Dwarven Ale

[zankoku_zen]

DWARVEN ALE
Brewed with fermented mushrooms, honey, and apple rootstock.

Dwarven Ale smells more like ginger beer to me. As it dries, the spicy ginger top note recedes and in the drydown honey and mushrooms peek out from underneath. It's a rooty, darkly ginger effervescent blend.

Gingery, mushrooms, beer.

[Cactus]

In the Bottle: Sweet Honey beer... almost smells like mead. And a bit of rich pumpkin as well.

 

Wet: Can smell the lab's pumpkin note in this which means rich, buttery pumpkin with a hint of graham cracker when it first hits your skin. It should settle down soon.

 

About 15 minutes later: Yep, the pumpkin has settled, and now I get the honey/mead scent mixed with beer, something root-y, the realistic mushroom note (like from Grave Pig), and a little hint of ginger. It's like a sweet, grainy honeyed beer mixed with earthy mushrooms.

 

A couple of hours later: Now the roots and mushrooms are the main notes. The honeyed beer is just providing a backdrop. It stays this way until it completely wears off.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Cactus

[ajansuz]

In the imp this smells exactly like the BPTP Honey Pumpkin Stout bath oil, rich, buttery, and spicy pumpkin ale with a touch of sweetness. It's a delicious fragrance, but it worries me because the cinnamon in that is strong enough to trigger contact dermatitis.

 

When I put it on, sadly that was exactly what happened. Swollen, itchy red spots everywhere the oil was applied. If you have a skin sensitivity to cinnamon, be careful with this oil. There's enough of it to get you. Unfortunately, I couldn't let it stay on to see how it would dry. I was really enjoying the scent. It would be something nice to wear in the autumn or early winter.

[Blood onmy hands]

On me, this is buttery cinnamon (reminiscent of red hots candies, but with butter) and honeyed sweetness. There's an undertone of something sour in the drydown (maybe what is supposed to be the fermented note) and it seems to get more earthy/mushroomy over time. All in all, though, this isn't working for me. It starts off too spicy and reminiscent of bad potpourri and then smells off on me when the sour/fermented something creeps in. It was still going strong on me after an hour, but I had to scrub it off at that point.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i *like* the smell of beer. cheap concert-beer, homebrew, whatev. i like to drink it, and i like the smell.

i also like the dirt-smell of mushrooms. i'm not sure what apple rootstock smells like, but i bet i'd like it, too. it sounds dirty. i also love honey, except for whatever the Lab calls honey, which isn't even remotely honeylike to me... it smells more like unwashed socks.

 

sadly, i get no beer, no mushrooms. thankfully i also don't get honey. what i do get... smells an awful lot like Grog, which i can't wear because it goes all suntan-oil-coconut (blech!).

 

so basically this is, like, Grog for around Hallowe'entime, with a little bit of something pumpkin-spice-ish-ness in there. boo.

[mistressfizz]

Pumpkin beer! It smells like a mix of spiced oatmeal, beer mash and raw pumpkin. Nutty, thick, mealy, with a lovely sweetness lurking underneath. There isn't any alcohol burn or fizz and there isn't the sharpness I often associate with ginger or cinnamon. Instead, it has a rooty earthy feel, and the spice is more like fennel or licorice. Very evocative and flavorful!

[ivyblossom]

Well, this guy seems madly underrated.

 

I wasn't really sure if I wanted a cinnamon smell or not, but I couldn't resist the concept of Dwarven Ale. I like Dwarves, I like ale, what could go wrong? I figured at worst it would be a novelty thing. So I was pretty surprised when it arrived this week and I fell so madly in love with it. I am a fan of the foodiest foody smells, and this is foodier than I expected (much to my delight). It's creamy and cinnamony, definitely pumpkin in a buttery way. I suspect some of the other notes will come out more once it's aged a tiny bit, the mushrooms in particular, but at the moment it smells like what's missing when you step outside on a crisp November evening, when the leaves are dry and rustling in the gutters, and someone in the neighbourhood has a fire going and their flue open. This is exactly what you'd want to smell like at that moment. Appley pumpkin, cinnamon, a creamy sweetness, all warm against a cold night just before the snow starts. I absolutely love this. This is all my feelings about the autumn (my favourite season) in a bottle.

 

Of course summer is starting just now, so the first thing I did was put it away for October. But I keep sneaking it out to sniff it. It's beautiful. I love it.

