Immort Ale - Dogfish Head Brewery

Doc_Hops

Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A-Immort Ale pours with a very deep copper color almost flirting with a light brown tone with a thin white head that is slowly leaving me.

S- This is wild! Smooth and oaky from the start with some nice peat smoke rounding out the smell.

T- Very impressed with this. Sweet maple syrup in the beginning giving way to some more sweet vanilla. There's a little bit of that peat moss smoke finished with a very little bit of hop bitterness.

M- Silky in the mouth I'd assume from the oak barrel finishing.

O- I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Very different. Very unique. Very delicious. I cannot wait to have it again.

Serving type: 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Thanks for reading.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 09:37:24 | More by Doc_Hops

DavidST

Texas

3.76/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip/pint glass, bottled 2012A. This pours a nice mahogany brown with a two finger thick tan head. The smells are of english malts, molasses and vanilla. The feel is medium to slightly thick. The taste is pretty good, plenty of malty flavors, molasses and such.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 05:35:57 | More by DavidST

KC9LDB

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled On 10/26/11
This is another of my age batch, I will never age this one again, it interrupted the flavor of the beer and the different characteristics of the beer. The ESA really showed with much boozieness.
A Cloudy, amber haze little head, great carbonation still
S Best English Strong Iv'e smelled, lots of tones of molasses/oak
T Tingey, yes I still picked up the Vanilla/maple but way too suttle for the presentation.
M Light, crisp, not exactly what I was expecting.
O It's a great beer, just don't age it. This one is meant to be drunk young.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 04:58:59 | More by KC9LDB

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz.

Pours a deep clear reddish brown with a yellowish lacing for a head. The dissipates away to basically nothing.

Smells of toasted malts, toffee, vanilla, cocoa and peanuts. Some roasted earthy aromas as well.

Flavors of molasses, grapes and vanilla mix with earthy buttered toast and toffee malts with elements of bourbon and oak along with a cinnamon spice. Incredibly complex. A final roasted note appears as it warms up, reminds me of lapsang souchong tea.

Full body with a light carbonation and a stinging and numbing booziness that warms on the way down.

DFH rarely fails to amaze me, and this is not exception. A wonderful ale with a varied and layered palate featuring mixtures of sweet, dry, spiced, and savory characteristics. A beer to sip slowly and enjoy over time. I'd call it a must-try for fans of DFH's experimental approaches.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 23:36:50 | More by Cylinsier

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

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

I poured this into a tulip glass, it has a dark amber color body with little head. The smell is roast dark fruit and some smoked woodyness.
The taste is dark fruit up front, followed by a hint of oak and a slight taste of maple and a hint of vanilla. The mouth feel is smooth, and overall a really tasty beer. I wish it had more vanilla flavor to it.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 21:36:18 | More by chefhatt

Jonada

New Jersey

4.04/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2012 bottle served in a Dogfish Head signature glass

Appearance: Dark amber color, 1 finger of a light tan head that dissipated to a thin wispy coating that stuck around for the whole glass. Fairly clear when held up to light, with visible carbonation streaming through the glass

Smell: Peat, smoke, wood, hints of maple and caramel

Taste: Smoked peat, rum soaked bread, dark fruit, slight oak, booze. Sweetness is balanced nicely with a slight bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, sticky mouthfeel. Medium/low carbonation.

Overall: Another solid entry from Dogfish Head. I would like to have seen more oak and vanilla shine through, but it's still an enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 04:51:33 | More by Jonada

stewart124

Ohio

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber in color with just a trace of lacing. Maple, vanilla and raisin and some smoke in the nose.

Medium body with a smoothness that covers the tongue and then dries. Plenty going on here. The bread and malt being about a rich inviting character with a spicy note. Little hops in the foreground but some noble background bitterness. Certainly a malt forward beer.

Caramel and dark candied fruits shine through with just a touch of oak. Pleated smokey malt and a warming bit from the alcohol. Drinks well and the 11% is well hidden. Definitely a sipper.

Overall a tasty English old ale. Solid and more character comes out as it warms. Complex from beginning to end.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 03:05:36 | More by stewart124

Cubatobaco

Virginia

4.26/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This is only my second tasting of this Ale, but so far, it is very consistent. Deep amber in color, with light lacing and a minimal head retention, this limited edition gives off aromas that are oaky, "cookout"esque (bacon, maple, hickory), with a sweet overtone. Loads of maple and brown sugar coat the palate, while smoke, raisins, and hickory accompany. With this weighing in at 11% alcohol, one can hardly taste it as it is very creamy and oily. A great night cap and one to put away for a year or so. RH 90+

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 03:07:12 | More by Cubatobaco

Uncle_Jimmy

California

2.29/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75

Appearance- No head a copper/brown color.

