Dogfish Head "Red & White" Imperial Wit

Dogfish Head is pretty consistently in my 3-4 range, and that is a damn good place to be. As my 2.5 rating is an average beer, so that means it is good enough to order when you're at a bar, anything above a 3 is a very good beer. This one looks like they printed the label on a 1990 Cannon Bubblejet printer. I have no idea why this label looks so much worse than the usual ones, but it is what it is.

The beer is a nice copper-amber color with a fluffy enough head that sadly leaves almost no lacing. The aroma is very faint, and it is mostly grains and grapes. More grains than anything, really, but there's not that much in the aroma in the first place, as you may recall me saying earlier in this paragraph.

First sip is yeast, as far as I can tell. It's a funky, groovy yeast that has lots of fruits dancing around it, but it's certainly the life of the party here. The alcohol is noticeable, but it's not burning like a moonshine or something. Instead, it asserts that this is an adult beverage, and only those with the proper constitution should be coming to this party in the first place.

Tip-in is very fruity with grapes, coriander, and oranges accompanied by a serious carbonation burn. The middle arrives with a kind of grainy, thick bread to go with the muted versions of the fruit from the tip-in, and the middle is smooth and syrupy with sweetness. Then, the finish adds the musty yeast and continues the sweetness on the trail-off.

Bottom Line: A very nice, refined beer that could, in all probability, replace either a red or white wine at the dinner table.

3.5/5