Review: Dogfish Head Positive Contact

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Dogfish Head describes the release of their new beer, Positive Contact, as a house party in a box. That's because in addition to six bottles of beer, a 10-inch vinyl EP of four new Deltron 3030 remixes, as well as some recipes, are included in the box. Music, beer, and recipes: not a bad mix.

I have to admit I was unfamiliar with Deltron 3030 before researching this beer, and the reason for that is because I'm lame. Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop group who released an album by the same name in the year 2000. Positive Contact is the name of a song on that album (the lyrics above are from that song). Group member Dan the Automator contributed to this beer, suggesting the use of his favorite ingredients. Those ingredients include Fuji apples, roasted farro, cayenne peppers, and fresh cilantro.

The beer is part of an occasional series in which Dogfish marries music and beer. It's limited, and it's been hard to find as a complete set. I was able to get one bottle (for about $17), without the record or recipes. I still consider that a win. I shared a bottle of this with my wife, who is something of a beer novice. She likes good beer, but not necessarily experimental beer. She liked this.

The beer pours orange with quite a bit of head. Nice carbonation; tiny bubbles move quickly to the top. A quick whiff yields yeast, apple, and some of the cayenne.

Upon first sip I'm reminded of a Belgian Tripel. The stats (9 percent ABV, 26 IBUs) seem to back that up. There's lots going on in here: banana, cloves, and apple, though it doesn't taste like a cider. My wife likes how drinkable it is. The cayenne lingers as a faint burn at the back of your throat. I couldn't taste the cilantro.

We didn't have the LP, but drinking the beer while playing the YouTube clip below sort of replicates the experience. If you can find this beer it's worth a try, though part of the high price is undoubtedly due to the limited nature of the beer and the potential to sell to Deltron 3030 fans. I liked the complexity of this beer, though maybe not more than some $10 bottles out there.