Pangaea - Dogfish Head Brewery

buschbeer

Ohio

3.64/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

1 pint 9.4 fluid ounces
Served in a tulip glass

A - It is amber with golden highlights. I got a few inches of large bubbled, off-white head. It did not stick around long. There are also small chunks of yeast suspended.

S - I get some apricot. It is pretty sweet smelling reminding me of caramelized sugar.

T - The apricot comes through on the taste. The ginger is noticeable, as well. Some Belgian spices in the taste.

M - It is smooth with little carbonation. It tastes borderline flat.

O - I would say that this is more of a novelty than a great example of a Belgian pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 20:59:23 | More by buschbeer

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

4.11/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

P: A murky speckled dark orange to light orange body topped with a tan layer of creamy froth. Creamy top dwindles to a layer similar to melted vanilla ice cream. Wet slippery lacing climbing the sides.

S: Crystalized ginger, herbal hops, creamed corn, orange oil, cinnamon, clove, allspice, Chinese 5 spice, hidden toasted toffee, and Belgian yeast. Aroma is similar to a aromatherapy room with ginger added to the mix.

T/M: Mentholated halls, numerous spices and crystalized ginger upfront followed by pungent green tea tannins that encompass my entire mouth. Lemon grass and honey linger on the dry finish. Mouthfeel is kinda light-medium but nice and creamy with a touch of prickly carbonation at the start.

O: An explosion of herbs, spices and sweetness. I really think this is more of a herb/spice beer than a BSPA. The execution if this was great and the flavors really worked well with each other. I'm excited to see it so cheap at the store and I will for sure get more. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 00:34:06 | More by Hopswagger

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I was surprised to see this in the archives. I think DFH is still brewing this beer. This bottle is only 5 months old.

This is a funky looking beer. The coloring is like any belgian: light orange. There is a decent amount of foam, but it is really thin. In this beer you do get a lot of floaters... even on the initial pour.

The aroma includes a lot of ginseng. I enjoy ginseng... it does lots of good things. It doesn't really play well with the beer. Without the ginseng I smell a decent belgian, but the ginseng hits me in the jaw.

The flavor of the belgian is pretty good on its own as well. The ginseng doesn't really put as much of a fight at this point, but it still hurts the balance.

Overall this is just a very unusual brew. I recommend it for novelty, but I didn't care for it very much. I appreciate the effort, though.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 00:52:15 | More by ummswimmin

kingmaker

Louisiana

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Let me preface this by saying this is my first online review and this bottle was bottle-aged for almost a year.

A: Golden hue, off a standard pour there was half inch head colored in a gold/white mix

S: Some ginger, very malty

T: Ginger, a good deal of it. Looking at the other reviews, it isn't overly gingered but maintains that taste until the swallow. Sweet malts and almost a tripel flavor on the follow-through. Slight hop flavor is left sitting on the palate. I enjoyed the very interesting swing of flavors here.

M: Crisp. Very good carbonation. Quite full and enjoyable.

O: I can see why the demand for this was so underwhelming DFH dropped it from the 2013 schedule but I did enjoy it. The ginger overwhelms the unprepared and, at the price, leaves much to be desired. As I said, I did enjoy it but unless you really are hunting down a ginger beer and/or the novelty of an ingredient from each continent (I must admit Sam Cagalione and I are consistently on the same page as to what defines a novelty so exquisite it must be tried at least once), I would recommend avoiding this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 05:39:38 | More by kingmaker

bum732

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

S: Slight belgian phenolics, pils malt, slight ginger, slightly floral

L: Fairly clear amber with floaties. White dense head that dissipates slightly.

T: Herbal malt sweetness with some clove phenolics. Low bitterness with some ginger. Slight graininess throughout finishing semi-dry and slightly spicy. Slight molassess.

M: Medium light body, medium carbonation.

Solid, one of DFH's better beers. Not too sweet with some nice subtle flavors.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 03:30:44 | More by bum732

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ppoured from bottle into tulip. pours a brownish haze with nice head. Smells of nice belgian yeast and malts with lots of spices...cinnamon and clove. Taste is similar...belgian yeasts and malts with a wallop of cinnamon...way overly spiced. I love DFH...but this was a miss for me. Its just way to over-spiced to really enjoy. I was really pumped about this brew...great idea and really great story behind it, but it just didnt translate. At least I can say I had water from antarctica now! So, still worth a try if you see it.
Maybe a bit of aging would mellow it out...

