World Wide Stout
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

4.58/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

World Wide Stout, and all of its variants, are world class beers. This stout is dank, murky, and filled with complex flavors. The beer is very fruity in the sense of dark fruit overtones. Very strong at 18%, you will feel extremely buzzed after a 12 oz bottle.

The bitter, dark barley roast brings it all together. The barrel aged version holds a slight upper hand, but this beer is elite and should be sought after.

@firesidewithphil

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4.32/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled 11/1/16, had 2/3/19.

Pours dark and opaque, a little garnet on the edges, with a half inch quickly dissipating foamy head and a little spotty cling. Aromas of roasted malt, chocolate, cocoa, figs, molasses, caramel, raisins, some smoke, a light hop aroma. Flavors of roasted malt, chocolate, raisins, molasses, smoke, caramel, less figs than the aroma, a pleasant hop bitterness throughout. Very light alcohol bleeds through. Really smooth for the ABV, a great full body, well carbonated.

An incredibly well executed beer. Has terrific, expressive aromas and great flavors. Drinks like it’s 9%, not 18%. Definitely one beer you should experience.

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3.91/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look: pitch black thin mocha head

Smell: coffee and chocolate, not that strong of a smell

Taste: deep chocolate and coffee, boozey aftertaste hides its abv way too well

Feel: smooth and syrupy

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3.98/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle dated 4/23/19 into pint glass. Pours a dark brown with essentially no head. Initial impression is molasses, licorice, vanilla, and somewhat bitter herbal hops, overlaid with a very healthy dose of booze. Mouthfeel is slick and oily; carbonation is sufficient to lend a little prickle but really doesn't enhance the taste much. Finish is boozy and aa little bitter, with lots of molasses.
All things considered, I don't think this is worth the toll it's gonna take on me tomorrow morning. I can find better AIS's at lower ABV.

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4.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Billowy, off-white tan head crowns an utterly opaque amber body, and retains very well. Scattered, patchy lacing adorns the glass walls.

Aroma: For an ale with an ABV of 16.25%, the alcohol must be a prominent component of the aroma; it presents spicy , vinous, and sweet, lacking any harshness. Nonetheless, there is also molasses, brown sugar, dark fruit, licorice, vanilla, and a little roast coffee.

Taste: As in the aroma, the spicy, sweet, and vinous alcohol is front-and-center. There is also brown sugar, molasses, licorice, and dark fruit. There is also quite a bit of wood and vanilla. Finishes, as expected, with prominent alcohol, molasses, and bitter herbal hops, though these are balanced quite gracefully.

Mouthfeel: Thich and syrupy, with only a bare hint of carbonation.

Drinkabilit/notes: To say that World Wide Stout is over-the-top is an understatement. But, you already knew that. Extremity can lead to greatness, and surely, this is such an instance. World Wide Stout is certainly shareable, my wife and I split a bottle and found that a half-bottle each was quite satisfying.

Presentation: Packaged in a custom twelve-ounce brown glass longneck bottle, with a pry-off crown, served in a New Belgium balloon glass.

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4.16/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours pitch black with a small off white head. Smells of dark roasted grain with nice fruit profile. Tastes of fruity dark roasted grain, slight coffee. Beer is full bodied and a sipper, yet has good carbonation and is dangerously easy drinking. Overall, a very good beer.

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4.18/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a red wine glass from a new bottle from JCanals (not aged).
Minimal foam, no lacing. carbonation freckles the surface of the beer.
smells of raisins and booze, like a mix of stout and barley wine.
Very sweet and light on the tongue, definitely a dessert beer. Sweetness is almost cloying, but not quite unpleasant. a definite thickness to the mouthfeel, but not quite chewy. I don't think I would know how strong this is from the taste, but I'd definitely think it was above 10%, but its not obvious how much over 10 it is.
I'm glad I've tried it, and it might be really interesting to age another bottle, but the experience isn't particularly motivating to go out and get another given the price of the beer.

