Pours a fairly thick and viscous hazy, light copper and struggles to create any head beyond a thin, light tan layer of tiny bubbles that has very little retention – possibly from the high alcohol content. Initial aroma is very light sweet chocolate and a very low cherry with moderate sweet caramel and toffee, with just a tiny bit of fusel alcohol (hints of rubbing alcohol). As the beer warms up, much more chocolate and cherry comes out in the aroma along with orange peel and chamomile. Although the carbonation appears low, there is a slight carbonic tingle that helps present the fruity and chocolate character to the nose. Hops are floral in aroma and flavor, with very little bitterness. The flavor is a huge blend of golden raisins, big toffee and caramel and very prominent cherries that almost come across as artificial – something like cherry cough drops, but in a pleasant way. The mouthfeel is somewhat syrupy. Definitely improves as it warms; drink this at 55-60 degrees in a snifter to fully appreciate the cherry and chocolate. The beer seems to have several distinct flavors, and at 17 percent ABV, it may benefit from some aging to let all those flavors meld together.
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Higher Math
Way back in the early ’90s, a 20-something waiter in New York City named Sam got a taste for small American “microbrews.” A do-er, Sam stopped by a homebrew store and embarked on the first batch of his very own beer. On the way home, he spotted a bag of cherries at his local bodega and thought they’d make his beer a little more interesting.
He was right, and the day after he and his friends enjoyed that first batch, he started researching what it would take to open a brewery.
The rest, as they say, is history. Higher Math is a tribute to that auspicious first beer and celebrates 20 off-centered years of Dogfish Head. It’s a golden strong ale fermented with sour cherry juice and cocoa nibs and clocks in at 17% ABV.
Higher Math has forward notes of cherries, pineapple and stewed fruit, with late notes of cocoa. It has a lingering sweetness and a notable warmth from the alcohol.
