Black & Blue - Dogfish Head Brewery

PerzentRizen

Mississippi

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The first time I had this it was a breath of fresh air and now it tastes really sour (and not in a good way). I love flemish sour ales, but this is sour in a putride way. This could be an infected bottle (but I don't think so). I will say that this is a 2007, but I doubt a year will kill this beer (at 10% abv - that's the percentage on the bottle).

This was poured into a duvel glass and the head was reduced to a thin lacing. Maybe this beer is just one that does not need aging.

The aroma is light citrus fruit with deep malt and vinous fruit underneath. The aroma is delightful - by far the best part about this beer. I hope this beer will be better next year as I really like it the first time I had it.

The taste is like sour cream and lemon juice mixed with water. I love DFH products so I finished it for them. Please, don't let me down anymore!

The mouthfeel was watery for 10%. I think with a little less attenuation we would have a really decent beer here.

With this percentage this is definately not that drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2008 02:30:49 | More by PerzentRizen

atigerlife

Hawaii

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Didn't know what to expect from this one...and still don't!

Pours a pinkish/red with creamy slightly off-white head. Lots of tiny carbonation rising. Good lacing. Interesting.

Aroma is of raspberries and some light blueberry. Horse aroma.

Taste is light blueberry, hay. Farm-like quality.

Medium body, cleansing, dry.

Ovrall, this is a decent attempt at a fruit beer, but lags far behind its Belgian brethren. Sort of hard to figure which direction this beer is going. Needs a more cohesive flavor profile. More fruit, less alcohol [which sneaks up on you].

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2008 16:40:30 | More by atigerlife

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

My review before we went to A.C. for the fight. Pours a ruby clear color with a white fizzy heading that turned out very flat. An all around flat looking drink,no lacing,no heading that stuck around.

Smell is sweet with a slight sweetness. A little berry and that's about it.

Taste again a little toasty malts and a heavier sugary taste. More of a darker berry fruit is present and not much else.

Mouth is full bodied and very heavy feeling on the palate. Little carbonation almost flat like a wine. Surprisingly for 10% ABV this isn't all that heavy.

Drink is ok. I probably wouldn't get this again but it was worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2010 21:00:56 | More by TheFightfan1

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Ruby-copper colored and clear; decent head that gives a partial lace on the glass.

Interestingly, the initial smell I get is tomotoes. Lots of malt, very little hop,

Very dry initial taste that transforms into an unsuspected sweetness. A good body that gives an unexpected fullness. Rather bland, missing an interesting component of compexity.

I love the attempt, but I think it misses the mark.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2007 00:21:34 | More by smcolw

Osiris9588

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz bomber, capped, bottled 2/12/07. Pours a ruddy, pale amber. The white head is quite pillowy, but recedes quickly, leaving a ring of small-bubbled lacing.

The smell is very yeasty, along with stong, sweet grain and faint berry. The grain and malt dominates the flavor, along with nearly cloying honey and sugar. There really not as much berry as I'd expected--a pretty faint spice black and raspberry nearing the finish. The alcohol nearly overwhelms it.

The mouth is rather syrupy, though this shouldn't really be surprising. But it's not as well balanced as I would have liked, and the alcohol is overdone. Defintely not one of my favorites from DFH. If looking for sweeter brew, the Midas Touch or Chateau Jihau are superior.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2007 20:28:22 | More by Osiris9588

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.08/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Glowing jack-o-lantern orange suffused with a hint of sunset coral red. Given the addition of red raspberries and blueberries, I expected a slightly different hue. The attractive cap is the color of lightly toasted marshmallow and is responsible for an average amount of average looking lace.

Several deep sniffs deliver little more than a generic 'Belgian ale' yeastiness. Perhaps a bit of berry-like fruitiness, but I probably wouldn't have gotten there on my own. It looks like this fruit beer will be on the subtle side rather that being a big, bruising brawler of an ale.

DFH Black & Blue is average beer that needs a major infusion of flavor. However much berry puree was used could have been doubled. At least. The shortage of berry flavor wouldn't be so much of an issue if the base beer (which is a Belgian golden ale) was more accomplished. Unfortunately, it comes across as a ham-handed attempt at the real thing. It takes a great deal more than a Trappist yeast strain to be successful brewing Belgian-style beer.

No matter what the brewery claims, the mouthfeel is nowhere near Belgianesque. It's too thick and too gently carbonated. Since I like that combination in most styles, the score is above average.

Black & Blue is yet another Dogfish Head offering that promises much more than it delivers. Audaciousness is an admirable trait, but at some point a brewery has to come through with killer beer. Bottom line: a good idea wasted.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2008 22:39:59 | More by BuckeyeNation

bbothen

California

3.08/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours hazy reddish/rust color with a bubbly 1 finger deep red tinted head.

