Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron

So I said to myself, I think I'll start off with something light, like a brown, before starting in on the stouts tonight. Holy Crap Batman, this ain't a brown.

And in some ways that's fine, but in others it just shouldn't be called something it's not. You can't brew a pale and call it a pilsner (I'm looking at you, Prima Pils) any more than you can brew a damn near impy stout and call it a brown. I'm all for bending the rules, but you shouldn't just break them. Some people may call that "creative," or even "on the edge," but the truth is that this is a stout. No ifs ands or buts. It's not "difficult to define" any more than Arrogant Bastard makes beer that I'm "just not ready for." It's a stout.

It pours inky brown, like a brown stout. Great deep tan head that can't stay too long because of how malty the beer is--the pure weight seems to drag the head down. Small, slow bubbles. Opaque, with red highlights.

Deep, malty smell, like an immensely dark bread. Sharp alcohol smell comes through as well. Vinous, almost like a port.

Feels like a milk stout, because it has that smooth texture that lactose can impart. A vinous alcohol hits you right up front, and then fades to a heavily roasted malt flavor. As it warms the coffee comes out stronger, as does the alcohol. I like the beer. I will say that. But it ain't no brown. Its main flaw is an absolute inability to hide the alcohol. I think a good beer with this much body can have 12% ABV and not feel like it, and this one should have done more to try to mask it here. It gets in the way of the flavors and adds nothing. It would have been much better if properly labeled and without the high ABV.