Snowblower Ale
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

 

 

Growler shared by Thorpe, thanks. Beer is hazy and light brown with a thin white head of small and tiny bubbles leaving a little lacing on the glass. Carbonation low.

Beer is a straight up homebrewed Belgian strong ale aroma, strong esters from the yeasts and mild sweetness.

The homebrew continues, this tastes like a homebrewed Belgian strong ale, with a moderate to light touch on the front end to an estery sweet midpalate filled with all the stereotypical flavors to a relatively dry finish from a low mash temperature. Beer has a medium body overall and I'd have more on draft, otherwise I'll just skip it.

Growler courtesy of mday. Served in a tulip.

Pours a moderate brownish color with a white head that sticks around for a bit with a decent amount of retention. The nose brings forward a moderate amount of sweetness and yeasty esters as well as a light spiciness throughout. The flavor is moderately sweet without too much going on. There's a bit of yeast and fruit, but nothing standing out too much on its own. The mouthfeel is decent enough with moderate carbonation and a good body. Drinkability is pretty decent but there's nothing really pulling me back for more.

On-tap 2/24/07 at British Beer Company, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light brown color, with a medium foamy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of caramelized malt, apple, spice, a touch of dark fruit and a little hops, but overall the smell is kind of faint.

T: The taste is very malty, with a little dark fruit, spice and a mild hops presence. After-taste is bready with a little bit of hops bitterness.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, clean finish.

D: Tasty, goes down easy, slightly filling, good kick, it’s a decent beer that I could stick with for a while, but I prefer something that is a bit more flavorful.

Served in a pint glass, poured from a growler.

A- Clear copper color with light head that goes real quickly.

S- Sweet candy smell that is faint. No real strong character from this belgian style ale.

T- Not all that impressed with this beer. Candy, sugary feel at the start, with a flat finish.

M- Light carbonation and watery consistancy with a light golden ale aftertaste.

D- Had this before awhile back at the brewpub, but this is the first real review. I liked it then(not a fan of the style), so I had to give it a shot. This time was not as nice. Very lite head and soda-like carbonation made me feel like I was having the SnowblowerLight version. I think it may have been the batch, but I will try it again if the occasion presents itself.

My first Growler purchase from State Line.

My glass is filled with a clear copper liquid with lighter, golden highlights. Off-white, thin head doesn't last long or leave lacing. It was hard to get this growler filled without it overflowing constantly, so that may be a factor here.

The smell reminds me of banana flavored bubble gum. Sweet and fruity. Light spice scent is noticed as well.

The flavor is rather light, but refreshing. Fruity, sweet, but almost too sweet by the end of the glass. Seems like it would be better suited for the spring after the "snow blower" has been put away.

Thin, almost watery mouthfeel. No carbonation, but again, this could be a result of the filling. As always, I am glad to try any DFH brew I can get my hands on. I think I may have had enough of this after I finish this growler, though.

Served a light, clear yellow? This is a winter beer? Not what I expected…

No head to note, but light to moderate carbonation. Smell was herbal with a hint of something kind of like banana bread. Taste also had the banana bread and a hint of chocolate underneath what tasted like a plain lager. Goes down smooth.

Took some time to figure out what the hell style I was drinking. Once I found out it was a Belgian strong pale it seemed to make more sense and I appreciated it more.

Expectations of a dark, roasty, alcohol monster (like I was at first)? Those expectations will kill this one for you. Know you are getting a Belgian strong pale and enjoy.

Wow DFH hits 0-2 on new beers. This Snowblower and the Fort sub-par, at least they had 60 and 90 on tap as well. The snowblower was my first beer of the night and what a friking let down. Smelled and tasted like a lager with a DMC left over. There was metallic taste in the bittering background and confused malt flavors. I thought I was drinking a light ESB. The 7% wasn't noticeable though. Sub-standard fare whatever I moved on to other beers.

Hmm, not too much to say about this one. Kind of a substandard offering, especially coming from Dogfish Head. My friend & I, who had it at the same time, couldnt figure out what kind of beer it was supposed to be. He guessed an ESB, and I thought it pretty much tasted like the Shelter Pale Ale, maybe a little more bitter.

One thing for sure, it is watery. The bitterness is slight, and only comes through in the beginning. The finish is mostly water. Strange. I might detect some fruity notes in there somewhere, but those are also very slight. I thought this beer smelled wierd - kinda like clay.

Pretty uninspired, and it is a good thing that they decided to make this one an on-tap only offering.

On tap in my garage.
Appearance - It is a very clear moderately carbonated pale golden beer with a solid finger of head on top.
Aroma - Very mild aroma that has hints of clove and banana and a real nice Belgian yeast character.
Taste - First there is a sharp bit of bitterness that lasts for about a second and then there is a refreshing fruitiness that hinges on sour that washes throughout. Finishes ultra clean and slightly sweet and leaves a longing for more.
Mouthfeel and Drinkability - The mouthfeel is much better than the appearance leads me to believe, nothing pale about it. Excellent drinkability on this goes down so smooth at 7% I'm glad I have plenty at home.

A pretty middle of the road beer in my opinion. Pours a murky yellow with minimal head. Slightly spicy aroma. Taste was somewhat boring, sweet, some hops in the finish. Just not all that much there. I fail to see how this really qualifies as a winter brew except for the alcohol, but maybe thats just me. One of the lesser offerings from this brewery in my opinion, but it'd be worth a try, especially if you enjoy this style.