Faint fruitiness, yeast, sweet matliness. All faint aromas.

Tart berries, more black berry than blue, sugary, tastes like a blackberry sparkling....something. Inertesing for sure.

Slick, refeshing, zippy(did I really write that), moderately carbonated, medium bodied. 11% is very well hidden.

Well, the fact they serving size is 750 ml bottle means it's meant to be shared & talked about. I attempted to tackle it by myself. Couldn't do it. Put one of those air lock stoppers in it & will attempt the rest tomorrow.

Really glad I tried this. Not my favorite, but appreciated the interesting quality & out of the box craftmanship by Dogfish Head. Keep up the good work.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2008 00:07:44 | More by bbothen

harrymel

Washington

3.08/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Vintage 2007: bottled 2/13/07

A: Pours a honey golden with red hue. Less than one finger loose foam slowly dissipates, eventually leaving broken surface of the same. Little visible bubbles.

S: Blackberries and blueberries well here. Below this is a malt backbone. Nothing special. Slightly tart.

T: Very sweet. I was hoping that over the years, the beer would maybe enjoy a little souring, but it seems no infection here. Maybe even not a live bottle.

M: Medium body with light and spritely carbonation. Like a thinned down syrup. Sticks in the mouth a bit. Not too much though.

D: This ale is drinkable, but would prefer more tartness from the berries if at all possible.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 18:01:33 | More by harrymel

emmasdad

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Received a bottle of this one as a gift from my wife for some holiday or other. Poured a reddish-orange color with a slightly off-white head. Somewhat tart on the nose, with aromas of dark berries, alcohol and candi sugar. Medium bodied and tart, with flavors of dark berries, candi sugar and booze.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 05:56:15 | More by emmasdad

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.1/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750ml bottle with no date on the bottle. Poured into a tulip glass, this beer was a reddish hue with a small head. It had a sweet aroma. I couldn't detect any particular fruit. Taste was the same: sweet, but not much else. I think after drinking the bottle that maybe I could taste some backberry, but I,m not sure. No hint of blueberry. Some malt gave it a decent mouthfeel. This beer was too sweet for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 19:25:49 | More by lordofthewiens

Stoneman78

California

3.1/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml bomber from the DFH brewery in Milton, DE

a- pours a somewhat cloudy rose/amber hue, two fingers of off-white creamy head and fair lacing throughout

s- nose is surprisingly dominated by caramel malt with very subtle tones of the fruits after which it is named (raspberry and blueberry), light alcohol presence is in contrast with 11% abv

t- initial taste is of sweet malts followed by a brief fruit presence, aftertaste is subtle and of very short duration, somewhat reminiscent of a belgian style but only in passing

m- light-bodied and watery mouthfeel, lively carbonation that is a little overwhelming.

d- rather underwhelming offering, particularly for a fruit beer. I dont think i could even tell this was a 'fruit beer' in a blind taste test. This was good for a group beer tasting, but I probably won't go in for round two anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2007 01:22:06 | More by Stoneman78

rowew

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 750 capped, label has a portrait of someone in a blue suit. 10 % abv, there was a date on the neck, but it has smeared and isn't readable.

Appearance: Pours clear and red, just a bit of purple highlights to it. Thin head, but good retention of that thin head.

Smell: Fairly subdued aroma, just a bit of belgian yeast notes, and some fruity tartness.

Taste: Hmm .. again, fairly subdued. There are some yeast notes in there, but not many .. and there is some tartness from the fruit, but it is subtle too.

Overall impression: This one is fairly average - and I seem to remember the price being well above average. It is fairly drinkable considering the high abv.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2008 18:10:30 | More by rowew

hoppymeal

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light amber in color, clear, with a bright soapy white head that slowly recedes. Aroma is strong of berries, no surprise, and also shows some lemon and perfumy soapiness. Taste shows both raspberry and blueberry, mingling with a good sized malty sweetness, some crisp carbonation, esp when cold, and a dry and perfumy finish. Medium in body, nice dry finish. The alcohol is barely evident for its size, however all of th flavors seem to be fighting each other rather than blending well together. I like my fruit beers to either be slightly lighter in body, I found the bigger maltiness didn;t blend well with the berries, or to be more singularly focused on the fruit flavor, here things seem to be competing. Glad that dfh is pumping out new and different product, this one while interesting, isn't up my alley.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2007 02:29:48 | More by hoppymeal

SteveO1231

Connecticut

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

picked up a 750ml bottle from yankee spirits in sturbridge.

pours a light ruby color with golden highlights. thick foamy off-white/pinkish head that settles pretty quick.

