Black & Blue - Dogfish Head Brewery

scottfrie

California

3.55/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into snifter.

A: Pour looks a couple shades lighter than cranberry juice with a finger of off-white foam on top. Head slowly faded onto a fuzzy film that lasted the whole beer through. Clinging patches of lace present.
S: Huge notes of raspberry puree fill my nose. I get a hint of tartness, a splash of red apples, and maybe the suggestion of blueberries. This beer is also pretty boozy smelling, with volatile alcohol vapors coming though noticeably. Touch of yeast or bready malt smell from the base beer as well.
T: Again, booze is almost the first thing I notice. Raspberry dominates the fruit, but blueberries are more noticeable than the nose. Apple, bread crust, yeast, and caramel, and wood are also present. I get a hint of chocolate in the aftertaste as well. Interesting flavors, definitely not a straight forward rasp/blueberry fruit beer. The base Belgian golden ale are still noticeable to some degree.
M: Medium-full body, bubbly carbonation on the palate but disappears quickly, with a thick, viscous, and greasy mouthfeel. Finish is thankfully not too wet. For being such a big beer I am surprised that the mouth isn't hot. Other than the viscosity I'm not getting any hint of alcohol. Credit where credit is due.
O: If this was about 5% less abv and was crisp and dry, I would drink this beer regularly. As it is now, this is a big, boozy, fruit influenced golden ale that is worth checking out, but not my favorite drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 19:33:42 | More by scottfrie

drabmuh

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewpub in Rehoboth beach, beer is reddish and clear with almost no head, no lacing, low carbonation.

Aroma is sweet, strong, cherries, mild Belgian yeast.

Beer is thick and sweet, strong with a lot of cherry flavors. Very strong, very in my face. It is a little harsh but finishes fine, lingering fruitiness. Very sweet.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2012 17:17:02 | More by drabmuh

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reddish amber body, fine white trace of head.

Musty, dry blueberry and trace cocoa... quite nice on the nose.

Big flavor, blue/blackberry. Not super sweet nor tart, but faintly dry. Really quite nice, and you wouldn't necessarily guess this was 10%.

Thick with a bit of fluff.

Nice bold fruit beer-- not sugary, not too dry or sour, gets the flavor well.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 01:38:52 | More by zaphodchak

Maxwell

Massachusetts

2.93/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The bottle has a nice thick paper on it, and an interesting colonial style painting of a man holding the beer, but it just doesn’t seem to excite me very much. This bottle has none of the minimalism of Dogfish Head’s normal bottles, nor any of the complexity of some of their higher end beers. The small lettering of the beer’s title is unfortunate, as its “black & blue” character could surely have been more played up and prominent in the design. The off-kilter dogfish symbol on the bottle’s neck is also kind of weird… Why not just place it on-kilter…? Overall I’m just not a huge fan of this bottle. It’s not a keeper.

This beer pours an amber/ruby red with a white head that carries a hint of purple within it, and is very thick and frothing with happy bubbles, which dissipates slowly, leaving a nice half-finger head and also light and sliding lacing that droops in lovely cloud patterns down the glass. The beer smells sweet and yeasty, with nice hints of the malts and stronger hints of sweet berries. I also detect a slight hint of wet dog, which is a little upsetting to the beer… that may just be the sour berries doing funky things with the wet smell of the beer, but it is a little strange to smell. Malts seem sweet and light, and a hop character is not even there as the berry bite takes its place. The beer tastes very sour with a metallic/citrus tinge in the back of the taste which comes partially from the booziness of the beer, but that doesn’t entirely explain the metal. The beer is almost wine-like with light berry accentuations, which means this is definitely a sipper, not a chugger. My initial thought is that I should have had this in a wine glass and not in the pint mug I used. There is also some syrupy flavor after the taste has washed over your mouth, and the bitter of the raspberry definitely lingers in the mouth. It is very harsh on the tip of the tongue with carbonation. It leaves the mouth very dry and desert-like the farther it goes on the tongue, but the very middle and tip seems to be cloying with a thick and sticky syrup feel. It also leaves more of a wine’s sweet fruity lingering in the mouth than a beer’s crispness. Overall I am not very impressed with this beer, especially for its $13 price tag. It has a nice sour taste, but there are also some stranger things in the taste, especially the metallic/citrus anomaly. The fruit just doesn't do nicely with this beer. I either want more fruit flavor, or less and more beer; but where they stand is not really working for me. I also don’t get much of the blueberry in the taste, which is disappointing. I suppose the raspberry is just too strong of a flavor, but I would have loved to have sensed some of the blueberry. The beer is a meh, and definitely not a recommended from me. Honestly, I just want more berry flavor from this and it just doesn’t deliver.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 02:45:59 | More by Maxwell

_thekev

2.15/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Pour is encouraging, copper-colored, and nice lacing. Carbonation adequate, but minimal.

