Dogfish Head / Three Floyds Poppaskull
Ale brewed with cardamom and 35% aged in oak brandy barrels.
3.5
159 reviews
Milton, United States
Community reviews
Bottled in 2010
Pours a hazy medium golden color with a smallish white head that quickly dissipates. Lots of floaties in the bottle and in my glass. Smells of spices mostly, I assume that strong in your face earthy herbal aroma is cardamom. There’s some orange peel and caramel, and yeasty esters that manage to get through, but honestly this smells more like grandma’s spice rack than a beer. The flavor doesn’t make this beer much better. There’s an initial sweet maltiness up front then we get the spice girls, then a bit of bready yeasty funk, a hint of grape skin and alcohol. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet spicy mouthfeel. This is not the beer for me.
Pours clear gold, small white head.
Slightly vegetal scent, heavily spiced.
Taste is softer.....cardamom...less harsh than aroma..some alcohol presents in backtaste.
OK, just a bit over-gimmicked.
Bottle. Cardamom and eucalyptus aroma. Golden yellow with small head. Cardamom/cinnamon malt flavor with light bitter alcohol finish. Intensely spicy.
Bottle. Strong cardamom and light sweet aroma. Golden with a minimal white head, fine suspended sediment. Sweet malty and light cardamom flavor. Medium body, very dry finish. Cardamom was overpowering in the aroma, but more subdued and balanced in the flavor. Cardamom is such a strong flavored spice to begin with, and I think a light hand would have been in order. The cardamom dominated and kept other flavors from being able to shine through.
Not sure how this was fresh, but I think it's drinking great right now. Pours a clean orange with a nice whit head. Minimal lacing. Nose and taste is big on the spice- cardamon- the oakiness shows well too. I also picked up some notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The malts, yeast, and light hops all balance nicely making this an easy drinking delightful brew. this brew could go nicely with a "white" meat meal, fish, veggies, or even with ice cream or what not as a dessert beer.
A - Pours a clear golden-orange with a finger of frothy white head atop. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lace.
S - Aroma is a mix of spices and other fruity yeast esters, with some banana, cardamom, coriander, sweet bready malts, a bit of candi sugar, and some light oak.
T - Starts off with a mix of sweet candi sugar with some fruity yeast esters, banana, coriander, cardamom, and a bit of bready malts. Through the middle, some more light fruity flavors come through with some oak and some more spices. The finish is a mix of some orange and lemon, with some more oak and vanilla flavor and a bit of brandy, yeast flavors, banana, and a hint of booze.
M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet, dry, and lightly warming finish.
D - Very drinkable. Really nice BSPA with the Brandy Oak Barrel aging really adding some great complexity to the beer while still keeping balance.
Bottle. 24.5 oz. Courtesy of Annie, Pours slightly clear straw yellow with a glowing orange tint and a lacy, wispy white head covering the surface. Aroma of bubblegum, bananas, cinnamon, Belgian candied sugars, vanilla and oaky rum. The caramom is very evident in the flavor, as well as strongly sweet, peppery, and chamomile tea-like dry tastes in the finishes. Lingering sweetness and slight minty burn. This is a decently brewed, refreshing American take on the Belgian strong golden ale but I would much rather have the other half of this collab..PopSkull brewed at Three Floyds.
Pours a pale hazy yellow with a small white head. The aroma is spices, cardamom, cinnamon, with some notes of brandy and citrus. The taste is much like the nose with some woodiness, medium sweetness, very spicy, and medium bitterness. Overall, it’s ok but you’d expect more from these two breweries.
From notes. First reviewed 11/17/2010. On tap in a tulip at Fountainhead for ’Extraordinary Beer’ night.
Poppaskull is a mostly transparent, robust golden color. A fluffy 3 cm white head forms upon pouring and retains nicely, especially considering the high ABV. Some sticky lacing clings to the glass.
Wow. The cardamom just erupts into the nose, even on tap. Yeasty Belgian spice, brandy, a bit of oak, and soft hops provide the aromatic support.
This starts out with a consistency and sweetness like tea with honey. The cardamom is incredibly strong and dominates the other Belgian spices. While apparent, I would prefer a bit more balance, although the cardamom is a great flavor as well. Some light caramel sweetness interacts well with the brandy flavors, which are apparent from the brandy barrel aging. Lightly bitter at the end, there is also a bit of an alcohol bite, not surprising given the 10% ABV.
Right away I notice the silky smooth carbonation. There is a slight dryness that is generally present in the Belgian strong pale ales, which works well with these flavors. A medium body, but that is fuller than most other beers of the style.
I really appreciate how unique the flavor of this beer is with the huge cardamom presence, but the novelty eventually wears off. I think I might be able to rate it even higher if thecardamom was touched down a notch and the whole batch was barrel aged, as opposed to one third of it. To me, that would allow the brandy flavors to stand out a little bit more. Definitely a great beer, though, and one I would order again.
750 ml bottle into tulip, bottled 05/2010. Pours cloudy golden straw color with a 1 finger fariyl dense off white head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap. Some spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big lemon, apricot, pear, apple, grape, coriander, ginger, biscuit, pepper, and yeast spices. Nice and well balanced aromas, with good strength. Taste of lemon, apricot, grape, pear, pepper, coriander, oak, bread, light ginger, and yeast spices. Lingering notes of apricot, citrus, pepper, and yeast spices on the finish for a bit. Nice balance of flavors, with good complexity. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Smooth drinking for 9.5%, with only a slight alcohol warming after the finish present. Overall this is a damn nice Belgian strong pale ale style. Nice complexity and flavor balance; with smooth drinking for the alcohol level.
bottle. pours hazy light orange no head. aroma of orange and spice. taste of sweet orange and oak.
