Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

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

Ok. I remember discovering this beer about a year ago and scoffed at the price, but I knew, someday, I would buy this beer. I finally gave in today because dudebra was bragging about it. Yeah, it’s ridiculous. The 21% isn’t all that detectable, until you stand up. This smells like hops, and tastes like hops. Crazy hops, huge hops. Like eating raw hops. Oh, and a lot of sweet malt. This ale is so unique, it’s definitely something you have to try at least once.

Very sweet hoppy aroma. Flavors of sweet malt, citrus, strong caramel, and hops. I think this beer is extremely one-sided. Very sweet and alcoholic, but not very complex, at least the flavors overpower any complexity. Warming and decent flavor, but not that great. This stuff can get you drunk easy.

750ml bottle: I’ve been saving this one and finally decided to give it a try. It pours into the glass a fairly clear, orande tinted dark golden color. There wasn’t much head to it at all. The aroma is strangely both strong and subdued. Very aromatic floral hops to the nose. Some sweetness in there also. The taste is potent. You know that it is strong, but alcohol is hidden in the other flavors. Malty, hoppy, sweet, suprisingly not too bitter, very complex. Excellent.

Yet another in the multitude of "thought I already entered this" ratings .. Have had in 750 and more recently in 12oz. The 750 was particularly syrupy sweet and for each I wind up near amazed that those two hours worth of hops remain mostly hidden beneath the enormity of the malt. Perhaps this could be considered a spicy desert beer. Waiting to sample more and elaborate, but the ding dang distributor here is so freaking conservative that they’ve let the stock in town run dry and there’s no telling when more will arrive.

Thick syrup pouring from the bottle. Tiny bubbles struggle to reach the thin white head. Hazy orange color. Smells of apricot, pineapple and alcohol. Dense body that covers your tongue with fruit basket of flavors. Muted hop presence and bitterness. Finishes with alcohol rising into the sinus. Tastes more like a barly wine than an IPA. Hides the alcohol well. Clears as it warms.

Bright amber color, head is very small and mostly diminishing. Citrus, pine cones, maple syrup, mint, and chocolate (?) in aroma, with perhaps a slight hint of alcohol. Very sweet raisin and green grape flavor, bordering on syrupy, which almost entirely covers up the citric hops -- they're in there, but it is a bit of a struggle to find them. Pine resin finish. Massively thick stuff. Don't expect an IPA; this stuff is most definitely in a category all its own. This is my 500th rating, on my birthday to boot!

Bottled 2003: Light amber/orange color with a small head. Aroma of alcohol, sweet candy malts and hops. Flavor is really sweet, and a little syrupy. Not much alcohol taste and the hops don?t seem that strong to me either. Pretty good but its hard to drink the whole bottle.

On draft from Fall’s Church Dogfish location. Listed as 18%. Wow. This beer was nothing like I expected. I expected an astringent, alcohol laden beverage that was nearly undrinkable. I was wrong. This beer is one of the most carefully balanced beers I’ve had in quite some time! It is drinkable, the alcohol is quite hidden considering the alcohol percentage. A typical double IPA can be hard to drink at around 10 percent. What a way to clock in at #1000!