Dogfish Head “Chicory Stout” Review (#117)

Dogfish Head "Chicory Stout"

Dogfish Head
“Chicory Stout”
Milton, DE

From The Brewery

A dark beer made with a touch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John’s Wort, and licorice root. Brewed with whole-leaf Cascade and Fuggles hops, the grains include pale, roasted & oatmeal.
Chicory is one of the first beers we started brewing when the brewpub opened back in 1995. That’s back when we had a teeny, tiny brewing system and had to brew all day, every day to keep up the bar stocked. Brewing with the same four ingredients got real boring, real fast. That’s when Sam’s ADD kicked in and he started adding some non-traditional brewing ingredeints.
Chicory Stout is our winter seasonal and released in bottles each year in the November/December time frame. We do brew this beer in smaller, draft-only batches for our brewpub throughout the year.
It is roasty and delicious. It is also a fantastic food beer and pairs very well with chocolate!

ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: 21

Review

Appearance: I poured this midnight brown beer into my tulip glass. A glistening viscouse beer, with a thick, creamy tan head that lasted a long time and its lacing was dense and wide.

Smell: Big roast – coffee, cocoa, and chicory; sweet and toasted. There is a nice thick yeast doughy smell that adds weight to the aroma.

Taste: Full flavored – roasted coffee beans and bakers chocolate, with a lingering semi sweet chicory finish.  Enjoyable blend between the roasted malts and the coffee; some almost burnt notes come through sparingly; which I do not always find unenjoyable. Opens us with a little vanilla and yeast ester heat; the finish after the last sip is amazing and lingers on and on for a half an hour.

Mouthfeel:Rich, smooth, and creamy. Dense and mouth coating.

Drinkability: Medium to high.

Notes: I am a huge fan of DFH’s main lineup – some of their bigger beers are a little out there for me – and this one is just as good. I love the chocolate/coffee roast combo, and a solid does of chicory. A great beer and it has been a favorite of mine for years.