Dogfish Head ApriHop

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

I normally don’t like fruity beers, but I’m a Dogfish Head fan, so I gave it a try. Great amber color with a full head to match. Aroma...? Floral/citric with something else.... apricot? Great taste after a pleasant mouthfill with a minor apricot aftertaste. I keep some in my fridge now.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Tree Inn, Blue Island, IL<font size=-1>

Bronze color with a tall expansive beige head. Nice fine lace left hanging about. Fresh hops aromas (light citrus and floral) with undertones of mild caramel malt. Nose seems to get more "dirty" as it warms with some peat and peach pits. Fairly light in feel. Fairly dry start with malt and light fruit late in the swizzle. Mild hopsack flavors and some late acidity. Apricot are quite subtle.

Bronze with some orange color & a good white head & light lacing. The aroma has a good dose of hops with a subtle sidenote of apricot & dry dry hops. The flavor has a good sweetness with lots of musky dry hops & some malty caramel, only a touch of fruit. Very balanced finish with almost no alcohol notes. This is a great IPA, yummy!

Draft. Brownish amber with small head. Aroma and flavor well balanced of apricot, bread malt and citrus. Easy to drink good brew.

Draught @ WABF 2008. Pours a clear golden color with a small white head. Has a fruity apricot aroma with some hoppy hints. Fruity and slightly tart crisp apricot flavor with some hoppy hints. Has a fruity finish with hints of apricots.

On tap at the Manayunk brewfest 4/24/04. Pours dark gold/amberish with a huge hop nose. The apricot is there, but it is in the background. At its heart, this is a good IPA style ale, but not as hoppy as the 60 or 90 minute IPAs. Finishes pretty smooth, with more hops, but not a lot of apricot.

A golden ale with a thin creamy white head. An initial strong apricot aroma, very pungent, followed by a burned charcoal aroma, like burning wood. In mouth, an oily beer with an initial strong apricot, followed by bitter and clying fruit taste, unripe, green, then followed by the floral IPA hops. Medium bodied. Tasted in late nov. 2006.

Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is medium amber. Aroma is moderately hoppy (resin), lightly malty (cookie, toasted grain), with notes of apricot/peach (pit included). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, creamy/velvety texture, lively carbonation. Nice enough balance and mouthfeel, but I’m not a fan of the base beer here (the apricot is barely able to compete with the hops, and some hops are kind of apricotty by themselves, so the point of adding that fruit to a very PNW-hoppy beer is kinda pointless IMHO).