Aroma- clove, burnt plastic some sour yeast.

Taste- Band-aids Band-aids, some oak, some maple, plum.

Mouth feel- Hot, lotta booze low carb and a little too thick on the tongue.

Overall- I like bourbon and scotch and boozy complex beers but this is just too much for me. Hard to get over the kind of vinyl taste. I just don't have the sensibility. Maple and vanilla ehhh?? i do get some oak, but man its a not good.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 05:36:22 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

Brandywine

Washington

3.64/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: Burnt orange verging on red. Poured barley a fingers worth of a off white head. Good alcohol legs and big lacing around the rim. Head dissipated almost immediately.

Smell: Juniper, caramel, toasted oak.

Taste: The roasted barley hits the front of the tongue really nicely. It almost tastes like a smoked malt. Burnt caramel and juniper arrive in the middle. It finishes with a pleasant oakiness. There are notes of berry mixed into the rest. I'm not picking up the vanilla that it was brewed with, which would have added a nice sweetness to the counter the roasted notes.

Mouthfeel: On the full side of medium. Not much carbonation.

Overall: I like the flavor components DFH is using here but the nose was unimpressive and the vanilla seemed absent. I would've liked more integration of the bolder ingredients.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 04:55:52 | More by Brandywine

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4.14/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Another interesting beer from Dogfish Head.

Pours out a nice, deep mahogany color with ruby highlights and 1 finger of off-white head.

The aroma has a lot of juniper berry smell, some vanilla, maple, oak and a touch of smoke with a hint of alcohol.

The taste also has a lot of juniper berry up front and then that subsides into the vanilla, maple, toffee elements followed by oak notes, some smoke and earthy notes. A decently sweet beer, but not overwhelming or cloying. There is a bit of an alcohol burn, but it's mild.

The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth and the body is full.

Very tasty and easy to drink, but a tad sweet for my particular taste. I think a bit more smoke and some earthy hop bitterness would balance this out better. I'm going to let one age even though this is drinking good now.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 02:31:37 | More by JohnnyMc

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

A-Reddish brown color. Light head. Mostly clear in body. Softer lacing.

S-Sweet, boozy and oaky. Not incredibly aromatic.

T-A lot more kick on the palate. Peaty and woody. Long, lingering leather notes. Loads of caramel and brown sugar. Complex but overly aggressive.

M-Full and dry. Too boozy. A bit cloying. The peat and leather notes hang on for far too long. Syrupy almost.

O/D-Not something I enjoyed very much. I can't remember the last time I had a Dogfish brew that was over 8% that I found enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2013 18:53:40 | More by VelvetExtract

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.46/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A slight chill haze on a rich golden brown colored beer. Head is minimal, off-white and drops to a tiny, bubbly collar in short order. No lacing. Mild carbonation.

Smell: Loaded with maple sweetness. Some nice undercurrents of oak and vanilla. Very sweet. Caramel malts along with super cooked and caramelized malts. Minor hints of juniper in the back. Almost smells like a maple vanilla infused gin of sorts. Pushes notes of toffee and caramel. Almost brown sugar levels of sweetness at times. Aggressive on all fronts. Big alcohol on the back keeps everything in check. Some apple and plum. Mulch.

Taste: Maple syrup and juniper berries. A touch of solvent. Apples and plums and other madness. Big hits of oak and vanilla. Caramel, toffee, crazy biscuit flavors as well. Mild toasted malt. Hops are minimal, lending and earthy and vaguely floral element. Deeply cooked and caramelized malt sweetness. Alcohol adds a whole new dimension. A bit over sweet. Juniper plus the malts is making me think of something akin to mesquite or mulch that got wet and set on fire. Smoky and earthy with a touch of pine.

Mouthfeel: Moderate to full body with minimal, almost non-existent carbonation. Dry on the back.

Overall: King Leonidas would have no problem with this Immortal.

Odd. Definitely odd. Not the best showing from DFH, but it shows a little restraint in the complexity, which is greatly appreciated. Might be a solid beer with a year to mellow out, but right now it's an all over the place pseudo-barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 21:28:31 | More by Goblinmunkey7

DannyHartman

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

As I pour a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass, a 1" off-white head appears atop a hazy brew that has a light brown outlining and leads into a dark brown/deep amber center.... There is visible sediment floating under light that remains throughout the drink.... This brew has little retention and very minimal lacing.

I take a whiff and get lots of smokiness and dark fruit followed by some caramel, maple, and molasses.... There's also an alcohol smell with a little yeast and the slightest vanilla.

