Dogfish Head Wood Aged Bitches Brew
Look, it happens to the best of us. Sometimes things just slip through the cracks. And that’s the case with this particular bottle of Dogfish Head’s Wood Aged Bitches Brew. The original imperial stout is a heavenly thing with great flavor and unique traits that made it really stand out from the crowd eight years ago. When I spied this bottle of the wood aged variant, I was excited to revisit an old favorite. Until I took that first sniff…
There’s a tell-tale, nose-tingling twang that some barel-aged beers put off that is a sign of something gone awry. It’s not overpowering by any means, but it’s a clear warning sign that, once the beer hits the tastebuds, it may not be what you are expecting. This bottle of Wood Aged Bitches Brew has that twang lingering at the edges with each sniff — there’s some honey and a roastiness, as well, but not much else.
And sure enough, the big stout does not present well at all once you start drinking. A prickly, sharp mouthfeel carries a tooth-gripping sourness that is most definitely not intended. Sure there are appropriate sour influences (even in some stouts), but this is not one of those instances. There’s not wood notes or much of the original imperial stout left to distinguish from that off-putting flavor. Drain, meet beer.