this brew has an incredible fruity/floral aroma. i get more of a blackberry and sour cherry smell, i'm not picking up any blueberries. faint smell of flower petals, some yeast, and smell of alcohol almost numbs the nostrils. reminds me of a raspberry lambic.

full bodied, with a syrupy texture that leaves a slick feeling between the tongue and roof the mouth. mild carbonation yet a slight sting in the back end probably from the booze.

the taste is initially very sweet, tastes a lot like the boxed wine the mother used to drink, very fruity, wine/ wine cooler like. light and crisp with a bitter taste grape skin in the finish. the blackberries are more pronounced in the after taste.

i don't hate it but i don't love it. really, drinking this beer felt more like i was drinking a cheap wine. it was nice to taste some thing different but i don't see myself drinking this one regularly.

cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2008 03:12:15 | More by SteveO1231

jwhawkins81

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Aroma - Sweet with a very wine like aroma. Fruity with a touch of citrus.

Appearance - Cloudy light brown color. Light tan head that continues to stick around after the pour.

Taste - The most wine like beer I've ever tasted. Very much like the Chateau Jihau without the lightness. Black & Blue did have a dry finish. The finish however did have a strange bitter aftertaste that isn't complimentary to the beer.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with plenty of carbonation.

Drinkability - Not something I would try again. Not my kind of beer. At 10% ABV though this beer is a kick to the head.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 13:54:41 | More by jwhawkins81

goldbot

District of Columbia

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750 mL bottle, stamped as being bottled on 02/12/07. That makes this beer almost 3 years old. I found it at a beer store in Manhattan, and did not notice the bottled date when I bought. Considering it is a fruit beer, I would not have bought it if I had known. Still, I figure it will be an interesting beer to taste anyway.

Poured into a large wine glass.

It poured a golden amber color, very hazy with lots of yeast particles suspended in the beer. Minimal off-white head, a slight amount of lacing.

Smells almost completely of bread with some yeast aromas. There is a hint of raisin-like smell. It is almost sour-smelling, not very great. The smell does not make me very anxious for the taste of this one. No hint whatsoever of any blueberry or blackberry this was brewed with.

Tastes like lots more bread, although in a much better way than I expected. Some roasted malt flavors, with a good amount of sweetness on the back end. Again, there is a slight hint of fruit, but it is definitely not identifiable as blueberry or blackberry.

The mouthfeel is thick, almost creamy. The off smells and lack of fruit or balance on the palate makes it not too drinkable.

This beer definitely should not have sat for this long. It is not terrible for sure, it is just very muted as far as smell and taste go. I am actually surprised that it is as good as it is for a 3 year old fruit beer. I will be on the lookout for a fresh bottle sometime, and will give this one a new review when I do.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 02:59:23 | More by goldbot

cpanossian

New York

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Strong berry / peach aroma.

Not much carbonation. Off-white head that dies quickly. No lacing in my mug.
Orangey-red ale color.
The labels states ingredients include black rasberry and blueberry puree but the taste is more like a near flat peach lambic with a strong alcohol. Not quite sure what kind of meal I would pair this with - maybe some nice old world cheeses. Share the 25oz bottle with friends - one glass is enough per person.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 00:53:37 | More by cpanossian

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to angrybabboon for sharing the bottle.

Appearance: Hazed copper-gold. Head is bubbly and bright-white. Carbonation is solid and adds a nice element to the beer.

Smell: Obliterated blueberries and blackberries. Slightly tart with a good punch of fruit juice sweetness. Hint of Belgian yeast adds a small funkiness. Very fruity and sweet.

Taste: Belgian yeast hits first. Fruit is nice and sweet and brings a fleshy real blueberry flavor. Hints of blackberry round out the fruit flavor. Spice from the yeast is a little distracting. Some malt sweetness as well. A little doughy.

Mouthfeel: Lighter side of medium with a solid carbonation. A little dry on the finish.

Overall: One of the better fruit experiments from Dogfish Head. The yeast messes with the profile of the fruit. Nice fleshy fruit. Decent.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 02:10:07 | More by Goblinmunkey7

Grundle20

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance:
The beer pours from light copper to medium amber in color. There's a minimal off white head to the beer the retreats quickly and leaves little lacing.

Smell:
For the most part I'm picking up sweet caramel malts but there are the faintest touches of blueberry skins, yes just the skins. A little lackluster honestly for a beer that's brewed with two rather potent fruits both in taste and smell.

