Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

Dogfish Head - World Wide Stout

So, I'm in shock and awe over this beer.  Matt brought one back for us to try, as it's been difficult for us to purchase at the store.  The guys at Dogfish struggled this spring and summer because of the massive amounts of snow they got in Delaware this winter.  Most of the Dogfish brews have been out of stock with my distributor at some point or another since the early spring.

Anyway, back to business...the WWS pours into the glass a rich cola color, very dark, and fairly thick.  There is a mild amount of foam, but I think that's largely due to the way Matt pours his beers (no complaints here, just commenting).  The foam that does arise is a nice tan/coffee color, and fades slowly.  Upon a little swirl in the glass, the foam wakes up again, and there is a thick film that always sticks to the  side of the glass.  No where on the bottle does it mention the alcohol content, so we go online.  The internet sites all agree that this is an 18% abv monster, which is likely the cause for the weak foam and the thick film.

The World Wide Stout smells of a rich, chocolate, oaked, port wine (if that's even possible).  It's hard to describe in words so I came up with the following mathematical equation.   World Wide Stout = Chimay Blue + Ommegang Three Phils + Trappistes Rochefort + steroids.  There are hints of fruit in the nose too, but is mostly dominated by the malts, and maybe like vanilla and/or molasses?

Once you take a sip, it's like getting attacked by a shark (or a dogfish).  Layer after layer of flavors roll over my palate, it's absolutely awesome.  There are touches of toffee, butterscotch, chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, and who knows what else.  I'm amazed at how drinkable this is for 18%!  I mean, it's strong, and you notice it when you take a sip.  But normally once you get over 10-12% the alcohol is much more noticeable.  This brew is so full, and well-balanced that you hardly notice the high alcohol.

This is officially on my Top 5 List!  The World Wide Stout is the port wine equivalent in the beer world.  There are so many flavors going on all at once, it's hard to put my finger on any of them.  I highly recommend this beer to anyone that is not a bud light or coors light drinker.  Wait, I take that back.  I recommend this World Wide Stout to them too, because it gives them a taste of what some of the best beer in the world tastes like.

Thank you Dogfish Head, my hat is off to you!

Eli
Bibo ergo sum