Beer O'clock — Dogfish Head Namaste

April 29th, 2011

This week’s beer tasters: Jay, Kosta, Paul, Frank, David, and Stephen

Every Friday at DesignHammer, we take time after a long day of designing cutting edge websites to sit down for a gourmet beer tasting. This week David selected Dogfish Head’s Namaste for us to sample. Namaste is a Belgian-style White, released as part of the brewery’s Occasional Rarities—many released only once a year.

“A Belgian-style White made with dried organic orange slices, fresh cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander. This beer is a great summer quencher.”

Dogfish Head brews a variety of interesting and unique beers in Milton, Delaware. They have been brewing since 1995 and were featured in the documentary Beer Wars. Paired with Namaste, David provided Donut Muffins from Scratch Bakery, Durham artisan baker. The first few sips were silent with contemplation. Jay spoke first, “I really, really like this one.” David consulted the label to identify some of the complex flavors, “Coriander, orange, and lemon grass.” “What kind of orange?” Frank asked. “Orange, orange.” David replied. Polling the group, “What do you think of the donut muffins?” David asked. “What are they called?” Frank asked. “Donut muffins.” David repeated. Frank was curious, “Why are they called that?” “Because that's what they are,” Kosta explained. “What ever they are, they are great!” Paul decided. “This beer tastes better than it smells,” Frank decided. “Good pick, Dave.” Jay went to pour another small glass, “Oh! This is empty!” DesignHammer frequents the Hope Valley Bottle Shop, a local specialty shop near DesignHammer’s world headquarters in southwest Durham. Check out their extensive selection of carefully chosen wine and beer. Tell them DesignHammer sent you. Scratch Bakery is local specialty bakery in downtown Durham. Scratch specializes in seasonal, artisan baking with a focus on pies, cakes, and custom deserts made using the best local produce, fruit, cheese, and flour. We recommend the donut muffins.