Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Milton, Delaware USA

Although I appreciate this beer, I did not like it much at all. It pours as cloudy gold as possible, letting very little light through. It tastes very syrupy and sweet, and surprisingly its hop taste is not very apparent for having a whopping 120 IBUs. However, it definitely does a nice job warming as it goes down thanks to the ridiculous alcohol content. Dogfish Head did a pretty cool thing with this brew, but I won’t be trying it again any time soon.

Holy mackerel!!! The aroma is outrageous, the mixture of hops and amount of hops, just explode from the opening of the bottle. It’s not too shy on malts either, with some medium bodied malts, and some interesting aromas as well a perfume of alcohol, close to the aroma of nail polish. It’s appearance is a dark copper, with a fully developed head, some colors outside of white. It’s flavor is incredible, with hop oil exploding, but extremely well complimented with medium bodied malts. There is definitely alcohol the citrus is present, but subdued. It’s extremely well balanced. Excitingly smooth for a big boy. This is not a session, this is a celebration or nightcap beer, inheriting qualities of a barleywine.

Bottle aged a few years (2 or 3, I forget) in the cellar. Its certainly sweet young, and aged contributes more to the sweetness. Notes of plum, apricot, and mango blend with toffee and brown sugar. Pineapple and orange play a supporting role. Finish is warming. Paired delightfully with North Hendren’s Black River Gorgonzola.

Murky. Not much head. Very sweet. It does’t bash you over the head with bitterness, which is a nice change.

Cloudy amber. Fast soapy head. Aroma: Floral Hops, citris, alcahol. Flavor: Sweet syrup w’citris, Alcahol. Warm finish.

I finally broke down and paid the $9 (!!!) for a 12 oz. bottle. I felt I had an obligation to try this beer. The aroma is pure hops, mainly the earthy kind, not citrusy sweet or piney. Extremely subtle, almost non-existent alcohol on the nose (wierd for a beer of this abv). The appearnce is true to an IIPA, with the golden color with a copper red tinge. This guy is a little hazier than most IIPA’s though. The first thing that hits you as you drink this is the thick mouthfeel, almost like oatmeal. The flavor is nice mix of earthy and piney hop flavors. It’s a little sweet, but not much. There is a lingering sweetness on the palate, probably the carmelized malts that were overpowered by the hops at first. There is a substantial alcohol burn on the palate, and the chest gets a warming, as if I had just dne a shot of whiskey. Unique beer, but I think these guys peaked when the made 90 Minute.

12 oz. bottle as a gift. I had 6 of these boys sitting in the fridge and figured it was time to open one. Pours a very interesting thick orangish gold hazy hue with a decent offwhite head that sticks around a bit. Aromas are very hoppy, flowers and citrus dominate and are very pleasant. Slight sweetness detectable as well. Taste is much different than expected. The hoppiness is much more muted as the sugary sweetness takes the show. Strong alcohol, caramel malt with added sugar, and hoppiness are the main qualities. I guess to achieve certain levels of ABV, you need a lot of sugar. Interesting, a bit complex, but not something I’d drink very often. Cheers.

Slightly hazy golden color with a thick white head that stuck around until I finished the beer. The aroma was like no other beer I’ve ever smelled! Hoppy...definitely, but also very sweet. A slight nose of honey and alcohol. Taste is very complex. Starts out sweet with a strong honey flavor and some hops, then becomes a little strong and the alcohol comes through a tad. However, the alcohol is extremely well-hidden for a 21% ABV! This definitely isn’t an everyday beer, but I am very glad to have tried it.