Immort Ale - Dogfish Head Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Complex aroma of smoke and barrel. Taste gets the wood, peat smoke,the juniper berries and fruit. Tasted like a flavoured herbal tea so flavoured porter. Medium mouthfeel, was expecting even thicker. Very different and not my cup of tea.Another odd and interesting brew from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 02:15:20 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.25/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Nearly clear, reddish copper with a minimal off-white head that falls quickly to a thin film. Lace is nearly nonexistent. Alcohol dominates the nose, although I can appreciate sweet dark fruit as well.

As far as the flavor profile... again, alcohol overwhelms the palate. Next most prominent is a slightly sweet metallic graininess. I'm nearly unable to finish this. However, to be fair, it is improving a little as it warms (I started it out at about 50 degrees). At least now the flavor has a fighting chance against the alcohol. The mouthfeel is nicely smooth, but the taste comes close to ruining the entire experience.

I've seen Immort Ale described as a barleywine, but also as a strong/old ale. To me, it tastes like a 'brandy wine', like the brewers poured some brandy into the beer before bottling. I think I'll cellar one for a few years to see if that helps to mellow it out a little.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2003 21:13:11 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

One year removed from the last time I try this, Jay is nice enough to send me down a growler of this one to try. Half leaked out on the way but the rest looked good enough So I cracked it open to see how it would roll.

Decent look here, albeit a bit flat. Very dark brown in color, with a rich, reddish tone to it. No head or lacing to speak of, but nicely opaque. The aroma was enormously sweet. Lots of maple and oak in here, hints of vanilla and molasses as well as a touch of bourbon. The flavor was more of the same. Very smooth, especially considering the ABV in here. Rather lifeless body, with little to know carbonation, though I have to say decent chweyness to it. Long drawn out sweet finish, left hints of maple syrup and sugar on my tongue long after it was gone, along with a nice touch of boozinesss.

Overall I have to say it was better then I remember it, though no doubt suffered from the leakage. I am sure fresh, this would be awesome. Still for 11% this was excellent and I look forward to getting it again on tap one day.

Serving type: growler

08-10-2008 23:06:50 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had the 2008 edition this past March, so it was nearing a year in age, and wow was it fantastic.

A: Very dark brown with a good slightly-darkened head. Plenty of lacing.

S: Rich with caramel and sweetness from dark fruits, molasses, and maple. Very complex.

T: Caramel malt sweetness with some molasses, maple, and vanilla. A little bit of smoke to it, but nothing overpowering. Everything melds together so well and it is incredibly complex. Simply outstanding.

M: Heavy and lush; incredibly creamy. Quite smooth.

D: Much better with age than fresh off the line, but a nice, interesting ale all around.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2009 13:43:57 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

1.13/5  rDev -70.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Appearance: Pours a hazy bronze-colored body with a thin, small white head. Virtually no lacing to speak of.

Smell: Alcohol and sugary, sweet caramel teamed up with cardboard and rancid butter to create one of the most putrid aromas ever. Horrendous! This is a bad sign.

Taste: Shock and surprise registered in my eyes the moment I tasted it. It's the surprise of tasting something you knew you wouldn't like, but then it actually tasted far, far worse.

Ugh. There's just something about this beer that is really a turn off to me. A distressing, unmistakable band-aid flavor. Well, it's more of an attack on the tongue than a flavor, but still. I went looking for the maple, vanilla, and oak in the flavor and found only band-aids, glue, and rubber. The description on the bottle is completely foreign to anything contained within.

All in all, a flavor akin to burning the contents of a medicine cabinet and lapping up the results.

Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied, but being so syrupy as to relentlessly cling to the tongue.

Drinkability: With no sink nearby to dump this in, it was an absolute struggle to finish. The idea of pouring this out onto the floor was rather tempting.

