United Nations of Beer

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

by Bret
(Las Vegas)

Dogfish Head Burton Baton (10% ABV)
Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE
Visit the UNOB's Delaware beer guide

Apparently Sam Caligione at Dogfish Head experiments a lot with his beers to come up with some great brews. Having brewed two of his homebrew recipes, he's got some surprisingly weird but fantastic ideas.

Burton Baton is no exception. This Imperial India IPA kicks it in to gear with a strong hop aroma with hints of pine, citrus and a mild whiskey type scent from the barrel aging. Very mild malt aroma with some shades of the yeast, neither are very dominant but they do add to the overall scent of the beer.

Burton's appearance is pale copper color with no haze or cloudiness. There is a fine white head which dissipates rapidly but laces the glass. The flavor has a mild hop bitterness and flavor, followed by a smooth and refreshing hint of earthiness.

The aftertaste gives off some flavors of citrus and a little bit of woodiness. It does not heat up your mouth with the high alcohol content, which I find to be invigorating. Taste lingers on the palate for 3-5 seconds and lightly coats the mouth with bitterness.

The mouthfeel is light and refreshing with moderate carbonation. Very smooth and drinkable with some character brought on by the barrel aging process.

Overall, this is a good Imperial IPA, I would have expected more hops from it but that was not to be. Burton does have some good character and flavor, I just thought it was just lacking slightly in the IBUs.