Dogfish Head Birra Etrusca

Another Dogfish Head beer. Those guys are pretty good, and this beer... well, I have concerns going in. The label and name make me think of other beers that I've had that have tried too hard and then shifted toward the new hipster focus of sour beers. I'm not a fan of sour beers, but I like a nice bitter beer instead. I don't want to judge this beer to harshly right from the label. Dogfish Head knows what they're doing, and I have to give them their due.

The minimalist head flees from sight very quickly, and the remnants can simply float in their lonely world and tell the tale of a head that was too small and died before its time. The beer that is laid bare is copper and smells of sweet honey and pomegranate. There's more to it than that - some roots and twigs. It's very earthy.

First sip is WAY too much. There are fairies and leprechauns dancing around with nuts and berries and raisins and twigs and honey and all kinds of other crap. This says "bronze" on the label, but I can't imagine it got a bronze metal or anything based on a sip. Too much is happening, and most of it isn't good. A swig, however, may fix things.

Tip-in is honey sweet and oddly floral. The middle is calm - quite unexpectedly so. It is flour, twigs, and pomegranate with nothing out of place. It's simple... to this point. Then the finish disrupts the world of bliss with waves of bitterness and sourness. Undercurrents of honey and more pomegranate stir up sediment of dirt and rocks underneath. The finish here is just too rough. This isn't the beer that I'm looking for.

Bottom Line: Crafted with love, and missing the mark pretty wildly.

1.25/5