DFH Burton Baton....wow...

[alcibiades]

Went to the local DFH restaurant in Fairfax VA and tried Burton Baton, it is the best beer I've had in a long time. At 10 percent alcohol, it managed to be extremely drinkable and just the perfect amount of hops. DFH did it again.

Other than the fact that its barrel aged, a mix of 90 minute and an english strong ale, has anyone here attempted a clone?

 

[bendavanza]

That beer is delicious!

 

[skadalajara]

+1
Just tried it last weekend. The GF pretty much automatically buys whatever DFH beer she hasn't seen before.
We haven't been let down yet.

 

[Evan!]

Yeah, that's one of my favorite DFH brews.

No, I haven't tried a clone. Methinks you need plenty of oak. Not sure about the rest. Seems like the base is something along the lines of an English B-wine, perhaps.

 

[MikeRLynch]

hmmmmmm

yea I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you all here. I've had this, and many other Dogfish beers before, and it seems like the unifying element in all of them is sweetness. Overall, DFH is just way too sweet and syrupy. They taste like every beer I've made that doesn't attenuate all the way. I had a 9 year old 120 minute once, and I was searching for pancakes to put it on.

There are exceptions, the 60 minute finished nice and dry and recently I tried the Theobroma, which was suprisingly good. When it comes down to it, I don't want to keep sipping something that coats my palate.

If you want to try an excellent (I think) wood aged IPA, try Great Divides 15th Anniversary Oak Aged Double IPA, or Southern Tier's Oak Aged Unearthly. Better yet, try them head to head with the DFH and see what you think. As for me, I don't really understand what everyone sees in DFH. Just because they make unusual beers doesn't mean they're good.

If you give a damn about what I think you can read my whole review of Burton Baton here.

 

[Evan!]

Just personal pref, my man, just personal pref. I don't think you can judge the brewery on the 120, but everyone seems to use that as the yardstick. It's a crazy experimental thing that's like 20% ABV and full of hops. Is it my favorite beer? 'Course not. But I don't find everything they do to be underattenuated, not at all. I'm not a fan of the Raison, just because it has this faint taste in the background that reminds of the aftertaste of vomit. But the Olde School is badass, I love the 90 minute (even though it gets poo-poo'd by the EAC's around here nonstop), and the chicory stout is very nice. I don't remember the BB being too sweet, either.

 

[JuanKenobi]

I understands the too sweet argument when it comes to DFH beers. I am a big fan of the X-minute series and actually love the 120, but a lot of their beers are just too big and too thick (ever tried Fort?).

That said, I think that Burton Baton is my favorite commercial beer right now. I've been chomping at the bit for the July release to hit the shelves. I recently tried the Great Divide 15th Anniversary and I found the flavors imparted by the oak to be a bit too dominating. Which, IMHO caused it come across too sweet and drowned out the hop character. Haven't tried the Oaked Unearthly yet, but it's on the list.

Burton Baton definitely DFH's best offering. I'd love to try to clone it. Maybe worth doing an oaked strong ale and a 90min clone and blend them. I dare say you might be able to do even better with a little experimentation. Uh-oh, the gears are turning now...

 

[olllllo]

I love that many of DFH's beers have a compellng backstory and Burton Baton is no exception. I love the shoutout back to Ballentine.

 

[olllllo]

Linky: Burton Baton
Interview with MJ about Burton Baton.

 

[MikeRLynch]

Cloning the Burton Baton, Great Divide, or Unearthly isn't out of the realm of possibility, because the brewers use oak chips and cubes the same way we do. Exactly what kind of oak those cubes are is still a bit of a mystery. Personally I like beers that are "oaked" (read: using cubes) rather than "barrel aged." It seems that the brewer can dial in the oak flavor a lot better with the cubes rather than leaving it chance in a barrel.

 

[dap325]

I've wanted to try this brew forever but cannot find it in my local beverage centers. I've been asking around for more than a year but have not found it yet. I hope they stock a few of this years release so I can give it a shot. I've heard many good things.

 

[MDRex]

I've wanted to try this brew forever but cannot find it in my local beverage centers. I've been asking around for more than a year but have not found it yet. I hope they stock a few of this years release so I can give it a shot. I've heard many good things.

Where in upstate are you? I should be in Liverpool (Syracuse) for Christmas. I could bring some up, we have all DFH beers here in MD.