Pangaea 1-23-2011

Ze Beer? Pangaea
Ze Style? Belgian Strong Ale
Ze Maker? Dogfish Head
Ze Content! 7.0%
Serving type: 750ml Bottle

So, I know it’s near the end of January, and this is my first blog of the month. There went my resolution right? I’ll make a comeback you just wait and see. My resolution was to kick this site, and my beer passion into the next gear… New Glassware, better styles, more limited release beers to review, etc... So this beer I let my girlfriend choose, as well as the glass I would buy for my “Belgian-style” possibly even my imperials etc, though I wanted something simple, less labels so the beer could be seen easier through the glass; the allure of “pink elephants” was too much for my girlfriend to handle. Alas, a Delirium Tremens glass it was. Moving on, Pangaea from Dogfish Head was the bottle she chose for me. I’ve had standard bottles of the 60/90 ipa’s, palo santo, punkin, midas touch and aprihop; but nothing really from the “limited” release bottles that are typically harder to get. This is a fall seasonal bottle that is brewed from ingredients from every continent on Earth. Not only is the concept unique, the bottle can age as well. Let’s see what it’s got.

This beer pours a very clean copperish amber color with a very fluffy head with nice retention. Smell tons of Belgian yeast throughout the beer, very noticeable. Some sweet malts and a decent but not overwhelming amount of spices; very smooth and mellow on the taste, I was expecting something heavier, but I like that it’s this mellow and soft. Light body, medium carbonation bottle indicates brewed with crystallized ginger; I can taste the ginger, however, not much ginger presence. Personally I don’t care for much ginger in anything, but the fact that it was just a trace amount, made this quite tasty. It’s a bit too similar to a Belgian or German ale, it takes away from the uniqueness of the beer. Very easy to drink, and not too expensive makes this beer very nice. Easy to drink very smooth just nothing too unique about this “unique” beer.


Would I PAY for this beer? For a reasonable price yes, but not too often. It just tastes too much like any other Belgian or german ale.

Overall Rating: B

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy

Saison du Buff (New) 7-17-2010

Ze Beer? Saison du Buff

Ze Style? Saison

Ze Maker? Collaboration: Stone, Victory, Dogfish Head

Ze Content! 6.8%

I first picked up this bottle from work on a Shipping mishap. Was excited to see this in, as well with any new beer we receive, and before it was placed on the shelf I bought one to take home. The funny story about this was, as I was purchasing the beer our inventory receiver received a phone call right in front of me as I was checking out. As I was talking to the cashier about how I was excited to be one of the first to try these beers, our receiver places his fingers over his lips and says “Oh well we’ve already sold one bottle”. It seems we received the shipment 1 week before street release, and the rest of the bottles had to be hidden from the public. I realize by the time I post this blog and the date it was released (months ago) will be off, but was just something nifty about how I obtained the beer. Now I think this is Stone’s 4th or 5th collaboration, and when I got it was very excited to try it out. I’ve only had one other saison, the Saison Rue from The Breury, so let’s see what we got.

A great golden pale straw color from this beer, a slight creamy texture swirling through the glass, with a very fluffy, bubbly, sticky head that takes its time to go down. Tons of herbal aromas; smells like a garden with lots of Thyme and Rosemary, paired with rosemary and sage, mixed with loads of spices, just as the bottle suggests. When drinking this beer it completely reminds me of going into the macaroni Grill and eating their herb baked bread whilst using that olive oil dipping sauce. This is definitely a different beer and is beyond anything I’ve ever had before. It’s like drinking a homemade pizza crust! Very crisp light and enjoyable, not sure if I can withstand many of these, it’s just so different, but that’s what makes this beer so great. The piney hops are noticeable but with all the other herbal flavors, its blended in very well. Some citrus peel to this beer as well… Definitely a beer worth trying.

Would I PAY for this beer? Heck yes, if you’re looking for something different to try, this beer is great for that, they sell in single 12 oz bottles and for good reason, one beer is good enough to last your day. Refreshing and crisp, something new for the palate to enjoy, who doesn’t like a nice homemade pizza!?

Overall Rating: A-

Cheers,
-Ze Beer Guy