Nose is fruity, potent, sweet. Not my kind of beer. Here goes...

Taste? I just... don't... know what to say. A glass full of sugar masking alcohol. Like sucking down a bottle of fermented blueberry syrup from IHOP.

Sorry DH. This one was a mistake.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 08:09:57 | More by _thekev

imasloth

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a large pinkish head, almond coloured as it dissipates and leaving fine lacing. Beer itself is reddish amber in color.

S- Tart and slightly sweet, even vinous.

T- Like a blueberry wine ... with some very nice tartness. Dry blackberry finish.

M- Dry, silky. Medium-bodied with good carbonation feel.

O- A very nice beer. Not sure they hit it out of the park, especially for the cost ... but one you should try.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 23:35:00 | More by imasloth

davey101

Connecticut

3.28/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

2012B vintage. New style embossed 750 ml bottle into a DFH signature glass.

A - Really deep dark amber/red body with a purple tint. A fluffy three finger head formed and settled down to a neat cap. Great amount of lacing and retention.

S - Sweet and super fresh berries. Actually smells like raspberries and not the blackberries and blueberries it uses. A bit of yeast and malt and lots of noticeable alcohol on the finish.

T - A whole lot of raspberries and a bit of blueberries. Super sweet and astringent. This is followed by a smooth malty presence and finally some lingering alcohol warmth. Aftertaste is a bit medicinal. Surprisingly for a DFH beer, no hop presence. Mouth feel is syrupy and coating. Carbonation is a bit low.

O - Comes off like a tamed version of Fort. Lots of berry flavors, somewhat of an earthy and medicinal finish, way too much alcohol. Like most big DFH beers, I think this is meant to be aged to calm down a bit. I hate to make this comparison as I love DFH, but berry flavored malternative beverage...

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 02:58:01 | More by davey101

magine

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a DFH goblet.

Pours a clear dark cherry amber, with a pint tinted thick fluffy head with tons of tight bubbles. Lots of grate lace remains, surrounded by a patch thick layer. Good looking brew.

Brew smells of tons of berries, dark fruits, Belgian flare for sure; yeasts. Sweet malts. Good nose.

Brew tastes creamy smooth; spicy heat in the middle and the finish. High abv lingers. Dark fruits, yeasty malts thicken it up. Semi dry finish. Good full body and flavors.

The best fruit beer I have had so far; full body, great flavors and has lots of kick to it. Never been the biggest fans of these type of brews, but this one is great. Great fruit brew here, another stud from DFH.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 02:00:30 | More by magine

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Cork City in Hoboken, NJ

A: Pours a cloudy golden orange to amber in color. The beer has a quarter finger tall off-white head that reduces to virtually nothing. Minimal lacing is observed.

S: Moderate aromas of berries - blackberry and blueberry - on top of some malts and Belgian yeast.

T: The taste of this beer is very similar to the smell with both sweet and tart berry flavors dominant - blackberry and blueberry. Light flavors from the malts as well as just a hint of the Belgian yeast.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: The beer is a little sweet for my palate but it hides the alcohol very well. This is more of a sipping beer than an easy drinker or a sessionable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2012 02:26:08 | More by dbrauneis

kylehay2004

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Nice 1.5 finger head with excellent retention on a clear amber with copper hues body. Excellent lacing.

S: grape and blueberries. Caramel and toasted malts in the background.

T: finally a fruit beer which is still a beer. The blueberry and blackberries come and go and lingers in the finish with caramel malts, yeasty, spices and peppery zest. This one is a little too sweet only a little tart.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: a little too sweet. Still one of the better fruit beers I have tried.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2012 01:55:28 | More by kylehay2004

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Copper Mine.

This beer really surprised me in a nice way! It pours a reddish amber-brown with a small head and only so-so retention and lace so it’s not at all exceptional to look at. The nose has a good blackberry and blueberry presence as well as some sweet malt and light floral hops.

The flavor was very sweet and almost put this into the dessert category for me. Lots of intense fresh blue and blackberry flavor, a bit of grainy malt, some tannic notes, and very mild floral hops. Faint tartness. A hint of booze in the finish but nothing that lets on the 10% ABV.

