Dogfish Head ApriHop

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Fruit Beer
Milton, Delaware USA

Bottle, a nice golden pour with a fizzy, carbonated head. The aroma is very weak, I was kind of surprised, usually DFH beers have a solid hoppy aroma, not so in this one, some slight fruit. Taste is more fruity but not too much. A bit weak to be honest. Not one of the better DFH beers I have had. Would not buy again

Nice aroma, nice dark appearance, not overdone on the apricot flavor. Nice smooth almost another with a half beer, half fine wine taste. Something like to Dogfish 120, not not a super of a beer as 120 or the stout. I will have this one again sometime. The one I had at Dogfish Rehoboth was on draft, which makes it even better.

THOUGHTS: Had this a couple times, but never rated it. Before I didn’t think I really like this and it has been a few years since I tried it. I do like it now. It’s a nice beer, but not great. I think this is a way better example of what the Sam Adams Long Shot Grape IPA was trying to accomplish. For something this light and fairly hight in ABV it hid the alcohol fairly well. TECHNICAL: Apricot mostly and very light hops. The initial flavor was lightly sweet and acidic; while the finish was moderately sweet, lightly bitter and slightly sour with a short to average duration. There was mostly apricot in the flavor, first sweet then sour. Then there was just a touch of hops in the finish. Great balance. The light to medium body was syrupy then dry with fizzy carbonation and a light alcoholic and astringent finish.

Bottle. Lots of apricot and hops in this beer keeping true to the dogfish hop profile. A slight sour fruit offering. decent.

Smells of apricot and hops. Pours amber orange with a white head that lasted. While not particularly a fan of the fruit beers (i.e. magic hat’s #9) in my book this beer is more of an IPA with fruit undertones than a fruit beer. Distinct hop presence from a brewer that specializes in hoppy beers. Good spring seasonal.

35.5cl bottle from Total Wine (Tampa). Pours a dark golden orange with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is strongly of apricot, fresh grain, ripe fruit. Flavor is slightly sour, slightly sweet, citrus, ripe apricots. Interesting ale.

4/22/08 notes: bottle. Appearance is golden amber with a bit of orange. Pours clear with a small white head. Aprihop smells of crisp grass, hops, and apricot fruit. Tastes of sweetish fruits (mostly apricot), hops, and grass, to go along with a sublte malt backing. Based on Aprihop’s flavor, I think Dogfish has it wrong to call this an IPA: there is too little bittering hops and too much fruit in the finish. This beer is tasty, but I felt that flavors were too indiscriminant, and mouthfeel a little light. 7% alcohol well masked however.

Pours a dark amber with fizzy head. Fruit, citrus, grapefruit, bread, and apricots! Very nicely balanced, fairly complex and refreshing. Finishes slightly sour, quite good. I would drink it more if it were more available in my area.