Beer Review: Wake Up World Wide Stout by Dogfish Head
Beer: Wake Up World Wide Stout by Dogfish Head
Style: Imperial Double Coffee Stout
ABV: 15.3%
IBUs: 50
Gearing towards the end of winter, I thought it would be the perfect time to have a stout. I typically don’t drink stouts during the warmer months of the year, or at least I don’t seek them because they don’t taste refreshing. I chose this one by Dogfish Head mainly because of the ABV. You don’t see a 15% stout too often and if you do, it’s probably Bourbon County or maybe KBS, but KBS is usually a little lower ABV. It’s pretty funny seeing a stout from Dogfish Head because when I think of that brewery, I think of their “Minute IPA” series. This series includes 120 Minute IPA, 90 Minute IPA, 75 Minute IPA and 60 Minute IPA. 120 Minute IPA being the craziest of the bunch since it clocks in at 15-20% ABV, while the others are lower in ABV. I have had all of them and 120 Minute IPA a couple times, and that beer specifically has usually been fairly boozy making it a slow sipper. Though aging it helps a lot with the booziness. So once I saw this stout by them with a similar ABV, I was very curious to see how comparable it was to 120 Minute IPA booziness wise. And well, the results are pretty shocking.
This stout pours a very dark brown, if not black, and there’s no way you can see through it. There is not a ton on the nose when poured in a glass, maybe a little sweet chocolate though. But, the taste is the shocking part. It says it’s 15.3% ABV, but it really does not taste like that at all. Maybe a hint of booze on the first sip but after that it is like you’re drinking a 7-8% stout. It surely is less boozy than the 120 Minute IPA. I get a good amount of roasty coffee flavor but it’s not like it smacks you in the face. Unlike what this beer will do to you if you drink it pretty fast, which is very doable since its so smooth. There is a hint of chocolate, but definitely more coffee flavor in this one. I believe this is one of the best stouts I’ve ever had. No crazy adjuncts, just a high ABV stout with solid coffee flavor. I have not really seen anyone talk about this beer and that blows my mind. If you see this one and you like stouts, you need to pick this one up. It will be a tad pricey (I think it was $10 for a 12oz bottle), but it’s so worth it for the flavor and ABV. I’m giving this one a 4.75 out of 5 on the Untapped scale, and can easily go 5 out of 5. I truly do not know how Dogfish Head hid the booze in this one. The world needs to wake up and know how good this beer is.