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4.65/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottled 4/11/19. Poured at 56 degrees, black with ruby edges, and a fast fizzy tan head that dissipates quickly leaving a thin ring and even thinner island of micro dots on the surface; thin legs at best on swirl. Chocolate, black licorice, smoke/roast malt, fruity nose. Smokey roast nuts, char, burnt brown toast up front; licorice, chocolate, toffee, oak, vanilla, burnt brown sugar, molasses, roast coffee bitter finish. Medium plus full body; medium minus carbonation; face flushing warmth from 16% abv; smooth tongue coating. Overall a tour de force of flavors - multiple layers of roast, malt and barrel notes with fruity dark cherry and sugary raisins in the finish.

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4.06/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on 11/11/2016

Appearance - dark brown body with tan head

Smell - roasted malts, dark chocolate, raisin, fudge

Taste - Fudge, dark chocolate, roasted malts, raisin, black licorice

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, medium carbonation, fudgey and roasted malts upfront, alcohol burn on the way down, boozy on the back end

Overall - Decent experience, this is a great beer for a cold night, very warming on the way down/boozy, but at the price point, not sure if I have a need to re-visit this one. Worth a try

Price Point - $10.99/12 oz bottle

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4.49/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle. Stamped bottling date is smudged, but I think it is November of 2017.
Black colored body, with a red mahogany back lit edge. Not much head upon pouring but a nearly complete light brown cap sticks around. No lacing.
Aroma wafts from the glass, and is quite intense when the nose is close. Smells of dark roasted barley, dried dark cherry, prune, and raisin. Presents a whiff of leather and tobacco, with a little cacao mixed in. The booze is what drives all of this into the nostrils.
Taste is layered with dark, smoky, roasted malts, and the slight sweetness of dried dark fruit. Has alcohol expression similar to port. Kind of dry, with some chocolate at the end.
Mouthfeel is a little thin. There is certainly the numbing sensation from the high ABV%. Supportive carbonation. Leaves an oily sheen on the glass, that slides back down into the body.
The beer has a very long presentation, with different aspects expressing all throughout the main swallow and into the long after taste. There is a lot of breadth and depth to this sipping beer.

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4.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled Nov 2009

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer which is topped by a half finger of dense and rocky tan head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of alcohol, roasted malts, dark fruits, and a hint of chocolate.
T: Taste is roasted malts, a little oxidation, dark chocolate, coffee, some dark fruits. Oxidation is there, but it isn't excessive. Overall this one has held up well. On the swallow there's more roasted malts, chocolate, dark fruits, coffee, and slight charred wood. This beer has a very long finish.
M: This beer is on the heavier side of medium in body with a slightly syrupy feel on the palate. Carbonation is on the low end of effervescent while the beer has a drying finish due to the ABV.
O: Overall this beer is an experience. It has a lot of flavor and complexity. There's a lot going on and it all seems to be pretty well balanced. It's also held up really well as there are barely any signs of oxidation on the beer. Well worth a try and well worth aging.

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4.16/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle dated 2014 into the test glass.
A - Deep and dark, no light penetrates the shell, carbonation provides a thin ring clinging to the glass.
S - Dark fruit, molasses, raisin, fig reduction. on dark toast
T - Follows the nose well add, some anise and a hint of mole.
M - Sweet dark start, leads into cola reduction on the palate. finish is full and dark fruit based.
O - An amazing experience, rich and full of tactile elements. Nose is quite something as well

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3.84/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bottle into a tulip. Bottled on 8/9/19, so very young.

Pours nearly jet-black. Hints of reddish-brown. A two-fingered foamy cola dark-tan head quickly subsides, but leaves a nice creamy ring of lacing.

Regardless of whatever else I say about this beer below, let no man say I did not extol its olfactory virtues. It smells excellent on initial presentation; and as it warms, it just gets better and better, nearly approaching dark boozy brew nirvana. The brew has strong aromas including molasses, dark/dried fruit (raisin, date, prune, plum, dried cherry), brown bread, dark chocolate, brandy, tobacco, leather, anise, char, toasted grain, and definitely booze. As it warms, the herbal qualities of the brew open up more and more. This brew smells absolutely fantastic.

