Dogfish Head and the Grateful Dead present American Beauty Pale Ale

Dogfish Head and the Grateful Dead present American Beauty Pale Ale. 6.5 % ABV. 50 IBU. Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE.

Dogfish Head is at it again with the music-themed beers, and this time it's a band that I've never really been into, not even a little. I remember one night at the Harriet Brewing taproom (RIP), a Dead cover band was playing, and some groovers asked me "do you like the Dead?" as I stood in an utterly un-grooving manner. Not really, I told them, and they looked at me as if a giant eggplant has suddenly bloomed on the top of my head. Yeah, well, how many Horace Silver albums do you have, you filthy hippies?

On with the beer:

Clear, bright amber hue, sizable ivory head, looking good.

In the nose: Clean, lightly hoppy. perfectly okay.

In the mouth: Fruity, earthy, gritty hop presence on the palate. Smooth stuff, quenchable, refreshing. Medium body, long hoppy finish. Ends on a dry note, with flavor everlasting. It's a good pale ale, and you can drink it. There ain't nothing wrong with that.

I forgot that they added granola to the beer (of course), but it doesn't really stand out, but, rather, blends in with the malt very well. Adds a particular grainy, roast/toasty character, and the honey smooths it out.

But, speaking of the Grateful Dead, I once had a co-worker who teased me for playing so much jazz at work. I told her that I'm tired of everyone picking on jazz, because jazz never hurt anyone, and the only bad thing jazz ever did was inspire the Grateful Dead. Boy, she did not like that.


American Beauty, a pale ale inspired by the Grateful Dead, captures the spirit of the band's 30 years of touring and recording. Dogfish Head and the Dead both built their followings by connecting directly with beer lovers and music lovers, so when we first started this collaboration (back in 2013), we asked those loyal fans to help drive the recipe.

After receiving more than 1,500 ingredient suggestions, granola was tops. It was the main course in millions of parking lot meals and is a sweet and toasty complement to the barley, succulent wildflower honey and all-American hops.

ABV:
6.5
IBU:
50
RELEASE:
Year Round
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE:
2013
STYLE:
Pale Ale
ENJOY

FOOD PAIRING
Thai, jambalaya, frites
EXPERIENCE

COLOR
Golden/orange amber
AROMA
Subtle fruity notes of marzipan/almond/cherries, citrus hops, orange, honey and malt
FLAVOR
Sweet lingering honey with citrus accompanied with fruity notes of almond
MOUTHFEEL

Warming and thin, lingering sweet and bitter