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 01:18:04 | More by DrinkSlurm

mhaugo

California

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1 pint, 9.4 fluid ounce bottle. Decanted into a 0.47l oversized snifter.
Appearance: Deep copper, semi-opaque. Head dies quickly.
Smell: Ginger and cloves.
Taste: The bottle says “crystallized ginger”. That descriptor pin-points the overall flavor profile. There’s malts and hops, but it’s a whole lot of ginger. Ginger all the way through to the finish.
Mouthfeel: Nice
Overall: For a “concept beer”, this is really nice. It’s pretty hot outside, and this may be the near-perfect beer for the season. It’s clean with a bit of a bite on the end. Dry and refreshing. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 06:11:04 | More by mhaugo

dfillius

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint
A: Moderate pour yields 1 finger of off-white head with good retention. Crystal clear golden liquid is beautiful.
S: Malt forward with light ginger. A tad vegetal and delicate overall.
T: Slightly Tripel-esque in a good way showing from the yeast at the end. Ginger is up front, followed by a sweetness that rides on a ginger wave. Finishes with a light American hop flavor - Centennial? Some vegetality also, which is a negative. Nice, but not great.
M: Sweet, full, ginger balance is nice - prickly/spicy. Flat, vegetal finish is the only negative.
O: Nice, but not great. Another pint would be nice (yay for big bottles!) but probably wouldn't buy this regularly.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 02:15:58 | More by dfillius

kylehay2004

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Single finger head with excellent lacing on a hazy golden body. Aroma is excellent with grains, corn, fruits, spices, ginger and floral notes. The flavor is very unique As the ginger is well represented and perfectly applied. Additional notes of floral, candy sugar, grains and breads. Medium body and moderate carbonation. This is a very complex and unique brew with many flavor transitions, definitely a must try.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2012 01:34:24 | More by kylehay2004

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Golden brown pour. Head disappates over time. The frontside has less carbonation than the backside. Candy and othermspicesmare present on the nose, slight alcohol aroma despite the relatively middle old the road ABV. Unique beer flavor - sweet almost pear flavor, yet spicey. Full body and light enough for a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 23:25:27 | More by Oakenator

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from 3/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a orange-gold amber with one finger off-whet head with good retention and lacing. Citrus, light malt and ginger aroma. Pleasant spicy start, dry vinous middle and ginger finish. The ginger is nice at first, but outlasts its welcome. A decent Belgian pale ale and the ginger is a nice change, but hard to drink a 750ml of this. Perhaps smaller bottles would be a good idea for this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 23:19:53 | More by LiquidAmber

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: It has a nice cloudy deep golden/orange color to it. It has a nice thick off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves some nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of ginger, Belgian yeast, spices, bready malts, citrus and light dark fruit.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has ginger, some spices, bready malts, some nice citrus, and Belgian yeast. Not as flavorful as the aroma led me to believe but still very good for what it is.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel. Not that complex but nice.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas. I love how it's flavorful but mellow at the same time, I could drink this all night.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 19:55:21 | More by SebD

Phelps

Arizona

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Enjoyed at Tops, poured into a snifter. A very worldly brew, Pangaea was crafted using ingredients from all seven continents. To wit: crystallized ginger from Australia, water from Antarctica, basmati rice from Asia, muscavado sugar from Africa, quinoa from South America, maize from North America and European yeast.

The color of pale wheat in the sunshine, with a very, very slight haze. One finger of fizzy, sticky white head becomes a soapy top layer.

Ginger is the first and foremost aroma, but is soon met with a breadiness. Together, it’s like flatbread drizzled with honey and ginger. Graininess in the back.

Ginger, red apple slices and wheat blend in the flavor. Very mild, earthy hops. Quick flash of honey before a clean, crackery finish.

Pillow-soft medium body is like licking goose down, and is the best part of this beer. Gentle tingles of carbonation pepper the tongue, breaking into just a little fizz. Alcohol is bigger than expected, flaming through the nose.

