Burton Baton
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Burton BatonBurton Baton
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From:
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
 
Delaware, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #424
ABV:
10%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,260
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 10.17%
Reviews:
1,927
Ratings:
6,753
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 21, 2023
Added:
Dec 08, 2004
Wants:
  428
Gots:
  1,668
This oak-aged gentle giant has been gaining popularity over the past few years and is now available year-round.

For Burton Baton, we brew two "threads," or batches, of beer: an English-style old ale and an imperial IPA.

After fementating the beers separately in our stainless tanks, they're transferred and blended together in one of our large oak tanks. Burton Baton sits on the wood for about a month.

When enjoying the Burton Baton, you'll find an awesome blend of the citrus notes from Northwestern hops melding with woody, vanilla notes from the oak. The wood also tends to mellow the 10% ABV of Burton, so tread cautiously!

70 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DavidS333:
Photo of DavidS333
Reviewed by DavidS333 from Virginia

5/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Burton Baton by Dogfish Head Brewery is a Double/Imperial IPA. Its froth is close to medium on the side of light on a scale of light/medium/thick. Its body is about the same on a similar scale. Its smell is refreshing and sort of sweetish. The color is of a slightly darker than usual effervescent amber.

The taste of Burton Baton is sort of unique. According to the brewer this is a sort of whiskey-esque Double, in that it is a combination of "new" brew and "old" brew, with the old brew being aged in barrels. I've got to say that this adds quite a sweet and mellow taste to the beer. It's as though the usual hoppy flavor is sort of veiled by this perhaps semi-smoky or sort of woody sweetness that gives it a really unique sort of scarf-taste over the hoppy taste if you will. The aftertaste still has the sort of characteristic hop taste, but it is somewhat sweetened by that same woodiness. The aftertaste sits nicely on the tongue as a sort of mellow spice.

Overall I would say this is a great beer. I really like the way that Dogfish Head tried something different here, and it makes for a great, very savory yet mellow, hoppy beer. Overall a great brew.

As a side note, it leads me to wonder perhaps as to the "original" flavor of the Double IPA, and if perhaps this sort of creative approach to modern Double IPA's suggests the original Double/Imperial taste per se.

I've heard conflicting stories as to the origin of this type of beer. One suggests that this Imperial title relates to the beer having been sent to the far reaches of the British empire, namely India and hence its extra hoppiness was good for preservation's sake per se. Another suggests that this same preservation was needed in the 14-17 hundreds and was requested by the Russian big-wigs per se from English brewers, and that the double hoppiness was both to their liking, and also amiable to the long voyage that such a journey may have been in those days(St. Petersburg on the East Coast of Russia was founded in 1700 or so according to Wiki, hence a beer voyage in those earlier days would have presumably involved both a land and sea voyage to Moscow).

Either way, original IPA's were probably in a sense barrel aged aswell. Hence perhaps this beer is a sort of more 'original" Double/Imperial than it might seem. Either way a great beer, the aged quality just makes it more sweet, tasty and mellow. A great beer with a different dimension than most other Imperials/Doubles.

The brewer's advisory to "hoard" it seems like a good suggestion.
Nov 01, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

4.37/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 12-ounce bottle into a tulip glass. Dark copper-amber color, with orange highlights and orange-tinged white head that left some streaky lacing as it subsided. Aroma and flavor are malt forward, with notes of orange popping out. Very boozy, with some oaky barrel astringence. Also tons of hop bitterness. As it warms, notes of dried fruit and dark bread begin to emerge. I'd say this is to be enjoyed more as a fine cordial than as a beer. IOW, a slow sipper.
May 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by bruindre from Massachusetts

Feb 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by GFK from Michigan

Sep 02, 2022
Photo of DrOfGolf
Reviewed by DrOfGolf from Delaware

4.29/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a copper color. Smells of a light vanilla, probably hops, and oak. The taste was that of a clean and crisp beer. Very tasty and delicious. The 10% ABV is hidden but effective. I like it and will definitely get more when I get the next chance.
Jul 20, 2022
 
Rated: 3.71 by beefbucket from Missouri

Jul 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hawkfish from Washington

Jun 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by not2quick from Missouri

Mar 31, 2022
 
Rated: 4.53 by dan_amdg from Illinois

Feb 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by Burg from New Hampshire

May 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by blackcloud from Alaska

Apr 24, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by BeerRay from Rhode Island

Apr 05, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by micada from New York

Mar 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by mrmsmith from District of Columbia

Feb 10, 2021
 
Rated: 3.99 by thewimperoo from Illinois

Jan 29, 2021
Photo of blazerkor
Reviewed by blazerkor from Nevada

3.94/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
It smells both like wood and the bright freshness of hops with just a little bread water in the background.

It tastes very interesting. The wood, sweetness and boozy flavor from the 10 abv remind me of whiskey... not bourbon because there's no smoke. After the whiskey you get bright hops and bitterness.

The mouthfeel is very light with just a little fizz. It finishes with an aftertaste of bitterness with breathy alcohol.

Overall it's very good. I wouldn't describe it as an IPA. It's a beer I can't really categorize. I give it a 4.9 out of 6. I think it would have received over a 5 if it hadn't come right after that insanely good stout.
Dec 29, 2020
Photo of Dillpickle315
Rated by Dillpickle315 from Colorado

4.31/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Backlog
Dec 27, 2020
Photo of BikeChef
Reviewed by BikeChef from District of Columbia

4.57/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Coming back to this after a long time... A real throwback to taste so much malt in a double-IPA, though I know this was a cross between a DIPA and an Old Ale. Back when DIPAs first arrived on the scene, many of them tasted this way-- like a hopped up Barleywine or Old Ale. If I close my eyes it feels like I'm back in 1999-- in a good way. Dogfish was way ahead of the curve in oak-aging a beer like this. Warming caramel and hop notes, with the alcohol well-hidden (as it should be). Hits the spot on a cold night when snow is in the forecast; masterfully done-- glad I revisited this classic.
Dec 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.31 by aprabhu from Kentucky

Dec 10, 2020
Photo of maddogruss
Reviewed by maddogruss from New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Had this on draft.
A: pours orange amber body with off-white head with ok retention and lacing
S: sweet, orange grapefruit smelling beer with subtle earthiness
T: sweet, grapefruit taste with a subtle earthy aftertaste; some lemon notes as well
M: medium bodied and pretty smooth
D: nice mouthfeel and tasting combo; solid drinking beer overall; pretty good beer overall
Nov 21, 2020
Burton Baton from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 6753 ratings