Palo Santo Marron Aged In Alltech's Town Branch Barrels
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

On tap at the brewery.

A - Dark brown pour with thick tan lacing.

S - Wet paper and almost oxidized on the nose, some vanilla. Pretty disappointing nose on this beer.

T - Roasted dry caramel, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, light molasses, bourbon, coconut, and ends with a lingering oak, bourbon, toasted caramel bitterness.

M - Full bodied, lip smacking sticky, semi-dry, and heat on the way down.

O - For an un-appealing nose, this beer redeemed itself with the taste. Love the regular Palo so had to try this one when we were at the brewery.

 

As a huge fan of Palo Santo Marron I was really excited about this in a barrel. It starts rather smoky with lots of chocolate. It turns sweet with whipped cream and lactose with some vanilla. I get some bourbon cream but the alcohol, coconut, oak or barrel characteristics seem absent. This is delicious but I was disappointed.

this is still fabulous beer, but there is something so special and unique and simple and elegant about the original, despite being such a big strong boldly flavored brew, it really just doesnt need the barrels. i like the influence of the palo santo wood in the original, and i think its lost here to this other woody whiskey profile that in addition to being very sweet, is also a little generic, it looses that special wood flavor. now, the whiskey flavors presented by these barrels are real nice, strong honey and vanilla notes compliment the really dark malt base, with more of the chocolate being brought out than i remember, and a little less of the roasted bitter barley profile is there. the body is still huge, and the booze is still warming to say the least, but i liked the dry for the style finish on the base beer, and of course its wood profile, both of which are about gone in this barrel aged edition. not all beers need barrels, i have been trumpeting that for years, and this is a prime example. it makes a much richer, slower sipper, still awesome, but if i had to pick between them, i am taking the original by leaps and bounds.

 

Everybody wants to be friends with bourbon distillers- if not for the tipple outright, then for the spent barrels to use in their own beers afterwards. With that blossoming relationship, the Dogfish Head brewers find true fancy with Alltech's growing distillery. A marriage perhaps made in a barrel.

Beautiful in its dark brown hue, Palo Santo Town Branch lumbers with a firm haze that decorates the beer's tawny edges. Intense bourbon strikes the nose immediately while the initial taste is robust and malty-sweet.

Its boastful middle palate is bold with walnut, charred oak, singed caramel, dark chocolate and with hints of molasses and toffee. A robust walnut flavor carries the taste across the vinous finish as elements of grilled grape and currant sing a sherry-wine tune.

Spicy bourbon slices through the full-bodied ale with ease and warms the senses as it balances the malt. Long and sweet in finish, the powder-fine tannins assist in dryness as a chocolaty aftertaste builds.

Aroma is chocolatey and roasty, with deep caramelization and a hint of vanilla. Bourbon and oak become prominent as it warms. Becomes a bit smoky, as well.

Flavor is very bourbony initially, with a hint of tar at the finish. Notes of chocolate and boozy dark fruit, almost sherry-like, add complexity, but dissipate fairly quickly in the toasted, dry finish. Bourbon overwhelms. Could use time to mellow and develop those oxidized notes. Would like just a touch more sweetness for balance.

Smoky notes surface in the aftertaste, as well.