Burton Baton - Dogfish Head Brewery

joeseppy

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Standard DIPA appearance of orangey copper. Creamy head dissapates quickly.

Oak contributes a subtle nose of vanilla. Malt, fruit and trace hop aroma.

A medley of flavours. Hop and malts meld to apricot, caramel and notes of berry. Also picking up on earthy notes.

Full bodied brew that is extremely forward and toot sweet on the palate. Very cloying IMO. The sweetness hides any bitterness. Tough sipper for me. Had a few of these as I really wanted to love this DFH. Will put the other 2 in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 16:30:26 | More by joeseppy

JohnFatAss

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy amber color. This beer is full bodied. Thick and rich with a creamy white head.

Sweet and malty up front. You do take notice of the alcohol. Surprisingly smooth and easy to drink for such a high abv beer. Not much bitterness, but I get some citrus hops mid way. I get the oak flavor in the finish.

A little boozy, and a little pricey.
Not an every day beer, but it makes for a great treat on occasion.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 03:12:23 | More by JohnFatAss

scootny

New York

4.29/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is one velvet hammer of a beer. Huge head of off slightly off white creaminess. Lightly clouded roasted pumpkin colored fluid that shows little carbonation. Quite a bit of lace. Smell is one tick short of sublime. Deep, rich, velvety malt shows caramel and whole grain biscuit. Just a trace of alcohol sweetness and mild citrusy hops. Vanilla and oak caress the back of my nose. Taste is a willing accomplice.Toasty caramel malt with oak and vanilla caressing the tongue with a minty herbal hops in the finish. lovely velvet tongue. Mild carbonation with a drinkable persona. Goes down way too easy in fact. A superb oaked DIPA that leans toward drinkability instead of tongue scraping bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 03:26:21 | More by scootny

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- This brew pours a deep, deep, golden to amber color. A small, one finger, frothy head forms and retains very well. The lacing is also good. Clarity is very good. All in all, one of the darkest and best looking IIPA pours I've seen.

S- All hops on the nose. Big pine notes morph into floral hop notes. Slight oak notes are also present, balancing out the hops with a little bit of sweetness. Not much malt is detectable in the scent.

T- More of a hop bomb than on the scent. Hops bitterness starts the drink and dominates throughout. About midway through the drink the oak characteristics make an appearance. The oak gives a little sweetness like in the scent but on the whole bumps up the bitterness of the hops. A harsh alcohol flavor also peeks in for a second among the oak and hops. Mellows out at the end with some sweeter notes and lingering hops bitterness on the tongue.

M- This one is a little hot. The alcohol is detectable, but not overpowering. More of a sipper. High levels of carbonation and a thicker texture.

Overall, this isn't a bad beer, but the oak flavors and high hops bitterness is a little off-putting. This is more of a beer for IPA lovers. I gave it a chance, and it's not bad, but it's also not my cup of tea...or beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 01:15:39 | More by boilermakerbrew

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance
Rusty amber with less than a fingers worth of head that dissipates quickly. Cloudy with low carbonation.

Nose
Grapefruit zest, orange cream, pine needles, lemon, caramel and toffee.

Taste
Grapefruit juice, orange cream, lemon meringue and pine sap. Touches of peach and papaya with suggestions of lime. The backbone is perfectly balanced with caramel, toffee and candy sugar. Just a touch of naked oak on the finish.

Mouthfeel
Medium-full bodied, oily, smooth and sticky.

Overall
Aging this with oak staves really mellows this out and makes for exceptional drinkability. I forgot how good this stuff is. One of Dogfish’s best.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 13:55:12 | More by justintcoons

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled November 12, 2012.

Copper in colour, with a moderately-sized off-white head.

The oak jumps out the most in the nose, followed by a nice dose of caramel malt and juicy, citrus hops. Orange, grapefruit. Some pine. It all melds very well together, the oak modifying and complementing the hops and malt.

Like the nose, oak is upfront in the taste, pretty strong. Caramel malt after that. The hops are present (some citrus and pine) but I find they get a bit overcome by the oak. Booze is noticeable but not overly so considering the high ABV.

Medium bodied, moderately carbonated. Slightly oily.