The taste is mostly smoky peat with dark fruit.... Following that, I get vanilla, maple/caramel, some bready malts, and a boozy oak finish.

I'd say this is a medium-bodied and just lightly carbonated brew, which is perfect for this style.... It has a slick and creamy feel going down, and leaves a tart boozy aftertaste.

Overall, what can I say?.... Dogfish Head does it again.... This is just another unique and masterfully crafted brew from one of the best (if not the best) brewery in America.... Lots of complexity, but perfectly balanced.... Though not my favorite Dogfish Head brew, it is certainly amazing in the grand scheme of things.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 23:55:39 | More by DannyHartman

WesM63

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a large snifter. Bottle dat is 10/26/11, just over a year old at tasting.

A: Pours a light brown with a 1finger off white head. Minor retention and lacing.

S: Smells of oak, maple and maybe hint of vanilla. Almost a medicinal smell as well, not sure what that is.

T: Close to the nose. Oak, maple, some vanilla and lots of medicinal flavors.

M: Medium body and carbonation. Moderate amounts of heat.

O: Oversll I'm not sure what to make of it. Has a strong medicinal smell and taste that's off putting. I'm not sure if its from the aging or not. If it was not there the beer would be much better.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 03:00:14 | More by WesM63

mscudder

Georgia

3.28/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a globe.

A - This is one sexy looking brew from the pour. Semi-transparent ruby hue with a massive three-finger tan/off-white head. Bubbles are so fine it reminds me of a fine Belgian on draft. Retention was superb and lacing was poor.

S - Had to search to find everything here... Lightly glazed wood, french vanilla and a bit of booze on the back. Putting my nose to it (without straining), I smell next to nothing. Perhaps a bit of burnt wood?

T - Complex is one way to put it. I feel the wood is the big stick in this relationship, making the presence of the vanilla and molasses minimal. Sweet malts make this fairly smooth until the alcohol drys it out.

M - Medium creamy body with next to no carbonation. Feel is empty and very dry from the alcohol. Almost like leaving my mouth full of chalk. Warmth from the booze.

O - Far from what I was expecting. Way off balance to my taste. After taking each sip I was taken aback from its shear magnitude. I'll pass in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 05:22:33 | More by mscudder

notchucknorris

California

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2006 Vintage

A: Pours a murky chestnut color. Like pond scum murky. A little bit of a turn off, but still leaves me curious.

S: Lots of dark fruit, golden raisin, brandy soaked bread, vanilla, and some maple. The maple comes out a lot more when the beer warms. Really nice.

T: Huge rich flavor right off the bat. A mesh of dark fruit and raisin skin right off the bat, followed by hints of peat and oak with some maple and a creeping butterscotch flavor on the finish. A growing warmness throughout that reminds me of scotch. Must be the peated malt. Tastes a tad boozy, even after 6 years. Crazy sauce.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 00:12:00 | More by notchucknorris

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The color is amber to brown - a nice deep shade and in the glass gives the appearance of multiple colors. Head is present but drops off significantly to around the rim after pour. Beautiful smell - with vanilla and maple syrup front and center. Subtle oak flavoring on the tongue, slight alcohol taste (but expected at this strength), sweet on the front side and warm on the back side. Nice beer for fall and winter.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 00:41:01 | More by Oakenator

Auracom

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle purchased more than a year ago from MSCM. I was told to sit on this for a while and figured now was a fine time. 12 oz. poured into a snifter on September 6th, 2012.

A - Pours a thinner, clear ruby-brown. Twinge of an offwhite head. Light bubbling, very minimal lacing. Fair alcohol legs.

S - Meaty, honey glazed holiday ham. Maple-soaked peaches and lesser brown sugar. Lightly woody and oak barrel.

T - Initially I get marginal malt breadiness. From mid to rear palate though, there's a pop of maple syrup, oak, and bitter pitted fruit. I don't detect any meatyness here. Maybe a hint of that strange band-aid quality some people have noted in the past. Shockingly enough, this is the first DFH brew I've had that significantly hides the alcohol.

M - Medium body, very appropriate carbonation, fairly smooth, semi dry in the finish.