Wow. Just, wow.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2006 21:52:07 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a fairly clear medium amber color with a modest head consisting of tiny bubbles; some splashy lacing here and there

Smell: Smoked peaty nose with caramel, maple and vanilla tones; a bit vinous

Taste: Starts out with a somewhat brandy-like flavor, though not as intense nor sweet as a brandy; a touch of vanilla and maple on the front as well; at mid-palate some bitter orange flavors kick in and the smoked peatiness on the nose starts to command attention; the mid-palate flavors build to the finish and are joined by black pepper and alcoholic warming; rather sweet at the end, like a liqueur (Drambuie?)

Mouthfeel: Rich and chewy with relatively low carbonation

Overall: Another unusual brew from Dogfish; very nice after dinner

(Note: This is a beer that ages particularly well, allowing the alcohol to mellow and the malty flavors to develop.)

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2005 22:50:41 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap the day after Churchill's Renaissance at Churchill's Pub & Grille in San Marcos, CA.

Pours a clear honey brown with a beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Smell is pretty subtle but there is some malt, smoke, and spice in the nose. Taste is of malt and a nice smoky flavor with a tiny bit of band-aid present. There is a mild bitterness with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a nice smoke flavor that comes out especially as the beer warms up.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2012 06:46:54 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of Boboski: Poured a deep hazy orangey color ale with a medium foamy head with good lacing. Aroma of sweet malt is pretty complex with some light vanilla and some dry fruits. Taste is mix between some dry fruits such as figs and plums and some sweet malt with some light oak. I found some similarities with aged english barleywine maybe due to the low hops employed in this beer. Body is above average with some low carbonation and alcohol is well hidden. Another very good beer from a brewery that knows how to brew big beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2007 19:02:43 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Session 06/01/07, Release 2007
Although I expected a heavy, fresh, barleywine-ish brew with strong alcohols, intense barley malt flavor and sweetness and agression; I did not expect all of the new smokiness that I experienced in the aroma and flavors. It dominated all of the caramel, vanilla, fruity, and syrupy flavors. Nearly to rauchbier proportions, the heaviness of the brew and the peat (scotch whisky) flavors, though complex and bold, compromise the beer too much. Age should be kind, however the beer is way too immature for drinking in the near future.

Session 07/ 01/05, Release 2004, Rating 4.5
This one is a treat. Looks golden, copper, bronze, colors change as they refract in the light. Dainty dense white head that fades into the alcoholic lace and coating. Smells mildly sweet with deep fruits of dates and figs. other sweetness abounds with honey, brown sugar, caramel, and toffee. Tastes oily sweet with vanilla, caramel, and those dark fruits. The flavors are compounded with finess flavors of wood, mild hops, and alcohol. Full, round body being cut by the alcohol makes this beer go down easily. Finishes is warm and sweet. Hop flavors detected. Aftertaste is oily and refined and cloying sweet. Alcohol dries the palate. Not as bitter as most American Barleywines. Borrows English flavors in finess and maturity. Another gem by Dogfish Head.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2005 18:41:03 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice reddish brown color with a slight head but more carbonation than expected,aroma was rich and of vanilla.The vlavor is very oaky with some vanilla tones and a nice lingering fruitiness.A nice complex beer to savor cant drink more than one or two though.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2003 01:21:26 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a DFH Alehouse house snifter.

From notes (hence the ridiculous straightforwardness): Pours a mostly clear ruby amber with nearly no real head to speak of. The smell is of raisins, figs, maple syrup, whiskey (didn't see that one coming), and oak. The taste is pretty similar, with notes of raisins, whiskey (it's back), molasses, brown sugar, nutmeg, and stainless steel (ever lick a spoon?). The body is far on the heavy side of medium, with light carbonation and a thickly smooth feel. It is a bit much for regular/heavy consumption, though.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 07:00:16 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big fat bubbly head--sizzles--gorgeous violet/dark ruby color. Not much springs to mind for aroma, some grapes, berries, then it's gone. Sharp tangy tast, heavy alcohol comes right up from behind. Long lasting finish, high carbonation. Strong, yes, but not as fully flavored as I like my barleywines. Soft palate. I liked it more as I neared the end of the bottle. Very lovely, very delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2002 14:03:34 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a cloudy amber color with a thin white lace head. The aroma is great. It has a nice vanilla and oakey scent that adds to the complex malt aroma. The taste is good. It has a rich malt palate with a sweet maple, vanilla aftertaste. It has a warm feel on the way down, but it drinks easy. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a flavorful beer with much complexity. Dogfish Head are brewing pioneers.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2004 01:36:27 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Part of my DFH project. I'm leading with the fact that this beer FAR EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS.

