DFH Red & White
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(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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I’ve really enjoyed this “Dogfish Head Theme” week. All week long I’ve had the chance to delve into some of the envelope-pushing brews from one of my favorite craft breweries. There are so many more DFH experiences to be had, but I have to start moving on. Tomorrow will be the last Dogfish Head beer in my rotation for some time — I’ll be celebrating IPA Monday with the 90 Minute IPA.
Today, I made a special trip (two hours, round trip) to pick up a bottle of Dogfish Head Red & White. (I also used the trip to stock up on beer, so you will see many more brews appear in The Fridge soon.)
The objectivity of my palate should be questioned after a full week of extreme beer from Dogfish Head. But even with that disclaimer still fresh at hand, I can’t help but heap praise upon Red & White.
I’m a big fan of Belgian Whites. There’s something extremely drinkable about wheat beers spiced with coriander and orange peel, and they always make me think of enthusiastic summer afternoons from my past. If our pasts exert the influence assumed by psychologists, then my infatuation with Witbier likely hinges on college summers spent relaxing on brewpub patios, when my only concern in life was whether it might rain the next day and ruin the bike ride through campus.
But this witbier is grounded, reflective. It’s not a beer to be consumed on brewpub patios in the heat of the day. Red & White is a beer to be sipped in front of the fireplace after a long day; a contemplation wheat.
Red & White poured a thin peach from its 750 ml bottle, landing in an over-sized white wine glass and bubbling forth with a thick, frothy head that threw up legs so high it could make a burlesque girl blush. The beer showed every hazy, cloudy sign of a delicious witbier. But as it settled in the glass, the color took on a shade of cedar, presumably reflecting the rose-colored cheeks of the aforementioned burlesque.
Great aroma. The nose is spicy and sweet. A Belgian White with dark, peppery complexity. There’s some yeast, but buried.
The Dogfish.com website describes this beer as:
A big, belgian-style Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and fermented with Pinot Noir juice. After fermentation a fraction of the batch is aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels, and another fraction is aged on oak staves. The beer is blended together before packaging.
From the description, I assumed the Red & White was going to taste more like a wine — but the “White” deliciously trumped the “Red” in the flavor and mouthfeel. The “Red” plays a supporting role, adding complexity and character. As if a quantum of port were mixed into every sip.
Perhaps it is the image on the label, but this beer made me think of Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt”. I listened to the song while drinking this beer, and “Hurt” paired better with this beer than any food I could imagine. I’d love to hear your thoughts — here’s the song and video:
The label explains the “fraction” aged in Pinot Noir barrels is 11%, with 89% aged in oak barrel staves. The oakiness is there, but it took me half the bottle to recognize the sweet “roundness” I was tasting as oak. It is present in the taste, but more pronounced in the aftertaste. In fact, it is the tail of this beer with its bittersweet character — almost that of a bitter cherry — that continues to draw my focus.
The spice, the body, the aroma, and the aftertaste all contribute to an amazing drinking experience, quite unlike any wheat beer I’ve ever had before.
The entire bottle disappeared quickly. The 10% ABV is completely hidden. Only at the end, when there was nothing else to drink, did a smokey plum taste express itself — almost like a dessert arriving at the end of the meal.
The Red & White delivers. Absolutely delicious in every way.
When questioned about how “big” a beer I would allow myself during the “Beer A Day” challenge, I often explained I could drink up to 22 ounces at a time. That was a size based simply on the few over-sized beer glasses I own, the frequency with which waitresses attempt to “upsell” me on 22 ounce beer, and my propensity for giving in.
But the Red & White is only bottled in 750 ml containers, roughly equal to 25 ounces. Since my wife isn’t interested in sharing beer with me — not in the slightest — I decided a few ounces more can’t hurt and I’ve lifted that prohibition. There’s no way I could possibly have allowed the remainder of this beer to go to waste.
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