Overall, quite good. The aroma is great but I don't find the taste to quite live up to it. Oak is a bit much in the taste but nicely blended in the nose.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 23:35:33 | More by jrenihan

brewtus

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank on 12/20/2012

Pours dark copper with a two finger head, nice lacing . Nice nose; oaky, dark fruit, hops obviously, apricots. Taste is very balanced, the oak doesn't overpower the hops or vise versa. Nice dark fruit flavors. Over all I like this one a lot, a great oak aged ale that finds the perfect balance between hops and oak.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 17:03:09 | More by brewtus

TBoneJones

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Since I scored a couple new 4-packs not long ago, I figure it's time to rotate stock and try from a 1-year+ aged batch (bottled 7/20/11):
Pours thick, bubbly, cloudy apple cider-colored brew with a thick 1-finger-width head that soon fades.
Smells mildly of bread, oak and an apple-like citrus type scent. Sweet.
Wow it's been awhile but I think putting age on this does wonders. While my mouth is coated by the alcohol and the woody oak flavor, the tingling hops round this out as such to remind me this is still a double IPA. It all balances out. What must be the vanilla I'm interpreting as an acidic, cider-like flavor. That works for me since I'm usually not a fan of vanilla in my beer. This is also malty and sweet, but it all works. Woody, earthy, burning, bitter. It's like I'm sipping a smoothly blended whiskey that happens to be a beer, and I don't recall that sensation when drinking this fresh as I always have in the past. Age this. I'm going to do so even longer than planned for my remaining bottles of this DFH top-shelfer. Mouthfeel is medium carbonation, smooth and biting. Pleasant sipping.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 05:27:54 | More by TBoneJones

CornellAquired

Florida

5/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I may be being dramatic, but this blend of American beers (which have been 'pickled' If you will, in an oak barrel) may be the best American style beer I've had. Right away, after you open and taste, you get sweetness, and then bold strong ale that comes after. Not harsh, but smooth and subtle like good whiskey. I'm not one for imaginative fruits and spices, what I taste is craftsmanship. But there is a syrup/molasses scent emitting from my glass. A very rich, enjoyable aroma. I don't think there is another American style brew that can top this off. If you come across Burton Baton, buy it. IT'S Very, very, good.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 01:12:38 | More by CornellAquired

vfgccp

New York

3.83/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Eggshell white head sits low with poor retention and ok lace. Great color on a clear apricot body orange body.

S - Bitter woods, grapefruit, maybe a hint of cardamon, touch of bready sweetness.

T - Grapefruit pith bitters, Werther's caramel, resiny spruce, oak, tobacco, bready malt.

M - Medium-full body. Low carbonation.

O - Not bad, but not outrageous. The flavor profile falls a little flat about mid way through the profile, and it could use just a shade more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 02:16:05 | More by vfgccp

GuyIncognito

Maine

4.83/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is one of the best beers I've had in the past year. An absolute beauty. It smells of wood and hops simultaneously. Beautiful amber color, and a smooth but hoppy taste. Mellow and exilirating at the same time, there is no way this is 10% abv! But it is. Oh, it is. My favorite Dogfish beer by far. A masterpiece.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 01:35:45 | More by GuyIncognito

duracell

Quebec (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a snifter.

A - Pours a copper color, slightly cloudy. 1-finger, off-white head with a medium retention and a limited lacing. No sign of carbonation coming from the bottom of the glass. 4/5

S - Very nice blend of oak,smoothing the hoppy character with tropical fruits and floral notes. Malt is well present and balances nicely the rest and adds some fruity aromas to it (mostly peach and apricot). 4.5/5

T - Taste is first dominated by hops and alcohol with a good spiciness. Malt gets bigger in the middle of the mouth and the oak dominates at the end and lingers. 4.5/5

M - Lively carbonation, semi-dry finish. Alcohol is certainly there, throughout the experience, but is nicely balanced by the malt. 4/5

O - An awesome beer with an excellent complexity. Alcohol might be a bit intimidating but, in my opinion, it really adds something to it and is never overpowering. Seek it out! 4.5/5

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 23:42:18 | More by duracell

yamar68

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber gold body, loads of beading, soapy finger of cream colored head that sits pretty stubbornly... some spotty lacing.

Oak, vanilla, a wide array of hop qualities that don't seem to really take any one direction, it reminds me a bit of Great Divide's Anniversary BA IIPA. Vanilla, warming wood notes, hops, awesome.

Some caramel/butterscotch/toffee surfaces on the tongue, bold hop flavors take a back seat to these dessert notes and vanilla/oak. Lovely stuff. This is such an underbrewed style of beer... would love to see more breweries take a swing at this. DFH was one of the first, and they nailed it pretty early on.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 20:05:11 | More by yamar68

happy4hoppybeer

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark copper, with half-inch white head. A little bubbly lacing on the side, but not spectacular.

Nice aromas of the advertised oak staves, with malted barley in the background. Some dark fruits, dried raisins.

Smooth body, medium level of carbonation.

Can taste the oak, barley and a good hop presence. Neither which overwhelms another. The hops are actually played down here, in favor of the more malty presence, and the obvious oak barrel. A good alcohol presence is noted and obvious.

This a decent beer, nothing great or wowing, but worthy of a try, especially on a cold/rainy winter day.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 21:27:40 | More by happy4hoppybeer

macrosmatic

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a CCB pint glass.

A: Clear, dark gold with a thin white head and lots of visible carbonation.

