Starting in the summer of 2004 this brew has been released once a year to a super limited 300 cases. Each year I'm lucky enough to score a few bottles. It's sold with a hand-stamped, "Dogfish Head" brown paper bag.
2004: I first held this 40 up to the light & saw lots of big chunks floating around, fresh ingredients purposely left behind. Then I let this 40 chill in my fridge & freezer for a period of time to make sure it was nice & chill for when I was ready to drink it. The red plastic cap was hard to twist off, and instead of the sharp crack you got a tight crick... and the cap itself actually does not come off due to the way it's designed; rather, it hangs off the ring by a little tab. I immediately took a sniff & it had a sort-of "dark microbrew" smell to it... and as "MyLiverHurts" already documented it IS a dark beer. So I took my first swig... and what a unique malt liquor taste - unlike any other malt liquor I ever consumed, which is saying something when you consider my collection!
This is indeed the freshest & best brewed malt liquor to ever be produced in a 40oz bottle. Note this quote taken from an article written about this new brand: "Much of the pop in industrial malt liquor comes from cheap corn syrup. The extra sugar converts easily into alcohol. ... Instead of syrup, Liquor de Malt contains actual milled corn - three types, called Azetec Red, Taos Blue and Hickory. As you'd expect, the flavor is fuller. It's the difference between fresh corn on the cob and a can of boiled Green Giant niblets."
I almost feel like I'm drinking a gourmet malt liquor 40oz... and I don't think that is far from the truth! Normally I'd be a little sickened at the thought of drinking chunky malt liquor (usually a sign of a very old 40), but that's not the case with this one. Peep this quote taken from the same article: "Because Dogfish Head doesn't have a 40-ounce bottling line, workers filled and labeled the bottles by hand. Then, instead of artificially carbonating the beer with CO2, as with most mainstream beers, Liquor de Malt was naturally bottle-conditioned: Unspent yeast awakens inside the bottle and ferments the remaining sugars." So for the 1st time I am looking forward to consuming the chunks!
One last quote from the article will prove to you how special it is to drink one of these, because it looks that as though something like this may never be done again due to cost-benefit reasons: "As you'd expect, the better ingredients and time-consuming bottling process push this beer into a decidedly non-40 price range. It retails at $7.50 - a good four bucks per bottle more than, say, Colt 45. 'This beer would make zero sense to make from a cost-benefit analysis,' Calagione said. 'But it's worth it, if only to shine a light on a much-maligned style.'" So they want to prove a point. That's great in my book as a 40oz & malt liquor aficionado, but upsetting to hear since this will likely not just be the 1st, but also the last of its kind.
Now that I am halfway through with this 40 & it is starting to lose it's chill, the taste has not been affected! At first it took me by surprised & needed a little getting used to... but now I want to say that I almost consider this to be "delicious"! Where most 40s retail on average for $1.89-$2.25, this is a whopping $6.99-$7.99... and worth every penny! You do not get taste like this from a "buck n' change" 40oz. In fact, this is the most excited I've been over a 40 in the past several years... probably since about 3-4 years ago when I had the opportunity to swill 64oz OEs & 40oz Phat Boys a couple years after they were discontinued (when I found an old dusty stash)! I'm just about done with this 40 and I must say at 7.0% alcohol it yielded a very warm & pleasant buzz. I also still have little need to piss, so maybe that means that this beer is far from piss! I finished the last inch of this 40 while talking to satan165 on the phone, and the swill was as good as the unchilled beer! With great flavor, created from prime ingredients, and a solid buzz that didn't make me feel the need to piss until several minutes after finishing it, this 40 deserves a solid 10/10 swills. Granted, it's not a "ghetto malt 40", but that's not what it's supposed to be. It's an in-your-face 40, shutting up all the cheap malts, showing them what a primo malt 40oz would be like, if they could afford to be worth more than $1.99 each. I want to drink another one right now!
