Amercian Devil IPA is fermenting and a Dogfish Head Immort Ale Review

Got my American Devil IPA brewed up and put in the fermenter on Thursday. I was sitting around after work and a little bored so I figured I would get cooking. Added about 3/4 cup of some honey to add a little sweetness to the flavor and kick the alcohol content up a tad. The malt and hop extract smelled pretty awful. I hope the beer tastes better than that smell! It should take about 2-3 weeks for it to ferment. After that I will bottle it up in a few 12oz bottles and at least one growler, then it should be another 2 weeks for conditioning. So I should have the beer review for this in a little over a month, looking forward to it. I am planning on brewing up the English Pale Ale towards the end of the month. A friend in my car club has a bunch of brewing equipment that she hasn't used in years that she is going to give to me! The only condition is that I give her some of the beer I brew, I would call that a good swap.

On to the Review!
Dogfish Head Immort Ale:
The dogfish site says this is a beer that is brewed with peat smoked barley, juniper berries, honey and maple syrup and then aged in oak barrels. Sounded like just the type of beer I would either love or hate (So far my opinion of barrel aged beers has not been all that great). This being a Dogfish brew though lead me to be excited. On first pour the beer has a nice slightly brown head, beer is dark golden brown. Has a very nice vanilla note with a hint a maple in the smell. Taste is excellent, very smooth. Maple flavor comes out and you get a hint of smokiness which is a very nice balance to the sweetness of the maple. When I first poured this it was probably too cold because towards the end of my tasting, when the beer warmed, several new flavors came out. The oak spiciness really asserted itself as well as a very slight hop note at the end. I liked it cold but I loved this beer when it hit its prime serving temp. I plan on cellaring a few of these (it is only available once a year) and buying a few more for immediate enjoyment. This is going to be a great beer for the fall. Guess I plan on buying out any that are left at my local beer merchant! If you can take strong ales and are looking for a beginner barrel aged beer, then keep an eye out for this one. I'll give it 4 1/2 pints out of 5.