Medium to slightly full-bodied, with moderate carbonation and a slightly sticky overall mouthfeel. The freshness of the fruit flavor really made this an enjoyable beer for me. I’d like to try this in the bottle to see if it comes up to the same level of drinkability and tastiness.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2012 03:14:50 | More by tobelerone

SHODriver

California

3.93/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from 2012

A: pours a deep red to light brown into a DFH snifter with a finger of white head that recedes to a small mat and collar
S: smells of pale malt and fruity esters along with some blackberries and blueberries
T: smooth malty sweetness yields to some big blueberry and raspberry flavors along with a bit of alcohol. aftertaste is more berry flavors
M: light to medium in body with slightly prickly carbonation and a non drying finish
O: pretty good, lets the fruit shine and packs a nice punch. the last time I had it it must have been older because it seemed to have the flavors blend a little better

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 09:46:42 | More by SHODriver

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a clear copper-orange color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades slowly leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of blackberry and blueberry with a bit of pale malt and a hint of booze.

T - Starts off with some blackberry and blueberry sweetness with some pale malt. Through the middle, some lightly bready malt comes through with some light yeast flavors. The finish is a mix of blackberry and blueberry with some pale malt and a touch of booze.

M - Medium-plus bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Very fruit forward, but the overall beer is really nice and interesting. I like the balance.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 09:02:21 | More by ngeunit1

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured this beer from a 750ml bottle into a pint glass. It has a nice rich auburn color body with just a small white head that leaves a nice lace down the glass. The smell has a nice berry aroma to it. The taste is a little tart to start then the berries come in on the middle of the tongue and gives it a nice like sweet flavor. I get like a white wine finish on the back of the tongue. Very nice mouth feel, very little after taste. Overall this is very different and i really like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 02:30:45 | More by chefhatt

DovaliHops

California

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2012 Bottling. Pours a clear, pinkish amber color with a large white head that takes some time to go down. Scent is very berry-forward...quite inviting actually. Smells like fresh raspberries and blackberries with a hint of tartness. Lovely aroma. Taste is initially just a bit tart, but quickly turns to alcohol flavor. There is some definite booziness to this (nowhere near Fort, but noticeable booziness). Belgian yeast flavors with some spice and dark malt. You still get some pleasant raspberry and blackberry...not really picking up the blueberry. Finish is warming and sweet. Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied. Although it drinks fairly light, the puree and booziness makes it feel much more heavy. Drinkability is fair. Overall, I was very skeptical going into this because I tried Fort not to long ago and hated it. This one could definitely use without the intense alcohol flavor, but it is an enjoyable beer. The nose especially.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 05:17:59 | More by DovaliHops

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.3/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into snifter

Appearance – Pours a ruby red – pink color with a fluffy pink hued head. The head fades rather quickly to give a moderate amount of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is very berry-white wine in nature. There is a big presence of a green grape/white wine aroma mixed with a moderately strong blackberry smell. There are lighter hints of some blueberry and yeast mixed in as well. As stated before, quite white wine like.

Taste - Just like the nose hinted at, the flavor is very semi-sweet white wine like. Its starts out with a white grape flavor some breadiness and a strong presence of tannins. These flavors create a base for the beer which lasts the whole taste through. The berry flavors come more toward the middle. They begin lighter, but strengthen throughout the taste experience. At the end a bitter sweet berry flavor is left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – Very light in body with a slightly higher than average level of carbonation. It is appropriate and very nice for the wine like flavors of the beer.

Overall – Not really what I am looking for when I am looking for a beer. It is a good wine alternative if that is what you are looking for; sorta a white wine-beer hybrid.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 22:44:46 | More by Darkmagus82

Apellonious

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1 pt 9 fl oz from Total wine.

A - pours reddish pink. Two finger head that disappears quickly.

S - fruit, definitely blueberries.

T - blueberries, blackberries, champagne like, some bread

M - thin, sharp, good carbonation,

O - if you like the occasional Belgian fruit beer, this is worth a try. Not something I would drink regularly, but it was good.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 01:13:32 | More by Apellonious

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle served in an oversized wineglass.

pours a ruddy amber tone with a good amount of haze to it... finger-plus white head quickly dissipates into a collar around the glass. while the retention is so-so, it demonstrates some pretty decent lacing.

nose is an interesting bouquet of blueberry, rasberry, and sweet malts; has a tangy, almost vinous quality... taste follows up with the blue- and rasberry flavors preceding the malt. not as sweet as i was expecting (a good thing)... pretty nice balance. alcohol and a touch of bitterness in the finish. not absolutely delicious, but i'm definitely enjoying it. tasty. different.

full-bodied, chewy mouth-feel with medium-low carbonation. with this type of flavor profile, personally i'm not going to have a lot of it, but i would be more than open to a revisit at some future point.

original review: 10-05-2010

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 22:38:38 | More by BostonHops

csrbv

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +29.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Red orange hue with a quickly disappearing head

Smells like black raspberry and blueberry, even blueberry pie. go figure.


