I should not have been surprised to learn of a collaboration between Gastro Obscura and Dogfish Head Brewery. I’ve been enjoying regular email from G.O. for several years now, informing me of weird and wonderful things of culinary interest. (See also my review of their book, Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide.)
And Dogfish Head: such a good match in attitude and spirit! Their previous adventures have included Midas Touch with the University of Pennsylvania Museum, a beer based on a 2,700-year-old recipe. I have a dogfish-shaped church key with their motto, “Off-centered Ales,” both practical and whimsical.
Now comes their latest oblong-shaped effort, dubbed “Fermentation Engastration.” A little bit of an eye-roll, maybe? This multisyllabic moniker (strange even for their line of product) commands attention, but the description of the beverage behind the label as “the turducken of the beer world” inspires amused interest, and a desire to experience it for oneself. Fortunately, I was able to do that. Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head founder and brewer, kindly sent me a bottle to taste.
I’m aware of the term “turducken” by way of Paul Prudhomme, the late, lamented New Orleans chef. He popularized (if not invented) this example of culinary excess, by which a deboned chicken is stuffed inside a duck, which in turn is stuffed inside a turkey. The whole construct is then roasted long enough to cook it through. It’s tricky – cooked too long, the turkey breast will be irretrievably dried out; not long enough, and the chicken will be dangerously underdone. The duck should be pretty good, though, especially if seasoned with plenty of Cajun-style spice.
So how does the metaphor translate to a liquid beverage? Mr. Calagione says, “The ‘turducken’ of beer… artfully melds a whole myriad of complex ideas and brewing concepts into one multi-layered drinking event.” According to the Dogfish Head blog, “Fermentation Engastration draws inspiration from a collection of complex fermented beverages – a rose-scented sake, a Mid-Atlantic honey and date mead, a bittersweet hard cider, a fruity Muscat wine and a rustic farmhouse ale.”
Translate that to the ingredients on the label: barley, spelt, muscat grape juice concentrate, flaked rice, apple juice concentrate, honey rice syrup, date syrup, yeast, hops and rose petals.
Now this could well have resulted in a muddle of undistinguished flavors, but such is the mastery of craft at Dogfish Head that our tasting of Fermentation Engastration resulted in a delightful experience. Each flavor was distinct, presenting in series and on separate places on the tongue and palate. As sip followed sip, the drinker was presented with an intriguing, complex experience. There was a distinct floral essence on the back of the tongue; a sense of grapey-ness, only a touch sweet; and just a tiny hint of hops in the finish.
In short, a unique beer and a worthy entrant in the collection of Dogfish Head’s experimental brews. I’m only sorry it appears to be no longer available, limited edition as it was. I’ll look forward to their next collaboration, perhaps again with Gastro Obscura? An Obscura object of desire.