[milo]

What I'm mostly getting first is ginger, capital G! Gradually a foody note creeps in, so it's like gingerbread now, extra spicy. After a bit, I'm getting coffee, now where did that come from?? Kind of like enjoying a latte (yes, there's a creamy quality), along with some gingerbread. Not my cup of tea..(bad), but foodie lovers may like this one.

[dementia_divine]

In the bottle: Butterscotch.

 

Wet: The butterscotch-like sweetness is quickly fading, and ginger is becoming the dominant note.

 

I don't know if there is cinnamon in this (I think there might be), or if the ginger is just really, really strong, but it started burning my skin in the elbow area and on my neck, leaving it visibly red, and I had to wash it off. I decided to leave it on my wrists, which didn't seem to be bothered by it, just to see if the ginger would calm down and allow the scent to morph into something else.

 

When the sweetness fades (and that happens really quickly on me), it's basically just, I AM GINGER, HEAR ME ROAR.

 

Dry: Ginger is still the dominant note. I'm sure there are other notes in there, but I'm not familiar enough with them to detect them. I'm mainly getting 'spices.'

 

Verdict: Ah, Dwarven Ale, I had high hopes for thee. Alas, we were not meant to be.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Thick and rich toffee apples and shoe polish

 

Wet on me - A sticky honey scent with an almost bready undertone and hints of fruit

 

Dry on me - It disappeared completely on me

 

Overall - Wet it was really interesting but my skin just seemed to absorb it

[Aviatrix]

There is a dominant note in this that reminds me somewhat of brown sugar. Or butterscotch as others have mentioned. It's quite heavy and sweet. Underneath it is a faint tartness from the apples, but I'm not getting any fermented mushrooms.

It has decent throw and lasting time.

 

I actually quite like it, and I didn't think I would.

[gythja]

Serendipitous happiness! I tossed an imp of Dwarven Ale into my recent order just for the heck of it, and--oh frabjous day!--it turns out to, on me at least, to be a near-ringer for Gluttony!! (Which I am down to my last precious drops of). They both have the creamy, foody butterscotchy-ness with just a hint of sweet earth underneath, but Dwarven Ale has spice notes that are lacking in Gluttony, and Dwarven Ale lacks the bitter cocoa/coffee of Gluttony in the drydown. Still, it's the closest replacement I've found for a discontinued scent that I loved, and even better that it was totally unexpected Bottle time!!

 

NB I get no ginger at all in Dwarven Ale, zip, zilch, zero. Quite a hit of cinnamon, tho', especially when it's wet.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Like Dwarf itself, this is some POWERFUL stuff - it actually made me jerk my head back a bit when I first popped the cap. There's definitely something fermenting in there, but also something sweet and butterscotch-y that has quite the throw to it, while the fermentation stays pretty close to the oil itself.

 

Wet: Holy foodiness, Batman! After an initial blast of sweet honey/butterscotch, it dries down to something completely unexpected - dry, woodsy, and just a bit spicy. I would call this closer to the cask dwarven ale is aged in than the ale itself. I'm still getting the sweet foodiness from afar, but close up, its very woody.

 

Dry: Develops a resinous, incensey edge from god knows where. Otherwise, still getting the same woodsy-spicy scent with some foody-sweet accents all the way down.

[SimplySyra]

Imp: Powerful cloying butterscotch.

Wet: Buttery sweet foodie pumpkin with plenty of cinnamon and some other autumnal spices. This definitely smells like a typical autumn foodie scent to me.

Dry: The sweetness recedes a bit bringing out some honey to mingle with buttery pumpkin and cinnamon is still lingering. But now there is a base that is both woody and earthy. This is, perhaps, the mushrooms. Every so often in passing I can catch a whiff of what smells like fermented apples or apple cider at the very top of the scent.

Verdict: I like it quite a bit more than expected even though it is what I'd consider a "traditional" scent. This is going to be a perfect autumn scent and I will definitely wear my imp once the temperatures start to drop. If it continues to please me in cooler weather, there is a good chance I might snag a bottle.

Edited July 5, 2015 by SimplySyra

[stellamaris]

this is sweet, rainsiny, and delicious, I love it. Definitely a deep winter comfort scent, so much more beautiful than I had imagined.