Tingly mouthfeel, but light in my opinion.

Overall, a really nice unique but slightly sweet fruit beer. I was expecting something insane from Dogfish Head based on the other reviews, but you pretty much get what you read on the label, which is really nice. Might be more of a desert beer than anything you would want to drink with a meal.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 23:00:03 | More by csrbv

rlee1390

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Clear amber, some carbonation, two finger head

S-Malt, blueberries, blackberries, not much else

T-Follows the nose, lots of malt, more blueberries than blackberries, slightly artificial

M-Light to medium bodied, almost too much carbonation

O-The beer borderlines on artificial at times, there isn't much need for 10%abv.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 00:39:53 | More by rlee1390

jtierney89

New Jersey

2.65/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Gorgeous bright red with a slightly pink head. Subtle nose of berries. Champagne like effervescence. Big full mouth feel. Bright berry. Some medicinal syrup like burn on be back end. Sweet cherries, blueberries. Strawberries. Clove and coriander remind you its a Belgian pale ale. Peppery spiciness. Flavors all blend together really nice. Tart finish. Pretty subtle for such a big berry beer. Nice. Nothing spectacular though. Not worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 03:08:08 | More by jtierney89

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a Martell cognac snifter.

Light mulberry body with pink and orange hues. Decent clarity. Slick little layer of white head. Looks nice. 4.0

Musty fruit aromas of blueberry, artificial strawberry, and white grape. Wheaty malts, booze heat, and a prominent yeast phenol. 3.5

Terribly boozy is my first thought. Semi-sweet berry fruit notes mashed with that signature DFH yeast component. A little spicy and searingly hot at first with a blackberry/tart raspberry fruit middle, and finishing with some red wine notes. I guess the finish is the biggest reward. That, and if I actually finish this glass. 2.5

Feels glossy thick with medium-high carbonation. Heady and filthy hot. 2.0

A big boo-boo for Dogfish Head Brewing. A beer that's completely unnecessary. 10% witbiers are not for me. Kudos if you can finish a whole 750ml of this stuff. 2.5

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2012 01:53:48 | More by thecheapies

mt24turner

New York

4.18/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance- nice pretty red hue

smell- not much aroma to this beer, slight blackberry and malt sweetness

taste- nice malt sweetness and beligiany funkyness and complexity, somewhat winelike acidity ,finishes tart with lingering berry flavors, alcohol is perfectly hidden beware.

mouthfeel- medium-full mouthfeel

overall- definately a great beer, and unlike many dogfish specialties i will definately consider buying it again

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 21:45:43 | More by mt24turner

TheCorkStopsHere

Connecticut

3.55/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The Black & Blue pours brilliant reddish amber color, with fine carbonation. The off-white foam rises to one finger thick, but dissipates fairly quickly. From the bottom of my Chimay glass, there's a constant stream of carbonation rising throughout this glass. Even as I'm pouring I can smell some of the fruity esters rising from the brew.

The nose is dominated by an overwhelming amount of fruit, I can't pick up any sense of hops at all. There's just a little bit of candy-malt in the background, but the nose is heavily controlled by the fruitiness from the raspberries and blueberries.

The first few sips are pretty intense, and by intense, I mean super fruity and sweet. The first little bit of the Black and Blue are really, really fruit driven, and almost framboise lambic-ish. After I get a few sips under my belt and it warms up a little bit, I can pick out more of the complexity of the brew. There's now a significant malty character in the background, and the alcohol is coming through more and more as it warms to room temperature.

At first, I was significantly unimpressed by this Black and Blue from Dogfish. After a few sips in, I'm coming around a bit. It's pretty drinkable, relatively light in body, and probably pretty mass-appealing. I'm still not in love with the Black and Blue, but it is growing on my slowly.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 21:39:57 | More by TheCorkStopsHere

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.68/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed 3/4/12

Note: 2009 bottle

Appearance: Interesting color, burnt orange with some red - cloudy, hazy - starts off with a little white head, fades to a nice ring

Smell: Blueberries, blackberries, mildly sweet - decent fruit aromas on top of some pale, faintly grainy malts - lightly toasted, but this is mostly about the fruitiness

Taste: Blueberries, blackberries, plenty of fruit - flavorful, but not excessive - decent malt base - lightly toasted grains - some slight tartness, but pretty clean - some alcohol

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, low carbonation, slightly sticky

Overall: Good stuff

This is definitely not the best fruit beer that I've ever had, but the fact that it is a fruit beer and it is good is something remarkable. It's fruity and juicy, but not overly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 22:23:42 | More by angrybabboon