2005: Two physical differences between the 2005 & 2004 release of this expensive yet limited 40... this year it has a white cap vs last year's red cap... and this cap is meant to twist completely off whereas last year's stays on by 1 tab (unless you forcefully broke it). Drinking this you should be careful cuz when you crack it, it leaves sharp little plastic pieces on the ring where the cap was connected. The 2nd physically noticable difference is it seems like the factory workers at Dogfish Head were drunk when hand pasting on the labels (since they don't yet have a 40oz bottling line)... last years were hand pasted as well, but at least some what straight. All these besides the one I picked out of the litter were extremely crooked. Anyway, it still tastes like a finely produced malt liquor, which it is, complete with high quality ingredients visibly floating around inside! I poured some in a glass and it is a beautiful golden color. I jerked off once to online porn & pissed twice while drinking this... I also feel like I gotta shit for the 3rd time today & perhaps piss a 3rd time! Ok, it's official, 3 pisses. Decent buzz at 7% too... Overall, great quality 40 unlike any other on the market! Still 10/10 swills for being in a class all its own!
OLD REVIEWS:
2004: I first held this 40 up to the light & saw lots of big chunks floating around, fresh ingredients purposely left behind. Then I let this 40 chill in my fridge & freezer for a period of time to make sure it was nice & chill for when I was ready to drink it. The red plastic cap was hard to twist off, and instead of the sharp crack you got a tight crick... and the cap itself actually does not come off due to the way it's designed; rather, it hangs off the ring by a little tab. I immediately took a sniff & it had a sort-of "dark microbrew" smell to it... and as "MyLiverHurts" already documented it IS a dark beer. So I took my first swig... and what a unique malt liquor taste - unlike any other malt liquor I ever consumed, which is saying something when you consider my collection!
This is indeed the freshest & best brewed malt liquor to ever be produced in a 40oz bottle. Note this quote taken from an article written about this new brand: "Much of the pop in industrial malt liquor comes from cheap corn syrup. The extra sugar converts easily into alcohol. ... Instead of syrup, Liquor de Malt contains actual milled corn - three types, called Azetec Red, Taos Blue and Hickory. As you'd expect, the flavor is fuller. It's the difference between fresh corn on the cob and a can of boiled Green Giant niblets."
I almost feel like I'm drinking a gourmet malt liquor 40oz... and I don't think that is far from the truth! Normally I'd be a little sickened at the thought of drinking chunky malt liquor (usually a sign of a very old 40), but that's not the case with this one. Peep this quote taken from the same article: "Because Dogfish Head doesn't have a 40-ounce bottling line, workers filled and labeled the bottles by hand. Then, instead of artificially carbonating the beer with CO2, as with most mainstream beers, Liquor de Malt was naturally bottle-conditioned: Unspent yeast awakens inside the bottle and ferments the remaining sugars." So for the 1st time I am looking forward to consuming the chunks!
One last quote from the article will prove to you how special it is to drink one of these, because it looks that as though something like this may never be done again due to cost-benefit reasons: "As you'd expect, the better ingredients and time-consuming bottling process push this beer into a decidedly non-40 price range. It retails at $7.50 - a good four bucks per bottle more than, say, Colt 45. 'This beer would make zero sense to make from a cost-benefit analysis,' Calagione said. 'But it's worth it, if only to shine a light on a much-maligned style.'" So they want to prove a point. That's great in my book as a 40oz & malt liquor aficionado, but upsetting to hear since this will likely not just be the 1st, but also the last of its kind.
Now that I am halfway through with this 40 & it is starting to lose it's chill, the taste has not been affected! At first it took me by surprised & needed a little getting used to... but now I want to say that I almost consider this to be "delicious"! Where most 40s retail on average for $1.89-$2.25, this is a whopping $6.99-$7.99... and worth every penny! You do not get taste like this from a "buck n' change" 40oz. In fact, this is the most excited I've been over a 40 in the past several years... probably since about 3-4 years ago when I had the opportunity to swill 64oz OEs & 40oz Phat Boys a couple years after they were discontinued (when I found an old dusty stash)! I'm just about done with this 40 and I must say at 7.0% alcohol it yielded a very warm & pleasant buzz. I also still have little need to piss, so maybe that means that this beer is far from piss! I finished the last inch of this 40 while talking to satan165 on the phone, and the swill was as good as the unchilled beer! With great flavor, created from prime ingredients, and a solid buzz that didn't make me feel the need to piss until several minutes after finishing it, this 40 deserves a solid 10/10 swills. Granted, it's not a "ghetto malt 40", but that's not what it's supposed to be. It's an in-your-face 40, shutting up all the cheap malts, showing them what a primo malt 40oz would be like, if they could afford to be worth more than $1.99 each. I want to drink another one right now!
