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Summary:
Company: Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head
Type: Ale
Taste: Sweet, Luscious, Nutty, Cloves, Spicy, Smooth
Alcohol Content: 10.2%
Food Pairing: Steak, Pizza, Buffalo Wings, etc…
Rating: 6 out of 6
Website: Life & Limb
Man I was freakin bummed out when this was released in November because I sent my brother who lives up in Chico out to the Sierra Nevada brewery to pick me up a couple bottles but they were already sold out…yea, freakin sucks… so just when I was finally getting over not getting to try this guy I got an email from my beer pusher Bryan at K&L saying that they just got some in!… I was so excited I almost peed my pants a little….
As for the flavor of this beer, I was expecting that trademark Sierra Nevada flavor to shine through but this couldn’t be farther from the truth… This collaboration birthed something special and new. It doesn’t taste like a Sierra and it doesn’t taste like a Digfish Head. It actually tastes like a dark dark Belgian ale even though they say that it “defies style characteristics”… It is a little sweet and nutty in the nose and mouth but the sweetness dissipates pretty quickly to reveal the spicy luscious maple flavor. You get subtle hints of cloves and banana and smoky nuts as it goes down. It kind of reminds me of AleSmiths Grand Cru or a darker more luscious version of Cuvee Angelique Dubbel Speciale… it is super smooth and really luscious and you really can’t tell that this guy has 10.2% ABV … it doesn’t have that strong alcohol undertone that you would find in a 10.2% ABV beer…
What is really awesome about this beer is the malt comes from pure maple syrup drained from the Dogfish Head owner’s family maple tree farm in Massachusetts and from estate grown barley grown on the Sierra Nevada property up in Chico. It is bottle conditioned and primed not with the normal corn sugar but with Alaskan Birch Suryp to give it an extra complexity and flavor adding to its ability to age nicely. The yeast used is also a blending of both Sierra and Dogfish Heads house strains… pretty freakin sweet… as far as the hops, I have no clue… they don’t mention it on their site at all but they are really subtle so I bet it is something like SAAZ or Sterling… but Sterling may have too high of an alpha acidity, but I digress… if you find this in your local beer shop, buy at least 4 bottles… 2 to drink now and 2 to age a year or two…
