Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Pours from a bottle provided to me at a family function. I have a cousin with good taste. The pour is copper with a decent head. The aroma is hoppy and sweet. The taste is about the same. It was more like a strong ale with hops. Smooth and mild. I am not an IPA fan but this is one I could drink often.

[Bottle, 2 months old at time of consumption] Pours clear amber with a medium-small off-white head that dies quickly. Aroma is nice and big with citrusy hops and a decent amount of caramel malt--a little sweeter than I usually like my IIPAs, but still very nice. The taste is initially sweet, the hops and malt combine to form an almost nutty taste that I often find in barley wines. A little alcohol becomes detectable as it warms, as do some notes of lime. There is certainly a good deal of hop influence, but it is not as bitter as I had expected, with the malt taking center stage much of the time. Despite this, it actually does work for it, and is enjoyable. Pretty good mouthfeel, quite smooth, and has a long, dry finish. Not the kind of IIPA that I am usually crazy about, with the malt so forward, but it turned out pretty well despite that. A very solid, albeit not spectacular beer.

My gateway beer, and one time my favorite beer ever. A wonderful intro to the world of big beers, but one that eventually doesnt hold up to the best. Unfortunately this beer can be very temperamental, with a SEVERE drop off after 3-6 months. Too much malt for my tastes, and that DFH graininess that can be hit or miss. On draft it tends to be much better (probably because it is much fresher)

I brought this bottle to DuffmanSW beer tasting event with mspindler, hophead22, and NickTheEdler. Bronze orange color with no head. Floral notes. Very balanced for an imperial IPA. Dogfish head living up to their reputation.

big citrus flowery aroma. sweeter than other imperial IPAs. i typically prefer a hoppier beer, but the malts and hops are balanced quite nicely in this one.

Pours a hazy coppery orange with a small off white head and very light carbonation. Smells like earthy white grapes and English caramel malt, floral hops, some toffee, and very faint tones of citrus. Flavor is pretty sweet, the malt is pretty much the star of the show, very sweet with a cloying palate and a moderately bitter hop finish. Another attempt at greatness foiled by their inability to avoid throwing a bunch of grapes into the vat. After trying a wide variety of Grapefish Head’s beers, I have come to realize that these are brews for wine lovers. They always gotta sweeten things up with grapes, or raisins, or whatever...sure it is a different spin on any given style, but some people just want an IIPA with the malt making a feeble attempt to balance against an incredibly strong hop profile. It is what it is, not your normal IIPA, but drinkable and delicious. If you’re looking for a hop bomb, keep looking.

Appearance: Pours an impressive clear medium burnt orange color with a diminutive tan-colored head. Right off the bat I can tell you there is not as much head as I normally like to see on an Imperial IPA. Even a forceful swirl of the glass brings minimal head to the surface. There is, however, a nice bit of lacing which at least proves there’s something good going on in this bottle. Smell: When I hear people say that Imperial IPAs smell like cat urine I typically scowl in skepticism. However, I really do get that aroma in the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA; and I mean that in the best way possible. Along with this strong presence of pungent hops and powerful malt comes a touch of orange caramel, and oddly enough, even a faint smell of espresso beans. Taste: This definitely tastes like an Imperial IPA, yet it has a heaviness that you don’t normally find in its class. Even as I taste it I’m reminded of the same bitterness one might expect from the mouth feel of an espresso. And while I do only get a faint taste of coffee, there is clearly enough hops to keep it firmly planted in IPA territory. Mouthfeel: There is a good amount of bitterness here. Although, I would hope that an Imperial IPA would have a touch more luster than this seems to have. The bitterness and flavor profile that is left behind is quite pleasurable, though. Overall: Not as impressed as I’d hoped, but I’d definitely drink a shit ton of these again. The hoppy bitterness is really pleasing and the flavor it leaves behind is quite enjoyable. At 9% ABV, I think this is a good session beer if enjoyed 12 ounces at a time.

12 oz. bottle, light orange-red color. An intense experience with a long finish transforming from pine to citrus.