2005: Two physical differences between the 2005 & 2004 release of this expensive yet limited 40... this year it has a white cap vs last year's red cap... and this cap is meant to twist completely off whereas last year's stays on by 1 tab (unless you forcefully broke it). Drinking this you should be careful cuz when you crack it, it leaves sharp little plastic pieces on the ring where the cap was connected. The 2nd physically noticable difference is it seems like the factory workers at Dogfish Head were drunk when hand pasting on the labels (since they don't yet have a 40oz bottling line)... last years were hand pasted as well, but at least some what straight. All these besides the one I picked out of the litter were extremely crooked. Anyway, it still tastes like a finely produced malt liquor, which it is, complete with high quality ingredients visibly floating around inside! I poured some in a glass and it is a beautiful golden color. I jerked off once to online porn & pissed twice while drinking this... I also feel like I gotta shit for the 3rd time today & perhaps piss a 3rd time! Ok, it's official, 3 pisses. Decent buzz at 7% too... Overall, great quality 40 unlike any other on the market! Still 10/10 swills for being in a class all its own!
OLD REVIEWS:
Quote:
AK40seven
I received this as a surprise from Bruz last Tuesday, I'm still in shock and awe! My intention of storing this bottle in a 40-45 degree dark place for 2-3 years gave way to my overpowering curiosity. Bottle conditioned beers share little of the characteristics of their pasteurized cousins; the chunkiness is due to dead yeast cells, unlike the destabilization of the proteins in the aged mass-produced brands. This means that bottle conditioning can slowly continue for years and only results in slightly more alcohol and a definite mellowing of the hops and malt. But alas, I haven't the patience, so I dig in. This is classic beer, every bit a malt liquor as any OE, Colt, etc. A touch of corn is definitely there, but what malt liquor made in the US doesn't have it? Certainly dextrose is needed with the maltose to produce the needed food for a 7% punch. Corn is the American grain, no need to deny it. While there is a slight cideryness, it is amply offset by a hearty maltiness and a definite, yet elusive hop blend, Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Liberty? almost has a Kent Golding aroma. This is a rich, satisfying beer, not for the faint-hearted or those whose tastes require everything to be tamed into submission. I can't rate this on a normal scale for domestic 40oz, even though it is one. For one thing, the swill, or warm part in the last few inches actually tastes better than when I started when it was ice cold. It may sound strange, but a real beer should be just like that; releasing aromatics and body textures as it warms up. On a scale of 20 I rate it at 14. You don't just swallow this beer, you savor it.
Buzzcore
Overpriced "snob beer" in a 40 oz bottle. In a blind taste test, I guarantee Private Stock would easily win. 2/10
DC40s
First taste...this shit has a STRONG, and I mean STRONG alcoholic taste. It tastes VERY similar to Molson XXX with rubbing alcohol added. Ok, halfway down...feeling pretty good. This is not the strongest 40 ever, but it'll do for sure. The more I drink it, the more it tastes like Molson XXX...the rubbing alcohol taste is starting to fade... Finishing the dregs...I'm now convinced I'm drinking Molson XXX. Ok, I've finished. This 40 is fantastic, and I'd recommend it to all!
John Holmes
it busted me up. I was a little assed out from friday night... and drinking this as my first brew on saturday was a bad move... it didn't get me started like I had hoped. But I plowed through it chunks and all, and followed it with an iceman and pitbull. good brew though. kinda like a porter in a 40.
lesterhalfjr
I wasn't to into it. I mean it was good, but I couldn't really figure it out. It reminded me of cider jack or something. It just confused me and the big price tag didn't help. I've had some other dfh stuff that was good though. It had a belgian ale they made that had a picture of an old guy driving a nail into his nose or some shit.
