Name: Red and White

Brewer: Dogfish Head

Style: Beats the hell out of me

Vintage: 2008

Cellared On: March 13th, 2008

Original Tasting: March 15th, 2008

One of my big regrets last summer is that I didn’t get a chance to cellar any of the original vintage of Dogfish Head’s Red and White. It sold out pretty fast here in Upstate NY. I swore I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again this year. So when I just happened to see it being freshly stocked as I walked in the ol’ beverage store last Thursday, I mad sure I bought enough to last.

My buds Darren and Mike joined me for my first tasting of this brew, and I’m really glad they did. This beer has so much going on in it that I’m glad I had a bit of help!

Red and White pours a very murky light brown. I was struck by the big fruity smells that had a kind of a zesty zing to it - I’m not sure if that was from the yeast or the cardamom spice this beer was brewed with. Mike, an experienced brewer, thought it smelled a lot like a homebrew. Darren immediately picked up on the wine smells, without even knowing beforehand that this beer was fermented on Pinot Noir juice. I was so proud of the big Irish lug!

When you sip this brew, the big fruity esters will hit you right away. Flavors of orange are dominant (not surprising, since this beer was also brewed with orange peels), but I could also taste hints of peach and cherry. A spicy zing comes right in along with the fruity blast, providing a very interesting complimentary taste. There’s a nice and thick mouthfeel, I would say it’s a tad bit syrupy. As the flavor progress on, this brew takes on more and more of a vinous quality, an aspect that is only enhanced by the oak that pops up at the end. The finish is long and sweet with fruit and oak lingering.

With the wild combination of flavors, Red and White is probably not a brew for everyone. However, It’s definitely one for me.

Six Month Tasting: September 1st, 2008

Orange flavors seem to be even more in the forefront then before, although peach and cherry flavors were still strong. It’s not quite as spicy as it was six months ago, and the body seems much creamier then I remember it. Other touches such as the slight veinous notes along with the oak finish remain much the same.

Cellar Outlook: It’s really hard to predict how this one will behave in the cellar. I think the fruit and spice will start to fade out, which may allow the wine and oak flavors to start to play a larger role in the flavor profile of this brew.

Six Month Outlook: I really like where this brew is heading. The fruity flavors are still going strong, and I would expect the body to get even creamier then it was this time around.

Next Tasting: March 2009

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com