S: Pine & citrus hops, and biscuity and caramel malts.

T: Follows the nose. Pine & citrus pith from the hops, a bit of woody dryness. Caramel notes from the oak at the end. As a note of comparison, the oak flavors are not nearly as caramelly as CCB's White Oak Jai Alai.

M: Relatively light body, a little sticky/dank mouthfeel. The alcohol is noticeable at the end, but acceptable given its high ABV.

O: This is all right. I had some higher hopes for this beer. I wouldn't refuse another if offered. I've got one more bottle I'm going to sit on for awhile to see what happens to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 03:56:02 | More by macrosmatic

Googs

New York

3.7/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle aggressively into a pint glass.

A: Dark golden/auburn body. Inch of an off white foamy head.

S: Grassy, floral hops right upfront followed by some sweet citrus and a nice hint of oak and breadyness.

T: Hops are present here, it's bitter on the finish but not what I was expecting. The flavors I'm getting from the malts and wood are sweet toffee and perhaps a small touch of vanilla. Hops bring some citrus and pine notes into the formula. I'm tasting the booze, it has quite a bite.

M: Medium, not as heavy as others could be, Solid carbonation.
It's also not very resinous like other double IPA's are. Again I think it's pretty hot, the taste isn't pleasant enough for me to drink a ton of, and the heat just stayed in mouth. Too much.

O: I'm not sure if it was the booze being too forward, or the balance of this beer just being off but it's a bit hard for me to drink, I poured the few remaining ounces down the drain. I like my big beers too, I was sippin' BT and White Chocolate last night but this one didn't rub me the right way. But maybe this brew will be so much better in a year with some time to mellow out, right now it's a hot mess.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 03:09:13 | More by Googs

diddly

New York

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip glass from a bottle.

Pours a beautiful rich amber, with a thin off-white head, which hangs around some throughout,

Aroma is sweet, with some notes of alcohol, and a bit of piney bitterness.

Flavor is wonderfully rich, with good bitterness, and a ton of woody oak character. The alcohol definitely comes through and keeps the hop flavor down somewhat, although the bitterness shines through.

Mouthfeel is towards the heavy side, as expected for the style.

Overall a very good beer, but doesn't have the hop character I would generally expect from an imperial IPA. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though - the oak, sweetness, and hints of alcoholic warmth fill out the beer very nicely.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 04:13:26 | More by diddly

CMUbrew

Michigan

4.15/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a DFH snifter
Bottled 9/28/12

A: Dark amber/copper in color. The white head that formed on top faded farily quickly into thin, spotty foam, though this is to be expected in a high ABV beer. Barely any lacing to speak of.

S: Hoppy pine, dark fruitiness, dark candi syrup, thick malts, maybe a slight hint of wood character. As it warms, alcohol comes through and the dark fruits are slightly accentuated.

T: Similar to the nose. Initially a muted pine for the hops, accompanied by a present, but not aggressive dark fruitiness. Malts are sweet. Some wood aging characteristics can be perceived. Again, as it warms the alcohol comes through along with some more dark fruit flavors.

M: The mouthfeel is about where it should be for this beer. The wood aging really mellows the beer and makes it so smooth. Slick, but only slightly oily and coating. This would really be a 4.25 if I could, but a 4 would not do it justice.

O: The biggest takeaway for me is that while dark fruit flavors were present, they were also welcome. I usually hate dark fruit, but this did not have the raisin puree flavor I typically find in beers with dark fruit characters. That being said, taste was still not mind blowing. I wanted more hops. I am currently wishing I had opened this beer a couple months ago when I bought it. I also would have likely for more barrel characters to show up, but I am splitting hairs. This was a surprisingly good beer for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 00:15:48 | More by CMUbrew

TheBigLebrewski

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Following an Oaked Arrogant Bastard; shockingly sweet in comparison.

Well, it looks better. Golden-red with a thick, long-retaining head just on the cream side of white.

General berry-sweet fruit in the scent; gentle malt is apparent, and a little sweet-hop aroma.

In terms of flavor, this beer, while being hugely enjoyable, is more sweet than I want it to be. It hints at hops and wood at every stage of a sip, but never gives enough of either.

The mouthfeel is detrimentally effected by the sweetness. My mouth candied up with improper ecstasy that I'd rather spend on bitterness or sourness. If I knew a lady that enjoyed beer, flowers, and sweets, I'd buy her every bottle of this I could. And I guess I'd hold onto a few for safe-keeping.

Overall, this is another version of a 'big-bad-wannabe-macro-but-good' beer that I'd recommend, but wouldn't quite serve to impress my beer buddies. It's fucking good, but that's all it is. And did I mention it's weirdly sweet?

