American Beauty
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

From the recently release 12 oz bottle.

The clear copper/amber colored beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 1” ivory head that recedes slowly to a cap of foam and then a thin irregular island with a small ring around the glass while leaving a web of patches and legs of lacing on the sides of the glass. Sipping creates a couple of slender arches as well as some small, scattered patches and legs of lacing.

The aromas are full of grainy toasty malt and some fruits (e.g., orange, mango). There’s also a bit of pine resin and some floral character.

The flavors are partly as expected from the nose but the bready character and some honey-like sweetness are more forward than expected. The fruity character in the flavors not only includes some fruits, there's also some citric zest character that seems like orange. In addition, there's also just a bit of pine resin along some light floral and earthy character. The grainy and honey-like sweetness is in a nice balance with the bitterness in a combination that allows both to show nicely.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly prickly with the moderate carbonation. The medium length finish begins as the fruit flavors begin to fade away leaving the semi-dry middle part of the finish to linger for a while as first the grainy sweetness disappears and the dry zesty resinous bitterness turns dry and then fades from the scene.

Overall I find this beer both enjoyable and drinkable. While it’s a bit different from the norm for it’s style it still seems to fit within parameters for a pale ale and it has some really interesting complexity resulting from the hop flavors and the grainy character. A nicely clean and crisp beer that I think I’ll probably be getting some more of while it’s available in the 12 oz bottles.

RB transfer

Amber color. Medium-sized, white head. Malt, bread, some fruits, and hops in aroma. Sweet malty starts with a strong hoppy kick afterward to cover sweetness.

 

 

 

 

 

A nice medium amber draft with a nice head. Fruity and hoppy aroma with a hint of maple. Very smooth, rich, malty flavor with a hint of roasted hops. Nice finish that is smooth. Very different that your typical pale ale.

 

Dogfish Head and the Grateful Dead present American Beauty Pale Ale. 6.5 % ABV. 50 IBU. Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE.

Dogfish Head is at it again with the music-themed beers, and this time it's a band that I've never really been into, not even a little. I remember one night at the Harriet Brewing taproom (RIP), a Dead cover band was playing, and some groovers asked me "do you like the Dead?" as I stood in an utterly un-grooving manner. Not really, I told them, and they looked at me as if a giant eggplant has suddenly bloomed on the top of my head. Yeah, well, how many Horace Silver albums do you have, you filthy hippies?


On with the beer:

Clear, bright amber hue, sizable ivory head, looking good.

In the nose: Clean, lightly hoppy. perfectly okay.

In the mouth: Fruity, earthy, gritty hop presence on the palate. Smooth stuff, quenchable, refreshing. Medium body, long hoppy finish. Ends on a dry note, with flavor everlasting. It's a good pale ale, and you can drink it. There ain't nothing wrong with that.

I forgot that they added granola to the beer (of course), but it doesn't really stand out, but, rather, blends in with the malt very well. Adds a particular grainy, roast/toasty character, and the honey smooths it out.

But, speaking of the Grateful Dead, I once had a co-worker who teased me for playing so much jazz at work. I told her that I'm tired of everyone picking on jazz, because jazz never hurt anyone, and the only bad thing jazz ever did was inspire the Grateful Dead. Boy, she did not like that.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a light copper amber color. Smell is citrus and orange rind with hornet and malt. Taste follows the nose with a malty grainy finish. Medium carbonation hoppy and malty with good bitterness.