underwhelming - it lacked bite, and had a combination of sweet flavors that were a little much for my beer tastes - the English strong ale is one of those categories with a lot of leeway - they can range from the stoutish (like a Bracia) to a dark ale (like a Yorkshire Stingo)... but for my tastes, I preferred either of the latter to this particular interpretation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 17:37:41 | More by Greywulfken

DRyan

Texas

3.26/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured in a Ranger Creek Tulip

A: Ruby red almost purple, just the color I want to see in a barleywine. Has an off-white head of big frothy bubbles that recedes at a decent pace but didn’t laec too much.
S: Has a strong alcohol scent (as you’d expect being 11%), with some maltiness. It is really missing the smells I thought I’d get, caramel, toffee, vanilla… hopefully they will be in the taste.
T: It’s good, but it’s not what I had hoped for / expected. The maple/vanilla/etc. that the packaging promised is really not there; it’s mostly almost cloyingly sweet malt with some hop bite and then a strong alcohol kick. I’m going to put the other three down for some time and see how it treats them, ‘cause fresh I’m much less impressed with this as I expected as I really like DFH and I really like Barleywines.
M: Smooth almost syrupy. Not too thick, not too velvet, the carbonation dances a bit on the tongue.
D: Drinks pretty easily despite the obvious alcohol bite… I think with some time resting this one might be dangerous.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 03:42:05 | More by DRyan

weltywm

Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into my Saranac snifter:

Appearance: Dark whiskey brown with about 1 or 2 fingers or off-white head.

Smell: Fairly minimal. Some vanilla and oak with some herbal spiciness.

Taste: Very good, with a lot going on. At first, it was mostly oak and sweet malt. As it warmed, I tasted some raisin, bourbon, vanilla, more oak, and some light spice.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, with a long and complex finish.

Overall: A very enjoyable ale. Complex tastes that complement each other fairly well. Nothing totally extraordinary, but just very good. Would definitely buy again, and I'm curious to see if it would age well.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 02:01:09 | More by weltywm

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance
Ruby red with 1 finger of head that dissipates immediately. Very low carbonation and excellent clarity.

Nose
Smoked meats and beechwood. Smell pretty Rauchy.

Taste
Good amounts of caramel and molasses. Touches of leather and maple syrup. Gets a little smokey towards the finish. Beechwood-smoked malts and smoked meats.

Mouthfeel
Medium-full bodied, silky and smooth. A little bit of alcohol heat.

Overall
Not really sure what DFH was trying to attempt here. Kind of a Rauchbier/English Barleywine/Doppelbock mash up. I can't say that I'm digging this.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 17:53:56 | More by justintcoons