I really wish this one sat on wood a good while longer, and at least another hop addition would have done is justice. Last word: very good, but.... well, give one to your non-beer-geek friends to get them on the path to great beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 09:30:55 | More by TheBigLebrewski

Beerandboards

New Mexico

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a standard pint

A - pours a hazy copper, about a 1 inch head that retains quite well throughout. Medium to high level of lacing on the glass. Small bubbles cascade up through the pint. Don't know what else you could ask for appearance wise.

S - smell is muted. There is some ripe oranges, tropical fruit notes, some woodiness. Smells good, but a little light on aroma.

T - solid. Rich tropical fruit and ripe citrus. Nice even bitterness. Trademark DFH maltiness adds a really nice backbone to the flavor profile. Lots of woody barrel in the finish. End with a good bit of alcohol drying. Aftertaste brings back the tropical and citrus notes. Tasty and different. Executes the barrel aging very well with the blend of fresh and barrel aged brews.

M - nails it here, carb and body are spot on. Perhaps a little lower than normal carb, but seems close to perfect to me.

O - nice brew. The barrel element added a nice piece of complexity. Managed to blend the hops, malt and barrel very well. Each element is complex on its own, but doesn't fight the others. I think maybe this would have been a tad better at 8% ABV rather than 10%, as its pretty hot. But, I will certainly track this down again.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 01:17:36 | More by Beerandboards

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.95/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 11/09/12 and consumed 12/7/12

The body is a deep orange with tons of bubbles. The head is slightly off white and thick and fluffy with sticky lacing left all over.

Lots of fruit(orange, peach, mango, grapefruit) on this which was surprising to me coming from DFH. The oak barrel is there providing some slight vanilla. The alcohol is fairly evident. There is also a pleasant floral rose aroma. Can’t wait to dive into this thing.

The bitterness and alcohol provide a bite here. The taste isn't as great as the smell due to the alcohol. It’s got the grapefruit citrusy hops. A little pine. Sweet caramel and bready malt. The finish is dry leaving a oaky flavor. Medium bodied beer that is smooth and creamy.

This took me by surprise. If not for all the alcohol flavor I would kick the taste to a 4. A great beer for sure and the beer dude at the store said it is now year round which is cool. An aged bottle would be interesting to try.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 20:43:10 | More by MattSweatshirt

PsilohsaiBiN

New York

4.7/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 9/28/12

Appearance: Dark amber with a creamy, slightly larger than 1 finger head that isn't going anywhere soon. Tons of carbonation relentlessly thrusting towards the surface. This is one of the most impressively carbonated beers I've ever seen.

Smell: The head is staying around so strong that I'm having trouble picking up much scent at all. I can pick up some faint hops along with some mustiness.

Taste: Slight vanilla/oak sweetness hits you right off the bat. The backend hits you with some malt, then fades into a slightly bitter finish with some oak notes to round it off. Although there is some bitterness(this is an Imperial IPA after all) it is so well balanced by the malt and oak that is blends seamlessly. I've tasted a decent amount of beers in my day, but this, along with the 90 minute, leaves me enjoying it until the very last drop.

Mouthfeel: Thicker than average, bordering on syrupy with just enough carbonation to keep things interesting.

Overall: This beer can do anything that you'd like it too, really. When it's fresh, it's REALLY hoppy, but the oak and malt keeps it somewhat in check, though it still leans towards the hoppy side. Age this for a year+ and the vanilla/caramel sweetness will really show itself, while the hops recede. A favorite beer of mine, in any state that I can drink it. Did I mention that this is now a year rounder?

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 00:21:10 | More by PsilohsaiBiN

LeRose

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

OK...seems I am a DFH fan...

Loved this beer. Funky orange/bronzy/golden color, tan colored and pretty compact head. Sweet smelling, oily and resinous, definite citrus, some flowery notes. Nice kick from the alcohol - warming but not overwhelming. Earthy/woodsy with some citrus flavors, pine resin, maybe a trace of vanilla lurking. Some funky fruitiness going on - can't quite identify. Big bitter finish that is not unpleasant, I figure this would go very well with spicy foods - naybe not an every day drinker without food to accompany.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 16:24:47 | More by LeRose

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a hazy deep orange color with a 1 finger head and very nice lacing.

S: Very sweet citrus hops, a touch of alcohol, and bready malts.

T: Nice hops bitterness, lots of bready malts, caramel, oak, and a slight coffee flavor.

M: Medium to heavy bodied with good carbonation.

O: This is a great beer. It has great balance, is easy to drink, and hides the alcohol very well. Another winner from Dogfish Head.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 00:11:11 | More by nUgZ

drh20s

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Alcohol... one word. I tried the Knee Deep Simtra and, even at 11.25%, the hops erase the alcohol. But, BB is pretty danged good. I am finishing one right nowe andbqik trhw effekt iss nbut thet noticcceable., Sorry... someone's moved the laptop keys!

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 03:44:15 | More by drh20s