This week we tasted a beer that is supposed to taste like a wine. Or it is a wine that is supposed to take like a beer. We’re really not sure. The brewery, Dogfish Head, claims that it’s the perfect meshing of the beer and wine worlds. We wish we agreed. The Dogfish Head Noble Rot, made with grape must in addition to normal beer ingredients, is nonetheless an interesting beer, even if it fails to impress. Dogfish Head is the maker of some of the greatest beers out there, including the 120 Minute IPA, the Midas Touch and The Black & Blue. Some of their beers are too alcoholic to buy in the state of Ohio; some are made from recipes that date back to ancient Mesopotamia. They’re a brewery that pushes the limits and isn’t afraid to try new (or old) things. Unfortunately, we wished they hadn’t tried this.
Noble Rot smells like a watered-down white wine with a hint of wheat, leaving the impression that this is a fruity brew that went bad when it was still in the barrel. The pour isn’t particularly pleasing. The head dissipates quickly. The body is pretty thin. The color is pleasant enough and reminded us of the many half-decent wines we’ve consumed as undergraduates.
There is a noticeable fizz at first sip. We tasted the grapes easily enough. In fact, one major problem of this beer is that we had a hard time remembering that this was supposed to be a craft beer and not a sauvignon blanc we bought at the BP down on the corner. There are hints of beer, especially in the back, but wine flavors definitely dominate. The lightness in the taste of this beer mask its somewhat hefty 9 percent alcohol content.
We hate to sound like we’re whining, so trust us when we say that we wanted to love this beer. We really, really did. We wanted to say that it’s a must-have, and that any beer drinker worth his or her salt should go and buy a bottle. But we just can’t. Skip this and buy some of the other wonderful Dogfish Head beers out there.
Jared Henderson and Patty Arnold are seniors studying philosophy and biological science, respectively, at Ohio University and columnists for The Post. What beer should be on their radar? Email them at jh350409@ohiou.edu and pa803908@ohiou.edu.
