Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Dogfish Head Bitches Brew

About a week ago, I posted a review of North Coast's Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale, a brew brewed in honor and recognition of the jazz great Thelonious Monk.  Well,  there is another brewery who has combined water, malt, hops and yeast to honor another jazz legend ... Miles Davis and the release of his album "Bitches Brew."  It has been forty years since the release of the original album and that is as good as any reason to brew a new beer.

The Bitches Brew is basically an imperial stout, which gets a twist with the use of honey and gesho root. Dogfish Head describes it as three parts imperial stout and one part Tej.  (For those following my culinary adventures, Around the World in 80 Dishes, you will remember that I made Tej, which is an Ethiopian honey wine or mead.)  The combination of a stout, with its smooth, chocolate character with Tej, which has a sweetness from the honey, is a really interesting combination. 

That combination does come through in the taste, although the taste leans more toward the stout than the Tej, which one would expect with the 3:1 characterization by Dogfish Head.  It is smooth, with sweet undertones, and, overall, a very delicious beer.  The beer could pair very well with spicy food, taming the burn of most any pepper or spice.

It is a limited edition beer with a low IBU (only 38) and a high ABV (9.0%).  It is available from coast to coast for about $12.99 a bottle.

For more info on this beer, check out NPR and Dogfish Head.

ENJOY!

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