Philadelphia Beer Hunting: Dock Street Brewing Co.

I was back in Philly this weekend for a couple non-beer related events but still able to squeeze in a few tasty beverages. To kick things off I grabbed pesto-veggie panini and sampler at Dock St. Brewing Co. At 20, it's one of the oldest craft breweries around, but unlike some that sold out and lost any creative edge (*cough* Pete's Wicked Ales *cough*). Sure they have a Bohemian pils for their mainstay, but I was able to catch Sudan Grass, a just released gluten-free beer brewed sorghum and buckwheat.

Here's what I thought.

Bohemian Pilsner
Czech Pilsner

B+ / 3.95
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5
In a word: underrated. This is a fantastic pilsner full of malt and hops flavor that should be recognized for it's deliciousness. The malt lends a sweet, bready and nutty flavor, and that's met by a sharp and spicy hops flavor and bitterness that leaves a long trail of an aftertaste. Great drinkability and full-flavored - give it a try.

Sudan Grass
Gluten-Free

B / 3.6
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4
The main elements here are a fruity, cider taste along with nutty malt-like notes. The flavor isn't terribly complex, but this beer succeeds because it nails the mouthfeel. It manages a balanced mix of sweet and bitter where most gluten-free beers are a cloyingly sweet mess. Worth a try if you've got Celiac's or are just curious.

Chamomileon
American Wheat Beer

B / 3.6
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5
I suppose this isn't a bad beer if you like chamomile, but it just reminded me of soap and scented candles. Otherwise this was a pretty nice wheat beer with subtle vanilla and orange flavors. Smooth, balanced, easy to drink, and like I said, if you're into chamomile, probably a great beer.

Satellite Stout
American Stout

B / 3.7
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5
This is certainly a beer for coffee lovers (Dock St. uses 50lbs of espresso beans per batch), but I don't know if it's a great pick for stout lovers. The flavor balance is heavily skewed towards the espresso, which while quite tasty, leaves very little room for the roasted malt flavors of the beer itself. This a nice drink and worth trying, but I'd have liked more beer flavor to put it bluntly.