Burton Baton by Dogfish Head
I took my wife on a 10 mile rail-trail ride on the old mountain bikes to the Columbia Trail in High Bridge, New Jersey. The Columbia trail stretches for about 16 miles and uses the an old rail line that was running freight trains from 1876 until 1976. The South Branch of the Raritan River parallels the trail for most of its length. It was a beautiful ride winding our way up to Califon, New Jersey and the old train station there. There is really something quite nice about the forest in the autumn in the North East…even in good old New Jersey…no it is not all smokestacks and strip malls…contrary to popular opinion. The leaves crunching under our tires, the smell of the woods in general…beautiful. We both worked up quite an appetite, so pizza it was. Brick oven, Pizza & Pasta in Manville, Chef’s Special (love the garlic)…doesn’t get any better. And my beer on tap for this evening?
How about another brew from Dogfish Head from Delaware. Beer #328 is Burton Baton which happens to be an American Double IPA or an Imperial IPA. Heavy on the ABV, 10%, that seems par for the course with Dogfish. Interesting to note is that this is a blend of an American IPA and an English-style Old Ale.
Appearance – A clear amber with a one finger-width off-white head that left some really nice lacing.
Nose – Caramel malts and citrus…grapefruit mostly. It had a sweet aroma to it. A bit bready…like crust on Wonder bread of all things. I ate that stuff like it was going out of style when I was a kid.
Taste – Starts with a bitter bite then mellows into sweet caramel malts. Pine and grapefruit then take over. The oak this is aged with shows through with a nice vanilla flavor that is pretty recognizable. The alcohol is hidden really well and doesn’t really start to show itself until the beer warms up.
Mouthfeel – Medium body starting to tip the scales towards heavy. Not overly carbonated. It was a bit harsh feeling.
Overall – This is another really good beer from Dogfish Head and a nice representation of an American DIPA. I know, I seem to say that quite often…but they do brew some really, really good beers. I enjoyed this once quite a bit at a slower pace of course because of the ABV. A really nice beer to end a really nice day. Till we meet, or I blog again…
Rating: B+