For all the ingredients in here, this isn’t nearly complex enough. A good idea from Dogfish Head, but something’s missing in the execution.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2012 04:53:04 | More by Phelps

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml bottle served in a snifter.

pours a translucent deep honey / medium amber tone while yielding a nice finger of frothy off-white head. decent retention and some patchy lacing evident. nice looking beer. nose is a bit more subdued than i was expecting... i do get the ginger, some grainy elements, and and indistinct fruitiness. decent but sort of underwhelming.

taste is 'meh'... not the complex, flavorful beer i was hoping for... ginger pulls through in fine form, but after that i get a muted mishmash of of spice, grain, and, to an even lesser extend, fruit. medium-full mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

overall it's ok, drinkable enough, but far from the best i've had from a brewery i generally dig. i'd drink it again if offered for free but will not seek out.

(originally reviewed: 09-27-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 22:58:32 | More by BostonHops

ngeunit1

California

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy golden-orange color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet lightly bready malts, with some ginger, some Belgian yeast and spices, and some grains.

T - Starts off with some sweet bready malts with some ginger and a touch of citrus. Through the middle, some Belgian yeast and spices come through alongside some grains. The finish is a mix of bready caramel malts, grains, Belgian yeast, and some ginger and other spices.

M - Medium-plus bodied with moderate-plus carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and lightly spicy and dry finish.

D - Very drinkable. The ginger is a nice addition on top of the BSPA base. And the grains give the beer a really nice smoothness.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 06:31:43 | More by ngeunit1

dananabanana

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Hazy orange with 1-finger of bright off-white foam.

S: Spicy, like pumpkin pie spice, emphasis on the ginger. Sweet and alcoholic.

T: First sip is lighter on the tongue than I expected. With the alcohol scent, I expected a burn, but none is there. Wheaty flavor comes through after a few more sips. This is surprisingly light and refreshing. The spices are definitely present, but don't overwhelm. Slight lemony flavor.

M: My mouth puckers a little bit from the tartness. Some bubbles, but not overly carbonated.

O: A refreshing beer for the summer. Another solid offering from Dogfish Head.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 23:58:58 | More by dananabanana

jsanford

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice copper color with a dense cream-colored head that settles to a solid cap. Nice aromas of spicy ginger, bubblegum, banana, and light grain. More spicy ginger on the palate, along with more doughy grain, banana and coriander yeast, and sweet bubblegum. Mouthfeel is smooth and crisp, with a touch-over-medium body and good carbonation. A nice DFH offering for sure, but not something I'm likely to remember.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 23:18:10 | More by jsanford

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 2011. Pours cloudy golden orange color with a 1 finger off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap. Some bits of lacing on the glass. Aromas of grape, pear, ginger, apricot, clove, pepper, biscuit, honey, citrus peel, and herbal spiciness. Some nice and interesting aromas; with good balance and complexity. Taste of grape, ginger, apple, pear, clove, apricot, pepper, banana, biscuit, honey, and herbal spices. Lingering notes of apricot, pear, pepper, clove, biscuit, ginger, and herbal spices on the finish for a good bit. Great balance of flavors with good complexity; and no cloying sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. No alcohol presence noted other than a faint warming after the finish. Overall this is a really nice Belgian style ale. Very unique flavor profile with nice complexity; and very smooth to sip on. Really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 05:07:58 | More by superspak

XicanoBeerRun

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A few months ago, this was the last bottle at Spec’s, and I now notice BA lists Pangaea as retired although it is still on the DFH website. In any case, this was a great find.

Poured into a snifter. Beautiful orange color with little foam. Persistent carbonation.

Smells sugary sweet.

Ingredients on the bottle are listed as follows: Crystallized ginger from Australia, Water from Antarctica, Basmati rice from Asia, Muscavado sugar from Africa, Quinoa from South America, European yeast, North American maize.

I can taste ginger in the aftertaste, but not so much up front. It is subtle. If I didn't know it had ginger, then I would not have recognized it. Or, maybe it really doesn’t taste like ginger, but I think it does because I read the bottle. I cannot pick up on the rice or quinoa, but I imagine the corn adds to the sweet flavor. It had a honey-toast aftertaste. I did not pick up on any hops.

This made me want to investigate other Belgian strong pale ales. Subsequently, I have found that Pangaea is much more complex than others, which I attribute to the 7 continent brewing methodology.

Pangaea, if you are truly retired, you will be missed.

