on wood

Last night I cozied up on the couch with MAH BOO, da Bears and a Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, a “12% ABV, highly roasty and malty brown ale aged on Palo Santo wood.”

I once shared my tasting notes on this beer in a guest post for Daily Beer Review. (I’m not bragging, by the way; this guy’ll skeez out his blog to just about anyone).

At the Dogfish tasting I only got a few sips, so this was my first all-to-myself Palo Santo, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really can’t speak to the variety of wood on which this beer was aged; it would take a pallet far more developed than mine to tell palo santo from oak from mahogany, from the particle board that died to provide me with the entertainment center in my first apartment.

But I’ll tell you this: it did taste a lot like wood. I got a nice bourbony flavor right up front; finished with rich tones of vanilla and molasses. It was smooth, but very thick and full of flavor; took me about an hour to actually finish the thing. If you’re not doing anything constructive, I suggest you try it.

And, to completely contradict what I just said, after finishing this beer I did a workout video while simultaneously browning meat on the stove for a kickass soup that simmered in the crockpot all night long. This is not something I suggest you try, but often in life it becomes necessary to multi-task.

I don’t wish there were more hours in a day, I just wish I didn’t have to spend so many of those hours working instead of doing things that are fun like drinking, playing with my husband and making things out of food.

C’est la vie.