Beer is brown (dark) and hazy. Forms a decent head of small bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation is low to moderate.

Aroma is almost liquor like, kind of bourbony in the nose, high malt character....I must be in the mood, its very nice.

Beer is medium bodied, raisins and plums in the palate, sweetness up front very drinkable, very good. Seriously. I thought this would be too strong for me but I'm loving it. A very good beer. Barleywine like.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 03:48:02 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to hudsonphotog for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a amber-red color with a white head. The aroma is smoke, wood, anise, fruit and caramel malt. The flavor is a mix of smoke, oak, fruit and maple syrup. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 05:10:36 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pourd out a somewhat cloudy, brown color with a pillowy, cream-colored, small head. It left some soapy lace.

S - It smelled of smoke and wood. Also some biscuity malt notes.

T - A very complex and unique blend of flavors. Some vanilla, caramel, alcohol and sweet, sweet malt.

M - A chewy, thick mouthfeel. This is a medium to heavy-bodied beer with a pronounced heat from the alcohol content.

D - This is a good beer but very strong and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2008 00:49:58 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear but very dark amber in color and poured with a thin beige head.
S: There is a strong aroma of barley malts in the nose along with some notes of alcohol.
T: Like the smell, the taste is very malty and has some notes of maple syrup. Notes of alcohol are evident in the finish.
M: It feels full-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a light amount of carbonation. There is some warming from the alcohol in the finish.
D: This beer is definitely a slow sipper considering its strength and the presence of alcohol in the smell and taste.

Note: 1999 vintage

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 14:50:03 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.3/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a brilliantly clear ruby color that is topped by a thin, wispy tan head. This smells quite a bit like a fruit liquor, with notes of raisins and rum. Underneath that, but quite apparent are notes of smoky wood, oak and a hint of vanilla. As time passes the intermingling notes of smoke and wood come to dominate the aroma. The taste is sweet up front with a clear fruity note that is reminiscent of grapes, and perhaps some notes of cherries. The finish is long and complex and is where I start to notice the oak and a bit of the smokiness as well, I get a sort of tannic, slightly phenolic & a bit of astringency all mixed together in the finish. In the end the smoke ends up dominating the finish, fortunately it is not too strong & just dries out the palate enough that you want another sip.

This beer is quite interesting, I really like the complex interplay between the various components of this beer. I have to give it to Dogfish Head, this is one interesting beer, I must say that I really appreciate them stretching the definition of beer on a commercial level.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2004 17:02:34 | More by Gueuzedude

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had wanted to try the Immort Ale for the longest time. For some reason it never seemed to show up at the local shops I go to. After stopping at Crazy Bruce's in Connecticut on my way to Vermont I saw that they had bottles of it there. So I made a mixed 6 pack with one Immort Ale. Finally got to have it that night at the motel. I was more than happy about getting it.

It poured out as a nice looking brown color with a slightly fizzy tan color head on it. The smell of the beer had some vanilla, some barrel earthiness to it, there was also a sweet boozy aroma too. The taste was quite nice also, plenty of flavors in this brew. Much like the nose a lot of the same qualities come through on the tongue. The mouthfeel was smooth and semi thick with a good carbonation to it. Overall this beer is a powerhouse. It goes down nicely especially with some aging and it's high ABV can hit ya pretty hard if you let it. Well worth trying though!