The flavor definitely follows the nose until it runs headlong into a boozy roadblock. Toasted malts aggressively forward on the tip of the tongue. The brew quickly rounds out with a panoply of flavors. Raisin, date, chocolate, anise, coffee, brandy, rum, port wine, ash/char, toasted grain. And then--the finish is a combination of booze and some unexpected citrusy/hoppy notes, which may just be the booze showing up in multiple ways. The ABV is difficult to describe. On the one hand, ye gods, this is one boozy devil. On the other, for 18%, it's remarkably restrained, I suppose. I imagine some aging would do this bad boy some good. It seems to round out as the brew warms, and yet, hmmm.

The brew feels far lighter than I expected. Just shy of outright full-bodied, it nevertheless is malty as hell. The carbonation, though, is remarkably present at the finish. The booze just keeps this from being a knock out of the park. It's almost numbing on the throat, like a lozenge.

This brew, at least in this young stage, is the beer equivalent of a "million dollar move with a ten-cent finish" in basketball parlance. It looks great. It smells spectacular. But the booze is just strong enough to be a distraction from what otherwise seem to be excellent complex flavors. I consciously tried to rate this with the admittedly-high ABV in mind. But I still determined that it simply didn't measure up to some other high-ABV brews I've rated. As a case in point, Raison D'Extra by this same brewer has a similar (although admittedly slightly lower) ABV, but hides its booze much better, and lets the complex flavors shine through. That said, I acknowledge that I tried this bad boy when it was less than two months in the bottle. Consequently, I bought an extra bottle to stash for a year or two to see if it rounds into shape. For now, however, it lies dangerously close to "boozy novelty" territory for me.

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4.9/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s World Wide Stout 16.25 % ABV 70 IBU. This stout pours a deep dark brown almost black with a one finger width dark khaki colored head that dissipates rather quickly due to the high alcohol content leaving tons of lacing on the glass. The aroma is of caramel licorice and dried dark fruits with hints of smokiness along with roasted malts the alcohol content is well hidden in the aroma. The flavor is very rich and sweet with caramel molasses licorice flavors coming through along with dates figs prunes and raisins adding depth it’s almost like drinking an alcoholic fruit cake with malts added there’s hints of bourbon or whiskey even though it’s not bourbon barrel aged before it finishes with a much needed hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness there’s also a nice alcohol warming as it goes down . The mouthfeel is very thick and sticky with a good amount of carbonation. 9.25/10

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4.45/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle, dated 04/23/19, poured into a short tulip glass boasts a midnight black body with a cola colored edge when backlit. A 1/8" cream colored cap of tiny bubbles quickly falls to a thin edge-hugging ring and leaves a clean glass behind.

Aroma is subtle but roasty, vinous, and boozy.

Flavors match and bring complexity. The roastiness is neither chocolate nor coffee, but rather, barley. The vinousocity ©, is neither grape nor wine, but rather, stone fruit.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy and quite full while clearing the palate cleanly.

Overall a great example of the style.

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4.73/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Dark as night and poured into a snifter without any head. I smell alcohol right up front with molasses, licorice, caramel and some dark fruit. WOW! the alcohol is strong but the taste is rich. I get the figs, prunes and date flavors. Molasses and maybe a hint of the licorice. I like that it lacks very much sweetness but is in no way bitter. I like the alcohol burn in the mouthfeel but it's otherwise creamy smooth and it's a sipper, really. Overall this is fabulous and I hope they keep it at the Total Wine. Bottled 4/11/2019. About $10 a bottle.

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4.83/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

This is a pretty good stout, up there with Boulevard's Imperial Stouts, Bell's Expedition Stout, and Copperhead Brewing's Cryptid. Only slightly lacking in aroma, the only issue I have with this beer is the price point, I understand its pretty special and not the normal but how are you gonna expand the imperial stout base if you don't show what it can really do.

I feel like a lot of the less than 5 reviews don't take in account the high ABV, this is a beer to do the job of alcohol while giving you a pleasant experience, it's pretty hard to do at a higher ABV as you get drunk pretty much on the first bottle (unless you nurse it all night). Your judgement gets impaired. This does the job amazingly well, only lacking in aroma and not too fond of the high price but hopefully it'll come down one day. This is a stout worth keeping around for awhile, if you can age it you're probably going to be better off later on in life.

