Dogfish Head ApriHop

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

Bottle from Pizza Port Bottle Shop. Pours a toasted golden color, clear, with a medium off-white head. Aroma is sweet with malt and Cascade hop flowers. I had a difficult time sensing any apricot in the nose. Flavor begins sweet with nuances of orange peel and light grapefruit. Apricot does become noticeable towards the finish, hiding much of the hops bitterness. Palate is softly carbonated with a dry texture.

Deep crystal amber looks. Light apricot in definitely apparent in the smell along with mandarin and pink grapefruit. Excellent freshness to the fruit when it hits the tongue. Both pomegranate and apricot appear. A lovely booziness at the back of the throat. It has a little richness but is very easy due to the lightness of the fruit. Maybe a touch sour?

Peachy amber color with very little head. Expected a strong apricot aroma but instead had peppery hops, a bit of brown sugar and a background of peach/apricot. The taste was not very bitter at all, a bit of spice balancing with the apricots. A creamy apricot aftertaste lingers.

Bottle. A strong apricot aroma that cuts through the hops. Pleasant apricot flavors with a well balanced mouth feel. Hinting towards a light IPA rather than a pale or other other style compliments the apricots well.

This was just the thing to get me ready for an evening of fine dining. It wasn’ too heavy, to bitter, too sweet, or too boozy. The balance of fruit and hop was spot on for an early summer cooler with enough refinement to precede great cuisine.

I have always been skeptical about trying this beer, but more often than not, DFH has been able to come through for me. With that being said, this beer lacks in the ipa department AND the fruit department. It has a nice appearance with a dark, clear amber body with a long lasting head, but the aroma is almost non-existent. This beer starts with a hint of tart fruit and malt and finishes with some hop crispness. It is refreshing and a decent ale, but certainly not something that I would buy regularly.

Bottle pours medium golden amber with a slightly caramel and fruit aroma. Light hop with alot of sweet and sour fruit in it. Bitterness is overpowered by the fruit. Tastes more like a sour lemonade than apricots.

strange brew. like a mild ipa with a mild sweetness of apricots thrown in. mingles better with the hops than you would think.