Black & Blue - Dogfish Head Brewery

circus_cat

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Used a DFH snifter.

A: Pours an opaque red color (closer to amber when held up to the light). I got about two fingers of a soapy bright white head which quickly disappeared to just a sliver.

S: The berries are very loud. I get a tart natural blackberry blueberry smell followed by some breadiness.

T: It tastes a lot like it smells except you realllly get booze on the taste. It kind of burns going down.

M: Very effervescent on the tongue with a clean finish. Again, you get that alcohol feel.

Edit: I feel like I didn't do this beer justice in the review or the score, so I adjusted the score accordingly. Like many people on B.A., I'm not the biggest veggie/fruit beer fan and sometimes my reviews will reflect that bias (sidenote, dudes, please stop saying that fruit beers are "girly." I'm a woman and it makes me feel really unwelcome in the craft beer enthusiast community when gender is used as a benchmark for how good or bad beer is). This beer accomplished exactly what it is meant for. It's a good seasonal beer and you can tell they used real berries instead of fake flavoring. Would I rather have a robust porter or an IPA? Sure. But if I were looking for a fruit beer with some actual complexity, this is a really excellent one.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 18:15:19 | More by circus_cat

johntfox

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

05-21-2013 18:37:32 | More by johntfox

TXhomebrewer

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

05-19-2013 01:16:59 | More by TXhomebrewer

BarryBaker2013

Texas

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-18-2013 22:32:06 | More by BarryBaker2013

bkrbdan

Texas

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-18-2013 22:29:37 | More by bkrbdan

beernads

Florida

3/5  rDev -18%

05-18-2013 07:01:54 | More by beernads

ElizabethEleanor

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%

05-17-2013 03:24:13 | More by ElizabethEleanor

JSkone09

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-15-2013 23:06:27 | More by JSkone09

HollyHops

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-14-2013 01:34:41 | More by HollyHops

BeastLU

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-13-2013 16:13:28 | More by BeastLU

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

05-13-2013 05:07:30 | More by Bonko_the_sane

jokulhaps

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

05-13-2013 02:36:02 | More by jokulhaps

Lorianneb

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

05-12-2013 16:51:46 | More by Lorianneb

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +16.1%

05-12-2013 16:10:30 | More by ipas-for-life

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

05-10-2013 17:17:10 | More by twenty5

BMan33

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +23%

05-10-2013 03:38:45 | More by BMan33

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

05-08-2013 18:58:03 | More by blknikon

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%

05-08-2013 03:54:48 | More by dalepryor

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -38.5%

05-08-2013 02:57:40 | More by tommyguz

cadaugherty

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

05-08-2013 00:56:22 | More by cadaugherty

Metalaero

New York

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-04-2013 20:12:31 | More by Metalaero

Devilman

Illinois

4/5  rDev +9.3%

04-27-2013 22:45:00 | More by Devilman

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%

04-27-2013 03:32:07 | More by SmellsofMahagony

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled in 2012A. Pours moderately cloudy orange copper color with a nice 2 finger dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lasts. Nice soapy lacing clings on the glass, with plenty of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big tart raspberry, blueberry, grape, raisin, clove, light molasses, red wine, and earthy yeast spiciness. Very nice aromas with a good balance of yeast esters with the big authentic fruit notes; with a nice malt/spicy ester balance as well. Taste of tart raspberry, blueberry, grape, raisin, clove, light molasses, bread, red wine, and earthy yeast spiciness. Fair amount of fruit tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart raspberry, dark fruits, clove, light molasses, bread, red wine, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice balance and complexity of fruit flavors; with a good balance of malt/yeast spiciness and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and full bodied; with a slick and moderately syrupy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice imperial Belgian fruit beer. Nice complexity of fruit flavors and balance of spicy yeast esters; and very smooth to sip on for a 10% brew. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 03:41:44 | More by superspak

jak

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

04-24-2013 04:47:15 | More by jak