[evilbee]

Without looking at the notes, I smell bpal's pumpkin note. It becomes buttery, sweet brown sugar and cream on me. A little too sweetly foody for me. I was hoping for something more boozy and earthy. It's very strong though. Hubby doesn't usually notice my scents and he thought it smelled like cinnamon.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: I can smell fermentation (how does Beth DO that??) but only for a second, then I get a warm, rich, spiciness. More like spice cake than ale/beer. Not what I was expecting. Really nice though. Somewhat gourmand.

 

 

Dry: Earthy, spicy, a little fruity, but honestly it still smells like cake to me! Like spicy, fruity coffee cake. Not that that's a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. I like it! I can see wearing it in the fall.

[Scarlet Woodland]

Bottle: Ye gads that's sweet! Butterscotch/caramel explodes out of the bottle. Am slightly frightened to put this on.

 

Wet: Okay, less frightening on but rather like being smashed in the face with a banoffee pie. Still almost painfully sweet.

 

Dry: Much softer and less sweet now. I smell like a delicious banana nut loaf. If I pick it apart it's the pumpkin/apple I'm actually smelling but combined with the cinnamon and nutty, earthy undertone, my brain interprets it as banana. Can't pick up the ginger or mushroom notes on me. Would have enjoyed some ginger but delighted to have missed out on the mushrooms as they're the only food I won't touch with a barge-pole.

 

I really rather like this. Alas, the boy put his nose to my wrist and almost fled from the room. Ah well, will certainly know what to wear if I'm ever "not in the mood".

 

ETA: A few hours later now and I'm getting honey and cognac soaked, golden sultanas with a touch of mixed spice. Pleasant and very close to the skin. Would be lovely for the winter holidays.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Scarlet Woodland

[roseus]

Bottle: Super sweet butterscotch.

 

Wet: Butterscotch and pumpkin.

 

Dry: Less sweet, bread-y pumpkin with a touch of ginger and maybe nutmeg or clove.

 

This could be a nice scent for autumn!

[Casablanca]

Freshly applied, Dwarven Ale smells like warm pumpkin pie and wholesome honey-apple oatmeal. I find a trace of mushrooms, but they just color the other notes a bit.

The throw is strong. This is a solid autumn fragrance.

[spikyfairy]

Frimp from the lab, definitely not something I would have chosen for myself.

Wet: "Honey" that very much reads as butterscotch to me, ginger & cinnamon.. And something earthy-mushroomy which smells much more true-to-life on me than the "dirt" note in other BPAL scents (which goes very nasty on my skin).

Dry: Oh, is this that "pumpkin spice" Americans are so crazy about? It's quite weird to an outsider, but not completely unpleasant.

This might be nice if you're into sweet foodie smells, but it is not for me. It is potent, which is a plus.

Edited October 4, 2016 by spikyfairy

[puddingirl]

I wasn't expecting this to be foody, but on first sniff it is very much so! I think it's the honey and pumpkin! Let's see what happens as it dries as it has one hell of a throw! This is my second try at a scent with pumpkin in. I think I may amp pumpkin which makes things smell more foody than they actually are. A shame I don't like gourmand scents! The pumpkin has calmed down a bit now. I'm not sure how I would go about describing this, but the notes listed are all there! Unsure if this is one I would want to wear. I was hoping the honey would be stronger, I may age this to see what happens.

[ririchu]

This is sooo strong in the imp, smells like a warm butterscotch beer. I can actually smell the mushroom note too. Wet, it is that same beer scent but I am the pumpkin and mushroom a bit more. The dry down reminds me of this traditional Chinese medicinal liniment my grandma used on me as a child which smelled of cinnamon bark and menthol.

[Coldfire]

Imp: woah! honey!
Wet on me: honey pumpkin
Drying Down: honey, pumpkin and the dirt of the the apple rootstock and mushrooms
Dry: Ugh. rancid sweet nuts. so not my thing. off to the trade pile!

[lizabelle]

In the imp: PURE LIQUID BUTTERSCOTCH. I'm trying to come up with a comment that's not me drooling but I've got nothing.

 

On skin, wet: Still mostly butterscotch, although it's settling down slightly and getting darker. Sort of what I imagine butterbeer to smell like.

 

On skin, dry: Butterscotchy still, with a light cidery fermentation note and an extra helping of golden apples. I did not expect this to be so nice, but it's actually an unusual, autumnal foodie fragrance. It's not as sweet as I make it sound by the time it gets to the drydown; it's definitely a crisp apple scent, with the butterscotch settled down into an almost resiny gooiness. I've already got tons of apple scents on the way thanks to this year's Weenies, but this will probably make its way into my collection before too long.