Dogfish Head – Urkontinent

Dogfhis Head - UrkontinentThis review goes out to my brother, who helped with the tasting of this one. He works at Google and let me know that he was interested in trying Dogfish Head Urkontinent because its recipe was a collaborative effort between Google and Dogfish Head. So for his birthday, I brought him a bottle so we could give it a shot.

First off, Urkontinent is a German word for the theory that all of the continents were once connected and is a reference to the worldly recipe and ideas that make up the beer. The recipe for this beer started out as an open call to Googlers for suggestions of ingredients they would like to see in a beer (using Google collaboration technology of course). After all of the ideas were compiled, the list was vetted by a group from Dogfish Head and Google and Urkontinent took shape. They came up with a Belgian style dubbel with wattleseed from Australia, toasted amaranth from South America, green rooibos from Africa, myrica gale from Europe, and Hiveplex honey that is produced on the Google campus in Mountain View. One thing you won’t see on the bottle is the word Google. This is because, even though a number of Googlers helped make this beer, Google did not give Dogfish Head the right to use their name.

20120616-211138.jpgPour is a dark brown with a slight amount of brownish head. The aroma is pretty complex with some toasted malt, grassy herbs, and a bit of earthiness that gets a bit more medicinal as it warms up. Medium body and a good amount of carbonation. The flavor has a lot going on, starting with a typical Belgian yeast but quickly jumps to a chocolate and caramel malt with a bit of smoke, hints of rye, a subtle note of licorice, and a sweet herby finish. The aftertaste has a roasted malt character with notes of cherry and has a bit of lingering sweetness but doesn’t last for all that long.

Overall this is one of Dogfish Head’s better one off beers, staying pretty close to style with just the right amount interesting variation. The malty flavor is very distinct and I think it may be from the amaranth, but never having had it on its own I can’t be sure. I would say if you are a fan of Belgians and are interested in trying something pretty different within the genre I would definitely recommend picking one up if you see it. K&L Wines has a few still available for $13 a bottle and there might be few more floating around some of the other beer shops around town.

Name Urkontinent
Brewery Dogfish Head
Style Belgian Style Dubbel
ABV 8.0%
Availability One Time Brewing
Limited Bottle Release
Rating 4 out of 5

Cheers!
Beer Guy LA

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