SeaQuench Ale // Dogfish Head Brewery

SeaQuench Ale // Dogfish Head Brewery

Since the weather is warming up quite a bit, I find myself leaning toward beer choices that I know I can drink multiples of while outside. I know I’ve touched on this before, but sometimes I’m just not in the mood for a full-bodied beer that’s basically a one and done. I need something I can enjoy throughout the day and not feel weighed down or like I’ve got a stomach full of concrete mixed with alcohol. In my search for a great summer beverage, I stumbled across the SeaQuench Ale from Dogfish Head. This uniquely brewed Gose style brew offers up everything I was looking for in one convenient package. Brewed with lime peel, black limes (something I had never heard of before), and sea salt. Apparently, black limes are limes that have lost their water content, usually after having spent a majority of their drying time in the sun. This sounded weird enough to definitely be a Dogfish Head beer and to have the potential to be pretty damn tasty, so I picked up a six pack and headed outside to see what it was all about:

Now, the first time I drank this, I’ll admit, I didn’t pour this into a glass, because I was too busy trying to get beers into my system. Since then I have been able to properly enjoy it in a glass to take in the aroma, color, and taste. The beer pours a hazy golden orange color with about a fingers width of bright white head that doesn’t stick around for very long. The aroma is dominated by lime, I mean, this is all lime all day. You do get a little bit of the tartness coming through on the aroma, but nothing too strong. Mainly, it’s lime all day, which I like.

The taste showcases the lime once again, but like I said, that’s fine with me. In the beginning you get a ton of lime flavor with a nice, slight tartness that follows. That tartness is slightly mellowed out rather quickly from the sea salt that comes in at the end of each sip. There’s a nice earthiness that I’m thinking comes from the black lime that adds an odd background flavor that’s pretty hard to pinpoint. It’s kind of like that odd briny, sour taste that some Middle Eastern food has but definitely not overpowering or unenjoyable. As the beer warms, you start to get more of a biscuit malt presence in the front that’s rounded out by the saltiness while the lime kind of sticks around in the back end. There’s a lot of flavors going on here and it’s crazy how they develop as the beer warms as opposed to when it’s cold. Definitely a lot more than I was expecting to say the least.

The mouthfeel is pretty run of the mill for sour beers. Medium to light body with nothing much going on. I will say that’s perfect for this style of a “session sour,” because I want something I can slam a sixer of and this delivers. Carbonation level is fairly high, which I expected, and creates a nice effervescent feel that really makes those flavors pop in my opinion. Also, there’s something about the lingering salt flavor after each sip that I love from this beer. I guess it makes me think of the beach even when I’m not at the beach. Take that how you will, but I love it.

Overall, this beer is a great addition to my line up of summer slammers. An intense lime flavor mixed with a great bready backbone and a nice salt level make this beer an easy drinker. I will say that there is something about that black lime that I’m not a huge fan of, but it’s not off putting to the point where I wouldn’t drink this beer again by any means. I’m not a fan of a lot of middle eastern food and I think that’s where my mind is with the addition of the black lime. Also, if it’s not on sale, be prepared to spend about $11 for a six pack, which is a bit high I understand, but I do feel like it’s worth it every now and then. All in all, I think this is a great summer beer and has the drinkability that I’m looking for and hopefully it does for you as well. Enjoy!