Dogfish Head ApriHop

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

initially bitter, you don’t realize it is an IPA until the finish. Beautiful Dried apricot color, but once again kind of an akward bitterness, boardering sour. don’t get me wrong bitter isn’t bad, but not my choice for an IPA from dogfish.

Bottle thanks to 17thfloor. Clear light amber with large creamy (long lasting) white head. Aroma is sour fruit and caramel malt. Flavor is medium sweet orange fruit with nice light, refreshing sourness, a little grape like, light dough as well with caraml malt backbone, light dirty hop presence as well. Medium creamy body. Very nice all around, I was not expecting much from this beer, but it wasn’t half bad.

Pours a nearly transparent orange, amber color with a very active, foamy white head. Poured it for my girlfriend and she said, "Oh, I licked my lips and it tastes like jam!" Good, I guess. Aroma is VERY unique, soft citrus fruits, orange, tangerine and apricot. There is also a distinct hop aroma as well that blends well with the fruit aromas. The first flavor most will notice is the fruit, but I actually got the sweet malts before the apricot, banana and orange flavors come through. Finish has a lasting bitterness that’s balanced with a lasting sweetness. For a fruit beer this was perfectly balanced from nose to finish, but beyond the aroma you lose the distinctive qualities of an IPA.

Pours a light honey color with a nice fat white head. Aroma is indicative of apricots, although I thought it had a bit of citrus notes. Nice and light on the palate with a good amount of carbonation which made it especially refreshing. Good for the warm weather on the horizon. The flavor was more bitter than I thought it would be, but had some sweetness and fruit to it also. Finished sweet in the back of the palate. I can’t wait to enjoy this outdoors when it warms up a bit more.

Light shiny copper color with minimal spotty head that does leave some lace. Smell is fruity and a bit sweet. Peach, apricot, apple maybe even some raspberry scents. Slight bit of toasted bread. Sweet and acidic peachiness persists throughout. There are some good hops underneath but they never come close to busting up the sweetness. Nice beer up front, almost sour and begins to taste like a nice IPA in the middle, but the finish is very lacking. Sweet and sticky finish that turns me off. This beer is not bad for a fruit beer and its pretty hopped-up, but ends up being too out-of-balance with the building sweetness on the finish.

12oz brown bottle bottled 2-27-08 purchased at The Lighthouse in Manchester. Pours a clear amber-golden body with a half inch of off-white head. Smells strongly of caramel and biscuit malt with hints of apricot and hops. Caramel and biscuit malts share the flavor with American hops with apricot on the finish. Surprisingly balanced and tasty, but not as strongly hoppy or fruity as the name would imply I think. Medium-bodied with ample carbonation to help clean the palate. Very very drinkable considering the ABV (alcohol is not noticeable). Good stuff.

Bottle. Pours amber with a white head. Sweet aroma with notes of apricot and caramel. Medium body. Starts tart, but finishes on a sweet notes, with a light taste of apricot throughout. Very subdued in its bitterness. Very well balanced and drinkable.

Dogfish Head ApriHop is a great fruit beer with a natural, faint apricot aroma. The color is a clear orange/amber with a nice but disappearing head. The taste is of a very lightly bitter IPA with just enough apricot to be intriguing.