D - There's a subtlety in the drink that deviates greatly from DFH's standard affair. I'm glad I let this sit as long as I did, as the nose likely would be completely out of control fresh. The malts have developed somewhat. Would probably revisit but wouldn't have high hopes.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 15:47:47 | More by Auracom

Kevlee722

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice ruby, amber poured in to a pint glass, small 1/2 finger of head with minimal retention and no lacing. Smell is smoky, sweet caramel. Taste is much of the same smoke, malt, caramel with a sticky sweet finish. Warming from the booze, but only faintly noticed on the palate. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with nice tight bubbled carbonation. Probably the highlight of this beer. Not my favorite in the DFH lineup but still a solid brew and at about 3/4 of the way through the stealthy 11% is catching up. Very well hidden alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 07:16:02 | More by Kevlee722

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.18/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from 6/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a deep red amber with minimal head and no lacing. Big, delicious fruit aroma out of the bottle on opening. Very odd flavor at first. Starts with dark fruit, vanilla, odd ester flavors, confusing at first but interesting. Wood, light smoke, peat and fruit take over with a woody, boozy, estery finish. Not very balanced and unusually flavored, but I kept wanting another taste. Medium to heavy body with some creaminess.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 17:41:59 | More by LiquidAmber

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Served a cloudy copper-orange color with a finger of frothy slightly off-white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some good lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of smokey peat with some rich caramel malts, oak, vanilla, and some booze.

T - Starts off with some peat and smoke with some rich caramel malt and some oak and vanilla. Through the middle, more peat and smoke comes through with a bit of booze and some maple syrup. The finish is a mix of light smoke, rich caramel malts, brown sugar, and some booze.

M - Medium full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a smokey and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really nice strong smoke and peat flavors with enough other falvors and body to balance things out.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 02:40:14 | More by ngeunit1

Gobzilla

California

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

A: poured a dark brown in color with brownish highlights and a very thin head that barely left any lacing sticking to the glass.

S: the aroma was very heat with a touch of heat consisting of roasty malts, chocolate, mild vanilla, a little fruit , and definitely some booze.

T: the oaky barrel booze characte was more prominent on the palate alongside, chocolate roasty malts, mild maple, slight caramel flavor and vanilla accents.

M: the brew was medium in body with low amount of carbonation which had a sweet, oaky, woody, mild boozy and slick finish.

O: it was a pretty damn good brew and was glad to have tried it at least once.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2012 00:38:46 | More by Gobzilla

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4pack for $14.99 somewhere, I think Ben's in Reno. Pours a reddish brown ale type of cloudiness and clunkiness, but a decent head and retention given the high abv. Aroma, toffee, vanilla, wood, alcohol.

Taste, wow, pretty enjoyable, toffee smooths things, a bit of nuttiness. Vanilla relatively prominent, but not so heavy that it takes ownership of the beer nor accompanied by the heavy sweetness of heavier vanilla doses. Maybe some caramel in there. Look for it, you can come up with some peat/smoke aspect of the beer. Really at this point, the beer's complexity is impressing me, as usually dfh will have complexity with no purpose, but this one seems to fully nail it down.

I have no idea what, but there is a small aspect of the beer that gives it the smallest tart or fruit aspect of it, lightening the overall feel of a big beer.

Anyways, one of the best dfh beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 20:41:24 | More by Beerandraiderfan

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Immort Ale opens with a nose heavy on both sugars and grains. The latter is perhaps the more immediately noticeable, bringing to mind wheat fields after a rainstorm, dark brown spent grain baking breads, toast crust, and floury baguette. But sugars provide their own incredibly potent aromas, including scads of molasses and brown sugar mixed with dark fruit esters such as fig, date, plum, and raisin. Heavy dollops of pure vanilla extract and caramel add to the complexity, and the combination of these varying sugars, mixed with the high 11% ABV, lends the brew a cognac overtone. Touches of ash and earthy soil give the beer a deep resonance, and prevent it from being a sugar bomb. Smatterings of pine speak to a good hop counter. As a whole, the nose is wonderful, being nicely balanced between a myriad of aromas, and while sugars and malty breads are obviously front and center, they blend well together and are set off nicely by darker ashy notes.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a surprisingly peaty flavor full of ash, earth, tobacco, and coffee grounds, but these are quickly met by an onslaught of fig, raisin, plum, and date sugars, as well as gloopy molasses and vanilla bean. The beer also has a heavy oak overtone, and when mixed with maple, sugar, and peat, this lends a strong cognac and bourbon touch. Some orange and apricot notes bring the beer up a notch in bright sweetness, and hops add a good dose of pine resin and grapefruit rind. The peat and earth notes become stronger late in the mouthful as the sugars die off, and the aftertaste is almost exclusively peat, carbon, and remnants of dark sugars, with a heavy alcoholic vapor permeating. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is excellent beer, and in true Dogfish Head style brings levels of complexity, flavor, innovation, and nuance rarely matched in craft beers. The heavy alcoholic aftertaste can be a bit much at times, and the peaty, earthy flavors tend to overly dominate the latter half of the mouthful, but even then this is superbly crafted beer, and well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 16:56:18 | More by jondeelee