Taste and Mouthfeel:
Again the fruit is taking more of a back seat than I expected, maybe that's what they were going for but it almost comes across as pointless. To start off there's more of the malt sweetness with a very tiny raspberry undertone. From front to back there's even smoothness and this flavor slowly just fades out to the end presenting very little interesting flavor notes. The finish hints at blueberries but it's again so faint. Sweetness sits in on the aftertaste with that odd blueberry skin touch.

Drinkability:
I'm really not feeling this beer and a 10% ABV isn't helping the drinkability either.

Bottom Line:
Not very fruity and kind of boring all gimmicks aside, probably my least favorite DFH beer I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2007 18:40:41 | More by Grundle20

magictrokini

California

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear reddish-purple-brown pour with a short, sticky head. Alcoholic fruity aroma. The blueberries and blackberries hit you immediately, but are soon followed by a malt-liquor like flavor mixed with fake sugary fruits. The alcohol is not masked at all. Somewhat disappointing. I thought the guy on the bottle looked like Jimmy Stewart with a black eye.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2008 23:36:20 | More by magictrokini

SLeffler27

New York

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A thin head drops to a ring of lace over a hazy, maroon beer that leaves a film on the oversized wine glass. One definitely sees evidence of the addition of grapes.

Presents primarily with tart vinegar, followed by some peat, with grapes and cherry in the background.

Vinegar overwhelms the other flavors, but one can find evidence of grapes with the alcohol being second most prominent.

A slick texture coats the palate with fizzy carbonation and a cross between metal and moderate astringency.

My previous foray with this beer is remembered more fondly than this tasting. However, Black and Blue is worth a try, but the strong vinegar and high alcohol profile makes this one hard to finish.

date consumed: 5 Oct 2008

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 20:44:46 | More by SLeffler27

GratefulBeerGuy

New Hampshire

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This was supposed to be my 750th review, with it being a 750 ml. bottle and all....but alas it was not meant to be. I found another review I had forgot to write...oh well.

this is my 3rd anniversary BA brew.

A bright reddish-amber color, clean and vibrant as can be. An off-white head, 1" high has usual retention and very bubbly.

The nose is pretty simple: Raspberry framboise with a bit more malt charecter. Wild-yeastiness, white pepper and raspberries.

A tart fruitiness hits first, to sum this one up is easy: Raspberry framboise minus the smooth finish! A light bodied, tart-fruity ale with only simple depth and not much complexity. The malt has a cloying, woody finish.

The bloke on the label looks mighty proud of himself, and so am i for getting to review # 750 on the exact day I started this journey 3 years ago exactly.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2009 05:50:34 | More by GratefulBeerGuy

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep amber color with a reddish hue and a fluffy off white head that sticks around for a while. Smells of sweet berries, candy sugar, higher alcohols, lightly phenolic. The taste is not really what I expected from the nose. Lacking is much in the way of berry sweetness. I get a bit of tartness mixed with a malty sweetness before I feel the twinge of alcohol descend from my lips down my gullet splashing into my stomach. Tart sticky mouthfeel, medium to thick body, medium level of carbonation. I have mixed feelings about this one. I found the tartness and the flavor tasty, but the alcohol burn was a bit to much for me. Maybe an aged bottle of this would be better? I don't think I liked it well enough to put forth the effort to age though.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 00:34:37 | More by johnnnniee

russwbeck

Virginia

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Surprisingly looks like the Red & White version. I was expecting a different appearance. It is definitely a littler more dark, almost purple, but overall very similar.

S: Smells a lot like black raspberries. Very fruity aroma, but I'm missing the blueberries to be honest.

T: Very fruity, almost tart. However, the fruitiness does not appear immediately, only as an aftertaste.

MF: Heavy and carbonated, can taste the alcohol, making it more like a wine than a beer.

D: As was with the Red & White, the 10% ABV makes the drinkability low for me. Also, while I love black raspberries, the taste with the alcohol was a little overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 01:43:06 | More by russwbeck

CooperEllis

New York

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This is a 2009 bottle from....I'll get back to you when I have that sheet open.

Into pint glass.

Nice pour with a deep amber that is a touch cloudy in the center but brighter to the edges. Starts with a thick offwhite head that leavs half sticky lacing and a rim of tight bubbles at the end.

The initial burst of aroma is wonderful, very full of berries, a little bit of malt and a touch of booze. But it evaporated leaving only an overripe berry aroma that is fine, but flat.

The taste is similarly flat. There is a bit of malt, a touch of floral underneath but exceptionally strong 'juice' component. There's nothing exceptional here, if I drink the entire 750ml I imagine I'll have heartburn.

Very nice mouthfeel. It's well carbed, and that helps the juice flavor fizzle on the palate rather than staying as flat as it did in the nose. A little booze bite at the death is also welcome.

(138th)

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 01:09:25 | More by CooperEllis