Sadly, I may not have another.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 21:14:10 | More by XicanoBeerRun

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours an orange-amber color with a white head. The aroma is full of bread with some ginger notes. There is also some fruit in the aroma but I can't put my finger on exactly what fruit it is. The flavor is similar. The predominant flavor I get is ginger, but there is also some sweetness from the bread and toffee malt. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Pretty good, but I was hoping the beer would be more complex.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:25:24 | More by Mora2000

Duke

British Columbia (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(From a hollow-stemmed chalice)

Appearance: Pangaea pours a misty nacarat with plenty of tiny sediments. The head is white, one thumb thick, and it quickly collapses into a stoic filmy cap, leaving behind a tad of lacing.

Smell: Here is a bold scent of dark fruits, especially plum, apricot, with a load of honey, a healthy dose of coriander spice and a touch of ginger.

Taste: The ginger steps forward, particularly as the beer finishes. The beer is quite sweet, but the fruits prevent it from being too much so. The flavours are bold, but still quite complex.

Mouthfeel: The beer is smooth and quite light, and the carbonation feels very bubbly - almost champagne-like. The rindy finish, the spice from the ginger and the coriander are holding onto my tongue.

Overall: I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I think the beer is very well balanced, yet it manages to be sweet and interesting.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 05:17:14 | More by Duke

JonnyVendetta

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Being a ginger focused brew, I excepted a harsher ginger bite closer to ginger beer. The ale poured out as a golden yellow that quickly added to a light and cloudy amber. The slight citrus aroma is pleasing, and presents subtle hints of sweetness. This is surprising due to how sugary the beer is. The taste is not overwhelmingly sweet, but the lingering presence of this unique sugar are noticeable.

At first taste the beer was crisp with an edge and very complex. Each flavor rises and falls, but the ginger almost fails to appear.

If you enjoy candied ginger, I would highly suggest this limited ale.

Design: Dogfish Head always gives an luxurious label to its fine quality beers. A simple vintage map depicting the super continent Pangea. The choice of printing Pangea in Papyrus font representes the beer itself - An appealing unique concept at first glance, a little off the mark.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 03:29:08 | More by JonnyVendetta

MatthewWilde

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sample: 1 bottle 2011

A: Light yellowish-orange, very lightly cloudy, minimal internal carbonation, small foamy head that quickly evolves into some decent lacing

S: Sweet, nice citrus, some coriander, ever so slight hints of alcohol, decently fragrant

T: Very sweet (almost a bit too much so), light citrus and tropical fruits, sugar cane, finishes very clean, not as intense in flavor as I would have liked

M: Quite smooth, light and crisp, a bit too sweet on the palate as previously mentioned, but aftertaste is sweet and non-lingering

O: A light and sweet brew, its story seems to have left me expecting more but certainly not a complete disappointment

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 01:18:37 | More by MatthewWilde

Rukasu

District of Columbia

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Semi-translucent honey colored amber with noticeable particulates in the mix. Yeast, ginger, not sure?

S - Very light smell, though hints of honey, citrus rind, dried pit fruit -- peach, apricot -- surprisingly no noticeable ginger aroma.

T - Definitely has a Belgian Farmhouse ale quality to it, almost like a holiday ale. Spicy, chewy sweetness, though again, surprisingly little ginger which caught me off guard. It's there a little on the finish though. Faint biscuity vanilla, as well.

M - Light to medium body, easy drinking on a brisk sunny afternoon outside. This could almost pass for a holiday ale if it had a little more spice, but goes equally well in early spring.

O - Not bad, though a little disappointed by the lack of ginger, could have definitely had more.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 23:20:31 | More by Rukasu

marikoangel

California

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: poured into a tulip glass at Amsterdam in San Francisco, this beer pours a slightly hazy golden orange with steady streams of soft small carbonation running up the glass. It pours with a small creamy white head that dissipated quickly leaving no real lacing.

S: The nose of this beer is really interesting. I get some nice sweet malts, notes of basil, some spice, some fruit notes, and I think that I'm getting some candied ginger. There is a Iot going on and I can't quite place my finger on what everything is.

T: The nice sweet malts make an appearance in the flavors again along with a light amount of spice, yeasts, some bready notes. I definitely get the ginger more in the flavors than in the nose. This beer ends with a light hop and a slight tartness.

M&O: the mouthfeel is a little creamy, smooth, but still light with a medium body. It has med low carbonation. Overall it's ok. It's not the most amazing beer by Dogfish Head - especially with all the hype around it; but it is still a nicely done and very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 09:06:09 | More by marikoangel