Palo Santo Marron - Dogfish Head Brewery

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very dark coffee brown, barely any light coming through, even at the edges. Limited dark tan head that lasts and lasts. Looks like a stout. Streams of bubbles rising along the edges of the glass.

Wow, smell that wood. Vanilla comes through loud and clear, but is well-supported by abundant caramel sweetness from the malts. A bit of bubblegum-like fruity aroma. There's a lot there, but it's all in great balance. A hint of booze, but not much.

The dominant flavors are a rich roasted malt sweetness and that woody vanilla. The malts come through much darker and more chocolatey than they did in the smell, where I mostly got caramel. These two flavors (roasted malt and wood) kinda bounce back and forth, with a bit of hop bitterness coming in late to try to fight its way past them. These three maintain an impressive balance. Amazing that 12% alcohol isn't more evident in the taste. There is no booziness to this at all, just some solid warmth in the finish. As it warms up a bit, the alcohol is more apparent, but still surprisingly limited.

Mouthfeel is heavy and thick, but not syrupy, with medium-low carbonation (just enough to moderate the thickness). Kinda fluffy, actually.

This is a really really delicious beer. Rich dark malts, wood, a bit of fruit. It's shockingly un-boozy for the ABV. And just like that, my glass is empty. As with some of my other favorite "brown ales", it pushes the boundary between this style and porters/stouts. Shortly after Dogfish Head officially pulled out of Wisconsin, I passed up a 4-pack of this on a trip over there. I'm really regretting that now.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 03:29:12 | More by zeledonia

cyrushire

Florida

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-25-2013 06:10:21 | More by cyrushire

RayUF07

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-25-2013 06:03:54 | More by RayUF07

mlefebvre7

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

05-25-2013 01:53:10 | More by mlefebvre7

greyghost86

Delaware

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

05-24-2013 23:14:20 | More by greyghost86

ellyssian

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-24-2013 01:03:42 | More by ellyssian

tzieser

Arizona

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-23-2013 23:46:00 | More by tzieser

JSouth

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-23-2013 22:01:32 | More by JSouth

ChrisKayler

Virginia

4.44/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Cool cap!

Glass: Port City "Globe" snifter.

Appearance: Pours extremely dark and looks as thick as molasses. A minuscule amount of dark tan foam appears on the surface and quickly dissipates. Several small bubbles of beer float on the surface that look like oil on water. They pop after a few seconds. Weird! When held up to the light, some dark reddish brown hue rings the very edges of the glass. This is one sexy beer.

Smell: I could smell the vanilla from several feet away before I even took a whiff. Underlying the vanilla is a bit of that brown ale "twang". A little hoppy. Perhaps some molasses and brown sugar. Maybe the tiniest bit of chocolate, but that is probably from the sweet vanilla combined with the hops that is playing tricks on me. I can't wait to take a sip.

Taste: Wow, what a great flavor! Vanilla in the forefront, with a slight hop bitterness on the tongue. A bit of a "woody" element is present as well. Alcohol is alive and well, but is nicely balanced.

Mouthfeel: Syrup! This one has low carbonation and a thick mouthfeel that leaves me ... chomping. Dry on the tongue after it goes down. A little sticky on my lips, but velvety smooth. I like this.

Overall: What a cool, unique beer. You certainly get a tiny bit of the hop characteristics of a brown ale, but with a much thicker mouthfeel and a lovely vanilla tone that lasts for ages. This is a seriously great beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 02:31:58 | More by ChrisKayler

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-23-2013 01:47:18 | More by mikeincharleston

EduardoOrtega01

Panama

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-22-2013 21:12:53 | More by EduardoOrtega01

Ri0

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 12oz bottle into my snifter. Bottled dated 10/22/2012, so it has 8 months of age for this review.

A - Surprised how thick this pours considering it is a brown ale and aged. A very dark coffee like brown with a thin tan foam head that quickly dissipated leaving a thin cap and lacing around the edges.

S - Aroma is very nice with sweet malt, wood, caramel, toffee, vanilla and syrup.

T - This beer really tastes great, but not like a brown ale would. Heavy malts and syrup with caramel, vanilla and wood mixed in. I don't notice much bitterness, but it isn't overly sweet. The booze is very well hidden.

M - Low carbonation as expected from the aging. Thick and chewy mouth feel from this unlike most brow ales which are much more thin.

O - Great beer than I really enjoyed. I'll have to get a hold of more some day. Do yourself a favor and pick some of this up because it is very tasty. Thanks to deadonhisfeet for sending to me.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 19:19:49 | More by Ri0

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-22-2013 02:44:55 | More by SmellsofMahagony

jl28r1

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-21-2013 20:47:18 | More by jl28r1

shagal

Alberta (Canada)

2.25/5  rDev -46.3%

05-21-2013 17:44:54 | More by shagal

Pookie

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-21-2013 15:09:16 | More by Pookie

Angkistrodon

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-20-2013 23:59:24 | More by Angkistrodon

sevenarts

New York

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-20-2013 22:37:32 | More by sevenarts

ericwa1154

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-20-2013 20:33:37 | More by ericwa1154

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4.09/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at DFH Brewpub in Falls Church, VA.

A - Poured almost black, with a dark brown top, fading quickly. A noticeable ring of lace, and residual rings lingering around the glass like sherry.

S - The nose is a bit metallic, definitely roasty and sweet, with warming alcohol present. Smells as strong as it is.

T - Very warming and pretty sweet. Alcohol forward here, but it's delicious and smooth. Bitter grains, metallic twang. Hints of charcoal and cocoa powder in the finish.

M - This one warms the mouth, and tingles the tongue, leaving a buzzing feeling on the palate and gums.

O - The 12% abv doesn't bite you or scare you off, it's tasty. It's well disguised for how high it is, but ever present. Caught me off guard when I read brown ale, as it drinks more like an Imperial brown or a Belgian strong dark ale.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 19:43:55 | More by BeerForMuscle

Kreko7

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-20-2013 19:40:26 | More by Kreko7

RemyLebeu

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-20-2013 18:48:01 | More by RemyLebeu

RockinRob925

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-20-2013 12:51:32 | More by RockinRob925

stanowsf

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-19-2013 20:11:44 | More by stanowsf

KingSlayer

California

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-19-2013 20:09:45 | More by KingSlayer