Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

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

The style: Imperial Imperial Imperial IPA
The conclusion: Intense and interesting oddity that offers more than just alcohol. Ok as an occasional treat. Better in small samples.
The how: Bottle, 6 months old
The look: Partly cloudy golden-copper body with a small off-white head.
The stuff: I had it a few times in tasting events but I was never too enthusiastic about buying a bottle to drink by myself. Not only is it pricy but as expected it was more interesting in smaller samples than a bottle by myself. Alcohol on the nose as well as hop fruity notes. Taste is surprisingly balanced. A ton of caramelised malts, a ton of bitter resinous fruity hops and a ton of alcohol. Obviously extremely sweet although not cloying. I never knew the abv as the bottle doesn’t mention it. At first I wrote “alcohol very apparent” but now that I realize that this is 21%(!!!) I’d say “alcohol relatively well hidden”. Surprisingly bitter despite the alcohol and sweetness. Brutal but still enjoyable. Named after the length of the after-taste.

Pours a murky copper color with a medium thin and frothy bone white head that burns off slowly. Spotty lacing. Aroma of piney hops and citrus with some sweet malt. Rich, full body with a thorough underlying malt and sherry sweetness that is somewhat surprising considering the increasing hoppyness of the 60 and 90. Hops are present to be sure, but are masked by the caramel malt and alcohol flavors. The finish is syrupy sweet as well, and by the end of the bottle you can definitely feel the 21% ABV. An enjoyable beer despite not being what was expected, still I doubt I would pay the premium price for another bottle any time soon.

Hoppy aroma, deep amber, small white head. Absolutely hoppy flavour, but so tasty with the malt infusion. Tangy orange crispness. Well balanced, not easy at this strength. Hats off to Sam Calagione again! Thank You jgb9348!

#500 I must give this brew some big points for making a 20% brew taste so good. Pours a deep red amber with a small ivory head. I was really shocked at how sweet this brew was, the hops were there, but overwhelmed with maltiness. Tons of malt, honey, brown sugar tastes realy brought out the sweetness. I wish there could have been a lot more bitterness to really balance out the flavor a bit. This brew was still very smooth with a very thick and creamy mouthfeel, sweet finish, and not nearly a 20% alcohol flavor. Great brew to try once, but I would rather stick to the 90 min IPA.

An immensely hoppy beer with lots of syrupy sweetness. The alcohol is noticeable, but you'd never think it's 20% - that's wicked. Sort of treacly thick with hops everywhere: aroma, up front, aftertaste. Interesting, though after a certain level of IBUs you can't taste the additional hoppage.

Bottle at Stuffed Sandwich, LA. Amber with a medium creamy white head. Moderate citrus hop aroma along with some fruitiness. Flavours are full of fruit. Quite sweet, a lot of alcohol, almost like a port, ending semi-dry. Alcohol is very warming and the carbonation is good. A knock-out beer which probably ages well, but is very enjoyable even young.

Bouteille de 12 oz achetée chez Oak Tree Discount (South Plainfield, NJ). Arôme: Explosion d’houblons. Apparence: La couleur est ambrée. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’houblons fruités avec une pointe de caramel. Longue durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement sirupeuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Légère présence d’alcool chaleureux en arrière goût. (Rating #938)

12-oz. Pours a deep, burnished copper with a thin white head splashing around on top after a nice surge. Verrry little visible carb (what a shock). Huge c-hop nose; pine followed by grapefruit and orange and caramel and sugar. Very assertive attack: big thick body, though not quite oily or sticky. Bold flavors, active but fairly low carb. More of the orange and pine and grapefruit on the tongue, along with the caramel and sugar. This is one of those things where you’re glad someone (in this case, DFH) took the time to bring it into existence; you can say the territory’s been filled in on the collective map. We now know what a well-made IIPA’s all about. Yay! Hard to know when to drink something like this, though, because you can get at least as much flavor for half the calories, a third the alcohol, and a quarter the price. For as many times as I’ve bought this beer the last few years, I’m not sure anymore what motivates a trip out to this extreme. That said, I still like it.