MarkBlackout
man, this is sort of a tough review to tackle, seeing as this is such a unique brew. i'll keep it fairly short. this is not a typical 40, this is not a typical high-end beer either. unlike any beer/malt i've ever had; while balanced, it is much sweeter than i expected. definitely packs a punch at 7%, and the buzz is perhaps a little cleaner than other malts of similar strength. All in all, I would give this 8 out of 10 swills.. great stuff, but is it really a 40? still not sure..
MyLiverHurts
As you might expect, this is not the malt liquor we all know and love (fuck, it better not be for $6.99 a pop)...this is the world's first ever 40 OZ BARLEY WINE. Before the crack: held this bottle up to the light. What did I see? Chunks!! That's right. As it says on the label: the world's first bottle-conditioned malt liquor. Those chunks are actually yeast!! It continues the fermentation process, meaning that this brew tasted straight-up brewery-fuckin-fresh...even though it had probably been born a month ago, at least. After the crack: poured a little into a glass. It's almost as dark as the brown bottle it came in! And, most importantly, the taste: not sweet like the average malt...as expected, it tasted very much like an ale. Went down smooth. Tasted fresh as fuck. BEST SWILL EVER. The tiny chunks of yeast give it a spicy kick. I really don't know how to describe it. Solid buzz to boot. This is the only time I'll ever say this: I would drink this 40 again JUST FOR THE SWILL. Originality: 10/10 Taste: 8/10 Swill: 11/10 For a grand total of 9.66 repeating out of 10 swills.
satan165
holy fuck this shit is good just cracked it got a SUPER POWERFUL awesome crack off of it! it foamed up nicely and was loud as fuck. i peeped mad chunks inside of it, looked just like many old malts ive seen. the taste! this right away is similar to heiniken dark. ive only had a few heiniken darks in my life but i loved that...it had a true chocolate taste, this has that. i taste no hint of alcohol whatsoever in this, just tastes like a great beer. has perfect bitterness, has the body of a heiniken dark. it has the taste of a heiniken dark thats been souped up to another level. alot of things going on in the taste here, lots of levels of flavors. the paper label feels great in my hand, very odd and not like the printed cheap malt liquor labels that are kind of shiny and slick. as i take more swigs of this the tastes are becoming more subtle. i am getting more used to it, but actually it feels like its coating my tounge a little bit. i feel the bitterness swill sizzling on the backsides of my tounge. this is very interesting anyone who likes BEER will like this. i dont mean a frat boy who swills bud lights. i mean going to the liquor store and buying a 6 pack of something strange you never heard of. i mean going into a nice bar and leaning over trying to see the taps. this tastes nothing like sam adams but its simliar to it in that its a very strong taste in a way...it can be overpowering and overload your senses (in a bad way) if youre not used to strongly falvored beer. man the head on this thing is fucing perfect right now, i dont think a picture could capture it properly, the suds are splashed up and sticking to the sides of the neck a little bit, the red plastic cap is crazy. alright im more then half done and feeling the buzz now this is good stuff im drinking it fast as i can while playing yahoo pool with a supposed 29 year old female from the phillipines why do i picture her to be hot probably fat or actually a dude dogfish head rules throughtly enjoying it ok i got like 10% left im feelin buzzed hard and there are endless chunks in the bottom i hesitate to drink that tho i know its healthy and furthermore i probably wont feel or taste em anyways but its loaded with dirt at the end here i must drink them onward ho feeling ripped 7% to the dome cause im lightweight havnet drank in over a week at least final swill was insane sweet and kind of foul mad chunks almost undrinkable gave me a crazy chill liike a bong hit dogfish head is an expereience in a 40 i think maybe people should drink it alone no toher 40s no one around drink it and stop drinking and enjoy the ride its a rollercoaster int erms of falvor and buzz nad eveyrthing
White Mike
From the first sip I knew I was not in for a usual run of the mill 40. This shit had a nice crack, and the first sip was THICK. It has a heavy taste to it. But from the get go I could really taste the malt in this. It definitely had a malt taste to it rather than just a beer. As it went along it stayed smooth and kept its flavor all the way down. I didn't' really taste the yeast chunks, they just kinda went down with the whole thing. This was a great 40. A real nod to us malt drinkers who also like premium shit. I would have named this stuff best of both worlds. Anyone who's into malt liquor but also can appreciate a premium brew, this 40's for you.
