Another Review: Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Today, I'll be reviewing Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron. This is truly an exceptional brew from Sam and the folks over at DFH. Picked up a bottle for a little over $2 at Publick House Provisions last night. Poured about medium aggression into a DFH Snifter. My first impression... really? Brown ale? Looks like Founders Breakfast when poured.

It pours a dark ruby fading soon to black with about a half an inch to an inch of chocolate head.

Smell is very earthy, maybe a little banana bread, some dark fruits (might be my nose misinterpreting the fruit,) and smells quite boozy. Actually, it smells a bit like the last Raison D'Extra I had. So now I'm thinking less Stout and more barleywine... what's this beer up to?

Taste is amazing! This really is a unique beer. Brown Ale? Well, I don't know what the beer judges would certify this as, but I definitely think it tastes like a Palo Santo aged Barleywine or Old Ale... The boozy character drops almost completely off and there's the dark fruit, some coffee, some chocolate, some deeply masked resin-y and spicy wood. From the first taste I was ranting about how interesting the wood was that was used. Upon further drinking, it warms into some vanilla, more coffee, more fruit. The Palo Santo bite sits on your tongue after drinking, which is a very interesting. The taste conceals the 12% extremely well. Near the end of the glass, it's very chocolate-y with perhaps a hint of tobacco. It's truly a joy to serve this one at around 45˚ and witness the taste unfold.

Mouthfeel is nice, thick, and creamy. The pinnacle of the mouthfeel experience is perhaps around 55˚-65˚, where it's smooth and velvety, like chocolate milk! Very full-bodied. I've heard some call this medium-bodied... man, what beer are they drinking?

How did I only buy one bottle of this stuff? Well done DFH! This is definitely going to be added to my beer rotation! They just starting releasing this stuff all the time? Might have to buy a bunch of 4 packs and cellar them! I bet this opens brilliantly after a year. All in all, you shouldn't miss this beer for it's originality, and, if you're a barleywine/old ale fan, you especially shouldn't miss it. However, just as a warning, I think this beer might be a tad murderous on the palate. The Palo Santo resin definitely coats your tongue early on and continues through the whole experience. Mere and I shared a snifter over the course of about 2 and a half hours (we wanted to enjoy it as much as possible,) and we definitely saw the taste slowly evolve directly resulting from the Palo Santo influence.

My rating: 9/10

Poured: Snifter - Medium

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