The Bruery / Dogfish Head Faster, Bigger, Better, Bolder

The Bruery / Dogfish Head Faster, Bigger, Better, Bolder

Two of the most out-of-the-box breweries around, The Bruery and Dogfish Head recently combined forces on a brew; the result is as intriguing as one might expect. Inspired by the strength of the Japanese people to remain sturdy during the recent earthquake that hit their small island nation, the beer’s depth of flavor comes from flavors steeped in tradition. The ale is brewed with a spin on the traditional shichimi togarashi, or Japanese seven spice blend. Ginger, cayenne, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and nori were added to a base blonde ale that was created using two kinds of rice. Replacing the typical orange peel included in shichimi, whole kumquats were pulverized and added to the whirlpool, giving the spiced beer a kick of fresh citrus. A blend of sake yeast and The Bruery’s house yeast was used to ferment this beer into a dry and complex ale, different than anything you’ve likely had before.

One dollar from every bottle sold will be going to help the brewers and beer drinkers of Japan in need of our support to fight back from disaster.

First in the Collaboration Series for the Bruery.
3.5
176 reviews
Placentia, United States

Community reviews

3.4 Clear straw pour with bright white head. Semi fruity peachy apricot notes. Very large effervescence. Kinda wheaty. Not particularly my fave bruery brew, but not horrible.
3.5 750 ml bottle from STLWill- thanks again, Will! Pours a bright golden color with a big white head and just a little bit of straw haze. Notes of apricot, tangerine, ginger, grapes, sweet and doughy malts, funk, and sugar. Light-medium bodied, with low carbonation and a coating mouthfeel. It’s funny, this is the kind of beer I’d expect from a collaboration between these two; interesting, maybe a little too much going on that doesn’t all come together perfectly, but not bad.
4.4 750ml thanks to thome50. Pours nice clear golden yellow with small white head. Fruit and citrus aroma. Very drinkable
3.7 Bottle from Wine Warehouse. Pours yellow with a thick white head. Lots of carbonation with this one. Nice fruit and ester notes on the nose. Reminds me a bit of a Belgian ale. Fruity on the tongue. Finishes clean. Very nice beer.
3.5 Botella. Hazy like deep golden. Small white head. Sweet aroma, fruit, yeast, spice and citrus. Good mouthfeel. Fruit, yeast, spice in the flavour, sweet, malty.
3.5 16th December 2011 Hazy pale orange beer, tidy white head - short lived. Slightly soft palate, a little dry and with a carbonated sting. Fresh fruity citrus which must be the Kumquat I guess. Mild wheaty malt underneath. Semi dry finish. All right.
3.5 25-JAN-2012, bottle @Papsø tasting, @Yespr. Clear golden with white lasting head. Yeast, malt, spice aroma. Taste is malt, yeast, orange, spice. Finish is dry and not bitter. Citric and overcarbonated.
3.5 Bottle. Pours light hazy orange with a big frothy off white head. Aroma is dried fruit, prune, funk, ginger, zesty citrus, some fatty notes, marzipan and something greenish that I can’t quite put my ... nose on to. Taste is near heavy sweet, light+ bitter with a tart note. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is lively. Finishes quite dry and spicy (not lasting)
3.4 Sample from 75 cl. bottle. Hazy, golden colour with a small, white head. Fruity aroma with light yeasts, spices, and citrus fruits. A peppery note. Taste is light sweet. Medium body, creamy, soft carbonation, Finishes lightly bitter with spices and malts.
3.4 Bottle at yespr. Cloudy orange coloured with a medium sized white head. Sweet and frutiy aroma of spices with notes of dried fruits and white wine. Sweet and fruity flavour of caramel, spices and dried fruits. Sweet and spicy fiish.
3.4 Bottle 75 cl. Courtesy of thagr81_us. Pours an almost clear yellow with a dense and lively white head leaving a little lacework. Yeasty, spicy nose - somewhat estery and phenollic. Medium body, heavy carbonation, yeasty, spicy and a little tart. No real bitterness. 250113
3.6 Bottled. A hazy yellow beer with an off-white head. The aroma has notes of lemons, straw, malt, and minerals. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, straw, caramel, and alcohol, leading to a dry alcoholic finish.
3.6 750 ml bottle. This pours a clear golden color with a large fizzy white head that doesn’t last. The aroma is fruity with active carbonation. I got light spicy notes, pears, cider notes, light citrus, pale grains and some sake like notes. The flavor is citrus, pear, lightly spicy, ginger, pale malts, peppery with some sake character. Interesting, but was consumed with some big beers and got lost a bit.
4.2 Impressive offering with layers of complexity not often seen in a blonde ale. Subtle flavors and spice notes along with a bright and balanced base. Very refreshing, reminds me of a wit or saison with a very different flavor profile. I enjoyed this very much.
