Dogfish Head Immort Ale

Pretty good-sized beer, this. It's a deep copper color with a so-so head (it is 11% alcohol though). I smelled peat-smoked malt and their website confirms that, as well as mentioning maple syrup, vanilla, juniper berries, oak, and a combination of Belgian and American yeasts. . . That's a lot of stuff to put in a beer, and what's remarkable is that it all holds together pretty well. It's got a big, rich, very syrupy palate. I guess, to my mind, it's almost a little too sweet, or needs a touch more balancing hops, but there's more than one way to make a barley wine--I ain't dogmatic. . . Sort of a pun there?

The nose is pretty damned nice, what with the oaky-mapley combo going on. It also has an intense creamy characteristic. But, honestly, the palate is too sweet. If it were me and I were screwing around with the maple syrup and so forth, I'd hop it at least 50% more. But I do love the little whiff of peat. Nice idea there.

Kolsch Recipe for tomorrow:

Old Spice Kolsch
1048
26.6 IBU

10 lbs Bestmalz Pilsner
1 lb Bestmalz Wheat

1 oz pellet Perle (60)
.4 oz whole Tettnang (10)

Mash around 146; 90-minute boil; ferment with Wyeast Kolsch around 60 degrees.