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4.24/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle served in a snifter glass. Bottled on 04/11/19 2028. ABV on the bottle says 16%, not 18%.

Appearance: Pitch black letting no light through. Initial tan head died back to a thick ring. Some occasional strands and islands of lacing that slide back down the glass or dissipated, as expected with a high ABV stout.

Smell: Molasses, roasted malts, alcohol, dark fruits/raisins and a tiny hint of something metallic.

Taste: Lots going on here - dark fruit/raisins, roasted malt bitterness, some caramel/toffee, molasses, bitter coffee, definite alcohol note.

Mouthfeel: Nicely thick and creamy, good carbonation, quite warming from the alcohol, semi-dry finish with some stickiness on the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: A great full-flavored stout, not dominated by chocolate and coffee flavors, but with lots of other flavors that work with a beer this strong. A bit hot since it's a fresh bottling - I should pick up another bottle of this and let it sit a year to see how it changes. I should try this again in the winter - a great warming beer, but maybe a bit much for a summer evening. One is enough - I can already feel the higher alcohol tapping me on the shoulder and telling me to get ready.

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4.45/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours a thick oily black with a dense mocha head that falls away quickly. Nice legging when swirled. Aroma is boozy, dark roasted malts. Flavor is a touch of sweet chocolate and vanilla up front with all the rich roasted malt and coffee in the finish. Boozy. Feel is thick and oily. Overall a delicious sipper. Dangerous at 18%.

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4.23/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Has an above average body with a slight oily feel. Medium light carbonation which seemed a bit high for the style but still an overall nice feel
Aroma is malt,molasses, earthy,peat, black coffee, sweet bourbon, bitter espresso and dark fruit
Taste is similar to aroma, sweet bourbon candy, black coffee, earthy,peat, dark fruit,roasted malt and molasses

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4.41/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is dessert in a bottle, tasty, sweet, and despite the ABV 16.00% the alcohol is barely noticeable. This great but dangerous stuff.

Look: black with a finger thick mocca colored head

Aroma: roasted malts, molasses, chocolate

Taste: It's sweet, molasses, roasted malts, chocolate, some warming booziness but quite subdued considering the 16.00%.

Body/Overall: full bodied, oily

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4.29/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This is a ridiculously complex beer.
The alcohol hits you first but it's soon overtaken by cola, then raisin and dark fruit and molasses, and finally dark chocolate, coffee, and espresso. Vanilla and oak linger on the tail end. The burly roasted malt character is present throughout, reaching a crescendo in the final third of the encounter.
Truly enjoyed this beer. The praise is well-deserved.

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4.24/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a dark black color with a small tan head that lasts quite a while. Aroma of brown sugar, chocolate and coffee. Tastes of booze, vanilla, chocolate and roasted coffee. Rich and cream.

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4.43/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Whoa this one just blew me away - I was NOT expecting such an amazing imperial stout from a beer single I just happened to pick up at the local supermarket. Of course, I know the brewery produces outstanding beers. And this beer was one of those that encouraged aging ("ages well"). I drank this one a couple months after it was bottled. But man oh man was it a treat...pours a deep, dark, rich, opaque black color with loads of tan fluffy head and abundant smaller rings of lingering lacing that lasted for a long time. Smells amazing, deep rich mocha fudge, medium roast coffee, vanilla, caramel and some more faint roasted nuttiness. Taste follows the nose, and everything is so well-balanced, rich, deep, complex, flavorful. Smooth, chewy, rich, full mouthfeel and just the right amount of carbonation. The ABV wasn't printed anywhere on the label and when I later found out it was 18% that just blew me away. This beer's high ABV is about as dangerously well-hidden as it gets! It paired nicely with both savory dinner and sweeter dessert. I'll have to find more of this one and age them at least a year.

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4.29/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle dated 11/1/16 poured into a snifter
A: Pitch black, a thin tan head that quickly settles
S: Barley, molasses, chocolate
T: Tons of malts, chocolate, raisin, molasses
M: Full bodied, the alcohol is amazingly well hidden
O: A delicious well made stout that ages very well

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