Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

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

bottle. Extra cloudy copper hue with a foamy white head. Aroma is strong. Tons of grapefruit, caramel, prunes, with just a little alcohol making itself noticed. This stuff is absolutely syrupy with remarkable amounts of caramel and sappy sweetness. The hops aren’t as overwhelming as I’d expect, but they are certainly assertive. There’s a whole array of outdoorsy, citrusy, spicy hops. I think the ridiculously dense malts cover them up somewhat. The finish is port-like, though accompanied with plenty of bitterness. Laces like oil on the side of the goblet, I see. This stuff is just ludicrous. Cheers!
[march 19, 2008]
Bottle, a fresh one this time. Pours a cloudy orange with a tiny head. The nose is heavy, syrupy, with grapefruit juice, and ripe fruits that I might associate with a barley wine style. Mouthfeel is dense, but not outrageous and the alcohol is hidden well. I’d say it blends in with the dry, resinous acidic notes. The finish brings out flavors of raisins and plums. The hops are detectable, even quite drying, but are not over the top. Sweeter citrus flavors are here. so, this is pretty good, it’s definitely extreme as a beer. It’s not worth 8 bucks a bottle. I understand that the sheer amount of ingredients used, especially the expensive hops, costs a crap-ton of money comparatively, but the end result is a heavy, moderately bitter, decently balanced brew. . . not something I enjoyed as much as their WWS for instance. Definitely worth trying once or twice to make sure I have an idea what is going on here.

Bottle from john_adam2002 in June 2007. I’m guessing the bottle is a year old. Pours with a little carbonation and some initial malty hop aroma, especially when the cork was popped. Hop aroma quickly fades to malt. Amber color. Low carbonation. Medium back of the throat burn. Drinkability isn’t that high, probably because of the extreme alcohol level, even though the alcohol seems well hidden. Sweetish, but not nearly as sweet as I’ve heard.

2007 bottle from Willow Bend Liquors (Tampa, FL). Cellar aged since released. Pours a slightly hazy deep amber orange color with a one finger creamy white head that settles quickly to virtually nothing. Aroma is sweet and floral with sweet and syrupy notes of brandy and alcohol, rich caramel and raisin aromas, some hints of wood, honey, ripe fruit, bready yeast. Flavor is sweet and floral as well with a stronger floral hop presence than in the nose. Notes of ripe dark fruit, caramel, raisins and candy sugar present as well. Generally full body with a floral and burning alcoholic finish.

Bottle - 03/30/06. I don’t think I’ve had such a great experience as I’ve had with this beer as with any other. I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time and have finally been fortunate enough to find it in singles in Sharkies, a basement/filthy bar, of all places. The Aroma was so sweet and really took over me, sending a pleasant sensation to me. The appearance had me mystified watching the head act as though it was alive. I kept swooshing it back and forth to watch the carbonation great a new head that was utterly fascinating. I think I almost had enough fun looking at this beer as I did drinking it. The flavor almost knocked me on my a$$! Very sweet but under control, nice alcoholic taste that was not over powering and barley noticable for being 21%. If I didn’t already know that this beer was 21% I would not have known while I was drinking it. Very sippable. This is the type of drink I need to have while reading a Hemingway or Thomas Hardy novel or watching Raging Bull. This feels like a ipa version of a barley wine. This may be my new #1. Great, great brew!!! Cheers!

On tap at the Draft Magazine PBS Beer Festival. Pours a hazy amber with a thin tan head. The nose is sweet citrus and caramel malt. The taste is brown sugar, rock candy, and candied citrus. Medium mouthfeel. Good, but way too sweet for me. I’m glad I got to try a sample rather than wasting a 10 spot on a bottle.

didnt know what to expect from this one. so much hype, but also a lot of shit talk. i enjoyed every sip. wish they were still making this in the big bottles. very sweet--almost like a barleywine, but also retained some of the hop qualities that makes dfh ’minute beers’ great. nice job sammy!

<4oz pour at Rich O’sPours dark hazy orangish golden with a thin foamy off-white head. Aroma of sweet citrus, intense hop resins, mango, caramel, and grapefruit. Taste is intense, with hop resins balancing just barely the onslaught of volatile ethanol. Full bodied, resinous with lush carbonation. Good attenuation keeps this from being a sticky mess. I was surprised how drinkable this was.

From a 12 oz. long neck brown bottle with a blurb and aging info on the left side of label, 2006 vintage, sampled at a cool cellar temperature in a chalice. Made a good appearance, poured a slightly hazy amber and golden hued orange with foamy beige head that settled into a thin, skim-like foamy lacing, a good amount of ringed sticking, moderate carbonation. Had a piney, citric and caramel nose with a little spruciness and whiffs of raw alcohol. A crisp, alcohol textured, creamy smooth full bodied mouth feel, good sipping drinkability. Rich caramel malty, followed by a smooth citric rind flavor with a piney numbness on the tongue, the hop bitterness is amazingly smooth and rolling in the palate, you get a little of that hop numbness on the tongue, but it is actually not that bad, a little grapefruity sugariness follows, a nice and steady alcohol warmth then lingers in the palate, a little brown sugar spiciness and a dryish grapefruity and caramel malty finish with a soft hoppiness and alcohol warmth lingering in the palate. For 21% ABV, surprisingly quite drinkable, a pleasant bitterness on the tongue, the hops are quite tasty and mellow, quite sipping quaffable.