Split a 750ml bottle. After having the Three Floyds version of this collaboration brew, Popskull, I’ve had high hopes for this one for some time. I finally got to sit down and drink one and well, damn. What a disappointment. Perhaps father time hasn’t been kind to it or the brew just wasn’t stored at an optimal temperature, but meh - this was just underwhelming.
Now don’t get me wrong, the beer was adaquate, it was drinkable and even perhaps a bit above average but it was nothing like the experience that I had with Popskull. Gone is the dark amber/clear brown color, as well as the malts, chocolate, caramel, touches of fruit, roast, and oak character. This was just... boring. Oh well.
Poured a light orange color, with a moderate white head. Aroma was sweet malts, residual sugars.
Cellar aged bottle purchased at FFF when it was new. Pours hazy gold with storong, dense head. Aroma is coriander, tons of herbs, honey, orange and lemon peel, ginger. Taste is super syrupy (in a good way) and includes all of the smells but with a hint of tanginess and umami. Body is dense, low carbonation, syrupy mouthfeel, dry herbal floral finish. Overall, this is an incredibly complex yet drinkable ale which has aged very well.
I don’t know if I would call this a Belgian Strong but it was really good. Light and effervescent. Light touch with the spice and some wood notes in there too. But all nicely balanced.
Bottle. Hazy golden body with a fizzy white head. Spicey aroma of cardamom, toasted grain and alcohol. Hint of wood. The flavor is moderately to heavily sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture and lively carbonation. Tart, dry finish. Taste of cardamom and lemon along with strong alcohol, brandy in the finish. The spice and brandy notes aren’t working together.
Bottle. Thanks Geoff. Clear, golden pour with thin white lasting head. Awesome herbal aroma. This is awesome. Herbs and spice and everything nice.
25oz bottle. Pours out a medium golden hue, fluffy white head. Really decent aromas, some wood from the oak aging, but the spices really dominate to null out any distinctive fruit i’m getting. Palate is a little boozy in the finish, some candied fruit up front leaving sweetness, and the mid palate is a little cloyed with some wood flavor. Not bad, better than I expected for some reason.
Wow... I’m kinda surprised this beer doesn’t get the recognition it truely deserves. Perhaps it’s because Three Floyds delivered this fresh to my local watering hole.. this is by far one of my favorites.The cardamom flavor truely separates itself from the competition. The oak brandy flaor is very distinctive, which escaltes the over-all taste of the cardamom. Medium body beer with a long finish, tasting multiple fruity notes. I want a pint right now!
Hazy golden color with a medium sized, white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of cardamom, vanilla, honey, brandy, and alcohol. Taste of a ton more cardamom, vanilla, honey, and alcohol. The cardamom really killed this for me.
750ml bottle. Deep golden pour with an averaged sized head. Lots of cardamon with wood, citrus and fruitiness. A little too spicy for me.
On tap at Landmark 1850. Pours a very pale golden color with some head. Good lacing. Aroma is funky fruit; pineapple and banana mostly. A couple of other herbal/spice odors. Somewhat unpleasant but further into the glass it was better, so perhaps it was a matter of getting used to it. Taste is candied sugar, belgian yeast, fruits and spices. Quite a bit of alcohol present. Finishes quite dry and tannic. Only hints of that Delaware water that can kill DFH stuff.
Deep gold pour. Lots of fruit, toffee and a big hit of cardamom. Flavor is sweet, fruity, candi sugar, light bitterness.
(750ml bottle via trade). Pours a dark golden color with orange hues and white head. Aroma has lots of cardamom with some wood and lemon. Didn’t get much of the brandy except for a bit of fruitiness. Taste is sweet and somewhat bitter. Medium bodied with an oily texture. Spicy finish, but smooth. Awesome! Very different from Popskull, but equally cool.
Light yellow color with little head. Not mouth depth. The flavor is short lived. Nice light beer on a hot day.
A hazed golden ale with a thin off white head. In aroma, a fruity esters, honey, oxidation present. In mouth, a smooth sweet malt, spices, honey, past date? On tap at Belgian Beer Fest, Sept. 10 2011.
Thin white head, short lived, little lace. Lightly hazy dark color. Nose is weird, sorta woody, fruity with soame malts happenin. Body is med/full, coating on the palate, tired carbonation, overwhelmed? Sweet malts a bit much with slight notes of wood, floral and boozy notes as well. Had a certain sharp spicey note, cardamom i suppose, distracting to say the least. Sweet, malty finish. A bit cloying. 750 from a friend. Thanks Jon!
Was really excited to try this and left me a little underwhelmed. It’s really tasty but nothing unique...basically a nice mildly sweet strong belgian ale. It’s good, but nothing really unique...I aged the bottle 6-9 months, so maybe some of the edge came off.
Bottle at Papsø’s - Thanks to Pinball. Clear yellow/golden - white head. Sweetness, cardemom, spicy, high spicy, bubblegum, candy sweetness, light malty, oakey, boozy notes, sharpness, light fruity, wooden dryness. OK - but a bit too sweet.
clear yellow, smooth beige head.
spicy yeasty aroma. cardamom, spicy, belgian spices.
flavor is sweet, caramelly, malty, flowery, oranges, dry, slightly bretty. fruity.
Bottle 75 cl. Courtesy of Pinball. Pours a cloudy golden with a small rough off-white head. Fruity, yeasty aroma with a lot of spice. Medium body, slightly tart - but fresh fruit - and lots of it. A lurking sweet woody note - very subdued though. Some warming alcohol in the finish. Pleasant. 030711