Palo Santo means "holy wood or tree" in Spanish. The tree itself is native to the southern region of South America and has been used to ferment wine in Paraguay. Its also got quite a few medicinal qualities as well. Dogfish Head got pretty damn creative, once again, and imported a bunch of it and built some pretty massive tanks in which to ferment and age this very strong brown ale.
The label reads:
"An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood from which these tanks were crafted. At 10,000 gallons each, these are the largest wooden brewing vessels built in America since before Prohibition. It's all very exciting. We have wood. Now you do too."
Pours dark, thick, very viscous and pretty much black in color. Reminds me very much of an Imperial stout. At 12% its hard to imagine still having a brown color for this ridiculously strong and complex "brown ale". The head is miniscule and quick to go away. While it does last its a nice coffee color with big loose bubbles. After settling its a very thin lace of off white hugging the top of the glass.
Smells of rich malt, dark roasted coffee, alcohol, and burnt sugar. I really don't know what to look for when it comes to the smell of Palo Santo. That is a bit of a mystery and I hope it is unraveled when I pour some of this into my mouth.
My god that is good stuff. Sooo smooth and instantly warming! I love it. Tastes of dark toasted malt, bitter coffee along with some tangy sweetness. I definitely get the alcohol kick at the back of my tongue. Its got some qualities that are similar to a red wine, its a hearty strong beer with a bit of a dry fruit flavor at the end of each sip (this is definitely one you'll want to sip).
Dark, rich and mysterious. Palo Santo Marron is a hell of a strong and complex beer. At 12% its a beer that you'll want to savor and enjoy all its different elements. Cheers to Sam Calagione on another amazingly unique beer from Dogfish Head!
Check out the video made about the first full-production batch of Palo Santo Marron by going HERE!
BEER FACTS
Name: Palo Santo Marron
Style: "Holy Tree" Brown Ale
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales
Location: Milton, Delaware, USA
Container: 12 oz. bottle
Malts: ?
Hops: ?
ABV: 12%
IBUs: ?
2 comments:
MMMmmmmm. Knew this was coming out on the market soon. I was lucky enough to try it at Extreme Beer Fest and I just about finished in my pants over it there. Where did you find this delicious elixer pray tell?
I got this bottle from Downeast Beverage.
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