On tap at the BTAH in NYC, as part of their Christmas in July range, I'm getting smarter, going on thursday night, much more civilized, and a much better environment to take down review notes....anyway this one seemed to be brilliantly out of wack...it poured a dull apricot shade, cloudy, with a white head and fine lacing. Loads of grapefruit, anise, gin and citric notes up front. Full of flavor and character, some sourness and bite. Strong stuff with alcohol present. Complexity, boldness and intrigue. Pleanty of personality and warmth to welcome old saint NIck. I think this one might have benefitted from some more time to calm down abit, maybe by Xmass '06...

On-tap at Barcade, Brooklyn.
Golden body with a big fluffy off-white/tan head.
Mild hops in the aroma with subtle spicy notes. Not as spicy as other Belgian strong ales I've tried.
This beer is exceptionally well balanced. I was almost shocked at how balanced it was. As soon as I tasted hops, I got malt, and then hops and then a flavorful spiciness. Some fruit notes come out to play as well. This is a complex tasting brew with excellent balance and, in turn, made for a very drinkable ale.

Overall, I'd say this is a great Belgian strong pale which leans to the mild side of things. It's nice to see a beer of this style that is not over the top. I could easily see other brewers going for a milder Belgian Strong Ale and mess it up by brewing something that tasted watered down or cheap. Not the case with this brew and for that reason it gets great marks.

get some MF!

Enjoyed at The Moan & Dove, Amherst, MA. Presented in a Dogfiesh Head pint glass. Labelled as "The Mound", but IDed as Snowblower by the bartender, so here I review it as such.

Arrives with a 1/2" white head above the golden amber brew, which fades to a thin layer of bubbles, yet still laces nicely. Aroma is slightly fruity pale malt, with some spicing evident. Taste is a spicy pale malt, with little else notable. Mouthfeel and drinkability both good. An acceptable brew, but not the standout I would expect from DFH.

On-tap at Redbones.
Clean golden/brass/carrot with a small, spittly, off-white head.
Smell is of sticky, sweetish, caramelized malt. Light vegetable and straw twang. Not overly aromatic.
Taste starts with clean, sweet malts. Notes of grain, toffee, and cooked veggies. Hops come in pretty assertively. Herbal, spicy, and bitter. Sugary malt flashes back int the finish providing renewed balance. Slightly syrupy feel, but not too heavy. A nice winter session beer.

This was counterfilled from tap and sent to me from DFH, 12/03. Maybe I should have tried this sooner; let’s see: Pours with a very thin head, and there seems to be a very small bit yeast dregs left in the bottle. Nice color, of a bright copper penny, a little hazy. Smell is rather subdued, a bit like a port wine. Taste is a pleasant blend of caramel malts and raisiny sweetness. And I’d be remiss in not mentioning a nice alcohol buzz. Hop bitterness really only appears as an aftertaste. A pretty good American stab at a Belgian.

Looked up in to the screaming black, flakes of white clanking around, before I turned the starter with this one on 1/15/2005. 16-oz. pour in a cut angle pint glass at the Sunset.

Initial tight and abundant ½-inch head settles to a cover of slowly receding soap fuzz; very little lacing but it could be that the glass isn't rinsed enough. Crystal, golden, clear, and mute. Fruity coriander, light floral hop, and lemon peel on nose. Straw, flax, and some orange are the first things noted on tongue, with a trailing bit of hop that smartens things up a bit. Light body and quite crisp; finishes quickly. What a nice surprise to have a winter offering that isn't dark and doesn't go overboard with the spices. Surprised this is as up there in the abv as stated - certainly didn't seem that way.

Had this on tap recently at the local bar. Let me begin by saying that the bar I'm referring to is pretty ballsy for stocking 30 odd taps of micro and international brews in this town. With that said, I wish they'd take a little care of their products. I believe I had this on the tail end of 3 months on the same tap. That will kill any beer. But even so, I remember trying this as soon as it came out, I just didn't write my review then. Anyway, with that preface:
This beer doesn't look or taste like a winter brew. It pours an orangey-yellow with a light white head that didn't really last. The smell is sweet and thin, maybe some small bitter hop smell. The taste is sort of the same. Nothing really jumps out at you, it feels skinny and lacking. Light orange/citrus flavor maybe corriander? Sweety phenolic feel, like a strong ale should have, but... I don't know. It's weak. There really is no spice of which to speak, which I have come to expect and want from a winter seasonal. Small hop bitterness, and no real evidence of alcohol. 7% ? I would have never guessed. Average at best, there's a lot better winter brews out there. Maybe sack the name, give it some uniquely definfing character and release it as a year round.

Fresh from the tool shed! Honey golden in color with an effervescent beginning carbonation which tappered off throughout the beer. A sweet nose and undertones from the belgian-style yeast it held my interest, but the smell also was not long to linger. The taste was appropriate, quite smooth, and a little on the sweet side, no true hops presence made themselves available. With a light mouthfeel it was easy to enjoy both by itself before food and during the meal. The drinkability was surprisingly high, with the Snowblower Ale being the only beer I tried that day, which is a rare occasion in the world of DFH.