Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Milton, Delaware USA

money saving tip - boil one cup water, pour water over 4 cups sugar, drink while sniffing an ipa. finish by posting a "doood 120 rulez" thread on a beer forum.

I’ll be honest: I had this before and was impressed, but this time around it felt like a hot, sticky mess. Some hops in there, for sure, and a bit of fruit somewhere in there. But this bright hazy orange pour with an off-white head smelled sweet and cloying as much as it smelled hoppy and floral; more so, really. A shit-ton of alcohol and sugars on the palate. Lots of burn. A novelty, but not so much an enjoyable experience. Yikes.

This is some really great stuff. Strong as Malibu Rum yet tasty as a top-notch IPA. Dark orange color with a medium off-white head. Sweet, syrupy malt, and hoppy but not as ridiculously as you’d expect. Some may consider the sweetness cloying, but I say the more the better. Syrupy mouthfeel is excellent. One of the more dangerous brews out there as far as drunkenness power goes, as it definitely doesn’t feel like 21% ABV.

Pours a hazy reddish amber with a very small off-white head. Interesting aroma with an obvious hop presence but really dominated by the very heavy sweetness of the caramel malts. I can almost smell the grains seeping out. Flavor is absolutely delicious, and the body is very heavy. Very sweet, almost corn syrup like at first. With a smooth hop body that has no distinct beginning or end. Does an incredible job of hiding the extremely high ABV. Definitely an American Strong Ale as compared to the 90 minute.

The 120 is certainly a great IPA, but I expected more. Doesn’t taste tremendously hoppy, in the traditional sense, almost fruity. Cloudy out of the bottle, smallish white head. The difference in price over the 90 minute isn’t justified to me. It’s better, but not by a lot.

120 IBUs? They were in the nose, but not in the beer... Aroma of hops and dried fruits, apricots. Flavor of mostly sweet malts, apricots, and alcohol. This was the weirdest IPA I’ve had in a while. A great beer, especially considering it’s 21% alcohol. But as an IPA, it definitely came from left field.

Well done for a 21% brew. Ever tried making something 40 proof taste like a beer? Dogfish Head, makers of some great imperial IPAs, really pull it off with the 120. I remember the first time I tried a 120. What a surprise... it was strong and so wonderfully flavored. And the great thing is that over time it becomes easier and easier to drink, so you can really come to grow even fonder of its qualities. This is a man’s beer... a beauty to behold.

(Bottle -- shared with three other beer geeks, thank you all -- at Pikkulintu. Helsinki, on 2009-01-23) Dark orange and hazy. Medium sized white head. Alcohol, malts, hops and excessive amounts of glue in aroma. Full bodied and quite alcohol filled palate with little carbonatio. Hops, bitterness, alchohol, malts, berries, sweetness and saltiness in taste. Saltiness, bitterness and hops in aftertaste. Not enjoyable at all.