3.5 Bottle; Pour is murk light golden with a frothy white head initial, whittling down to a more modest white head with some average lacing in this glass. Retention is on the average side I suppose as well. The nose initial provides the ginger spicing and bread, with some citrus present, as well as florals. The flavor has much of the spicing element ; the ginger and cayenne come through, at least, with more of the citrus coming through from the kumquats , with a dry finish, and modest bite present. This is a nice brew , and I wish i saved it for something more food appropriate
3.6 Bottle. Pale straw colored pour. Winey, passion fruit driven aroma, insupportable kumquat heavy. Ginger notes, Asian flavored, nice and drinkable with a complexity of flavor that I cannot pinpoint. Enjoyable
3.4 750 ml bottle. Poured a clear yellow color with a huge sized head. Aromas of spices, some citrus rinds, some fruits, and yeast. Tastes follow suit.
3.5 Name: Faster Bigger Better Bolder Date: August 05, 2012 Mode: Bottle Source: Tasting, First Sunday Appearance: cloudy yellow, fine white head, streaks of lace Aroma: tart lemony aroma, light sweetness, touch of spices Flavor: sweet and spicy flavor, sweet and tart lemon, light bitterness Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20 Rating: 3.5/5.0 Drinkability: 7/10 Score: *** /4
3.9 Bottle from City Beer. Pours cloudy blonde with a rich white head and a rice aroma. There isa sweet and sour rice flavor with a hint of kumquat and a spicy finish. This is an unusual beer that is very refreshing and tasty. Much better than I expected.
3.7 Bottle sample at Sour&Bitter Copenhagen May 2012. Looks good in the glass, golden, small head. Dry-soapy aroma. Starts prickly and dry, flour notes. A bit moldy-fruity, more and more dry. Finish milder, more balanced. Not bad.
3.4 Pulled this up from the cellar and was not disappointed. Has a white wine aroma in the yellow/orange colored brew. Has a dual fruity spicy kick to start which fades into a dryness that is followed by a bit of alcohol heat. Very mellow.
3.8 Pours a hazy straw gold with a white head and lacing. The aroma has a lot of spices, some biscuit and tropical fruit. The flavor is slightly spicy and sour up front (which disappears as it warms up) with a fruity middle and more balanced spicy/yeasty aftertaste along with a fizzy texture.
4.0 Sampled on 3/31/2012. This spice ale pours a yellow gold color from a 750ml bottle. Medium to large sized white foamy head, with good retention and nice lacing. A medium bodied spiced ale. He malts are fruity and sweet, with a touch of citrus. The hops are herbal and spicy. Lots of different spices at play here. A nice golden ale, apricot and peaches with some pepper, some spiciness, some citrus, and some dryness. An interesting combination of flavors. Nice carbonation. An interesting blend of flavors and spices. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.
2.9 The aroma is spicy, fruity, dusty, hoppy, and yeasty. The appearance is hazy gold with a small head. The taste is like the aroma. The palate is average. Overall this is not great but it’s interesting.
3.7 lots of nice herbs that envelop the beer with multi-flavors. it is quite flavorful with lots of strength and a nice medium palate. clean tasting. this is the best of both of these breweries
3.9 Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured clear dark amber color with an average frothy white head that lasted with good lacing. Moderate to heavy rice, yeast and spice aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and lively carbonation. Medium to heavy complex sweet flavor with a medium to heavy sweet finish of moderate to long duration. Complex standout brew.
3.4 Aroma- kiwi, tropical fruits, funk, cereal Appearance- slight orange/yellow, nice fizzy head Taste- funky fruits, tartness, creaminess, tropical fruits Palate- decent body, deceptively full mouthfeel Overall- Goofy brew from DFH/Bruery. Good/bad dichotomy makes this beer difficult to rate. I’d like to try it again at some point to re-rate.
3.2 Bottle. Pours cloudy gold. Aroma of butter, various spices and yeast. Flavour the same. Bland. Disappointing.
4.4 Poured at a good temperature with a large, off-white, foamy, frothy, head that settles after a bit and a little lace. Color is a clear amber with some bubble trails. Aroma is a subdued blend of malt, yeast, spice, and perfume. Flavor’s like nose with sweet slightly on top, then carbonic tang, and bitter bringing up the rear. There is a lovely blend of spice and a little fruit sweetness to augment the picture. Body is perfect, ditto carbonation. Finish is like flavor, fairly long, and drinkable. Great beer!
3.4 Bottle 750ml. @ [ Sour&Bitter 2012 ] @ Refshalevej 163A, 1432 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Clear medium orange yellow colour with a small to average, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is light to moderate malty, fruity, soapy, ginger. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet with a average to long duration, spicy yeast, dry. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20120510]