First Posted: 8/24/2014

Description – Dogfish Head’s Namaste pours a clear straw yellow with a frothy white head that lingers long and leaves behind a wonderful lacing on the glass. The aroma has refreshing notes of lemongrass, oranges, coriander, wheat, and floral hops that give hints to the invigorating beer within the glass.

The taste backs up the nose but also adds an extra layer of complexity from the spices. Strong notes of wheat hit the palate up front before notes of oranges and lemongrass wash over making room for hints of spicy peppercorns before one final push from all the flavors together give way to a semi-dry finish.

The lighter body in a beer with 4.8% ABV is expected but it certainly does not lack any flavor when compared to beers of a similar style but with a higher ABV. The carbonation is in the medium range, providing this beer its palate cleaning ability, and aids the beer in its wonderful food pairing ability.

Dogfish Head has a stellar reputation for brewing excellent beers and Namaste is certainly ranked among one of their best, a must try beer!

Food pairing – Namaste is perfect for lighter dishes and makes a fantastic Sunday brunch beer.

Try pairing it with eggs benedict smothered in creamy hollandaise, a veggie and egg filled breakfast burrito, or a light country omelet. However, Namaste’s reach extends far beyond lighter breakfast faire and is great with any number of lunch and dinner dishes.

Try pairing Namaste with a Caesar salad or a lovely summer salad topped with shrimp or tuna, the lemon flavors in the beer truly shine with this seafood pairing and highlight the natural citrus characteristics found in the dish.

If you are looking for a dinner pairing, try with roasted turkey, the subtle spicing will bring a layer of flavor to the dish and the carbonation will scrub the palate clean.

If you are more of a cheese fanatic than try with any number of goat cheeses for an extravagant pairing, Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove Chevre is one of the best and readily available throughout the area.

The Final Word – Dogfish Head needs no introduction to craft beer lovers; the brewery has built a reputation as a leader in the craft beer arena.

Namaste is a beer that Dogfish Head began brewing in 2009 as a seasonal beer in the larger 25 oz. bottle, but due to the incredible demand for this beer, the brewery not only put it into year round rotation but also began packaging the beer in 12 oz. bottles and selling the beer in six packs.

This move speaks to the high quality found in a beer like Namaste and itsability to find its way into your fridge throughout the year despite its summer-like qualities. Namaste is exceptionally refreshing, highly sessionable and is perfect for the last bit of summer left to enjoy outdoors. Grab yourself a six-pack and bow to the deliciousness that is inside.

Rating – WWWW

Where can I get it? – Currently available in 12 oz. bottles at: Exit 190 Beer Deli- Dickson City; Backyard Ale House- Scranton; Cooper’s Seafood- Scranton; and Goldstein’s Deli- Kingston.

Remember, enjoy responsibly!

Cheers- Derek Warren

Derek Warren is a beer fanatic, avid homebrewer, and beer historian. Derek can be heard weekly on the Beer Geeks Radio Hour on 102.3 FM Saturdays @ 10 AM and his beer blog found @ IdTapThat.org