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 20:57:09 | More by Knapp85

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep reddish brown color, with a thin white head, that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, vanilla, some spices, some fruit and touches of smoke, maple, alcohol and hops.

T: The taste starts out with a little bit of smokiness followed by mildly sweet flavors of vanilla, fruit and maple. The malt character is hearty and covers up the high ABV well. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly smoky and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Flavorful and complex, goes down easily, not too filling, well-disguised strong kick, good representation of style, a unique combination of flavors where if those flavors appeal to you they make the beer worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 04:26:58 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.2/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours an effervescent caramel/brown with 2 fingers of light tan head. Very healthy head retention & lacing

S: Rich malt & deep smokeyness

T: Rich malt & oaky smoke. Caramel, dryness & maple syrup follow. Finishes with slight boozeyness, loads of smoke & maple

MF: Syruppy with low carbonation

Drinks alright for the abv, the smokeyness is OTT IMO! Kind of reminds me of a singlemalt scotch

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2007 03:40:22 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.45/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a very dark red, with a small off-white head, good retention and smattering of lace.

S: Heavy wood notes, mixed with smoke, dark fruit and booze. Strong smell, but wasn't a huge fan of the overall scent, though it was nice at times.

T: Strong smoky and wood notes are dominate with a lot of alcohol heat. Maple sugar is light, I really couldn't find any vanilla in this one.

M: Strong and full-bodied, solventy, thick.

D: A nice beer from DFH, though it wasn't exactly what I expected from the bottle. Very much a sipper, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2008 18:50:58 | More by Halcyondays

jwc215

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours reddish amber with a thin head that immediately disappears, lexeving a thin ring around the edge.

The smell is of sweet vanilla, maple and a touch of oak and alcohol.

The taste is of vanilla and maple. THe latter is not quite as prominent as I expected from the description on the bottle, but it is there. Hints of oak come through. Very sweet and sticky with little to balance it out other than peppery alcohol. There is a cheery-ish fruitiness in the finish. It is complex, but annoyingly sweet and sticky.

The body is medium. A bit thinner than expected considering the complexities. It has a smoothness about it despite high abv. Slight burning left on tongue.

They have the complexities down, but all on sweet side. The flavors are there, but not as full as could be. Slow-sipping of one of these is enough. Neither more nor less drinkable than an average barleywine, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2007 14:10:11 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wow, big oak, woody, maybe cedar aroma. The flavor is too mellow at first with nothing standing out, but it develops as it warms. The taste develops with more oak, vanilla, licorice root, and candied fruit almost like a cobbler without the crust. At 11%, the booze is well-hidden and just reasonably thick. I enjoyed drinking this and would seek it out again. There was a nice balancing bitterness to the sweet malt, and it was above all else, interesting.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2007 01:51:41 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is a two year old Immort Ale (2003 Vintage) from the Dogfish Head Ale House. The Ale House cellars the vintage bottles as 50-55 degrees.

Appearance: The ale is a nice golden to light brown color. The ale is hazy and lacks any translucency. There is a bit of head that results from the pour (not much though, perhaps due to the age?).

Smell: As with most of DFH's big brews, there is a pronounced malt aroma, making one think that this is a barleywine. The ABV is not detectable in the nose. The label mentions oak and vanilla notes, but I don't detect any.

Taste: Tastes like a Barleywine in the mouth. Very pleasant malty notes with little hop presence. I taste the woody notes in when I sip it, however I struggle to find the vanilla.

Mouthfeel: For a strong ale, it sits nicely. DFH has a way of hiding the alcohol in these brews, instead allowing the malt, hops and adjuncts to make themselves known.

Drinkability: For an 11% brew, it is fairly drinkable. As I recall from fresh tastings, set this bad boy away for a year or two and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2005 20:02:22 | More by akorsak