Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

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

Gorgeous amber color with a slightly foamy head. Shockingly malty sweet nose with fruity and caramel-like notes. Low carbonation, with a sticky body - this one warms nicely on the way down. The very first hit is hoppy, then the rest of the swallow is smooth and sweet, almost like a trippel. MMM.

Pours thick, yellow, with a strong hop aroma. Flavor is extremely hoppy with a thick mouth feel. Pretty much like hop-wine. Great stuff!

vintage 2003 aquired in a trade w/ Mike. a nice cloudy orange color w/ a fairly small white head laces pretty well. The aging seems to have mellowed the hops down as it’s a nice pretty sweet malty smell w/ a great citrus blend, hints of carmel, and sweet apricots. Palate is big and creamy and thick coats really well warms after swallow. The aging has really mellowed this beer it is got a huge sweet flavor big carmel and apricots and almost like an overripe pear w/ a big citrus hop finish and a nice subtle kick of alcohol in the swallow. Overall this is just great and should always be aged a couple years as it mellows out incredibly well and tastes much better.

Holy horse Sh*t!!! This is very hard to drink at first, but after the first, it tastes better than God’s sweat! Very, very, very sweet and syrupy, but bearable as it warms up a little. Not recommended for common consumption! Use sparingly!

This is a paradoxical beer on so many levels. I don’t understand how a 20% ABV beer could be this pretty, but it is. A big creamy layer of golden head, settling in viscous lacing. Bright copper body. Aroma is not really anything I can compare to in the beer world. More like if they were to make some intensely concentrated hop soap. Piney, resiny, grapefruit rind, honey...and kind of a post-thunderstorm clean. Before I can start to register the flavors, I am aware of how thick this feels in my mouth! Even the hairiest of Imperial Stouts I’ve tasted so far don’t come close. Do I chew before I swallow? If not, will it get stuck in my throat? The predominant flavor I get is a very delicious orange marmalade. Sipped gently, the alcohol is very nice, like the vapors of sipping cognac. After a few sips, I am aware of how fantastic the balance is in this beer. Something this heavily hopped could have been horribly astringent and unpalatably bitter. And something this strong could have been syrupy sweet and cloying. But it is neither. It is a taut line of bitter, sweet, and alcohol. This greatly exceeds my expectations.

This beer simply encourages my love for Dogfish Head on several levels. It was on tap when I got to the brewpub in Rehoboth, a lovely surprise as seldom as I’m told that happens. After a snifter of it, that lasted me a good 45 minutes of sipping, I was amazed at how well hidden the huge alcohol content was hidden, even as it warmed considerably. The hops profile is almost exactly the same as 90 minute, but more in your face. The sweetness is strong enough to balance all 120 of the IBUs, though. It’s an incredibly balanced beer even as huge as it is. I was more than impressed. The next day, my friends and I ventured up to Milton to the brewery for the tour and to pick up a case of 120 that James and I had reserved. Upon getting there we were given a rather torn up looking case of 120. When we opened the case back here in NC, we noticed that the bottles didn’t have the yellow warning caps that DFH has started putting on their big beers. I called the brewery to enquire and it turns out that they had sold the case we’d reserved and instead of telling us, had taken a 2003 vintage case out of Sam’s personal collection to replace it. Quite a score and quite a brewery.

Plenty sweet, which is expected if this beer is 21%. Thank goodness for all of the dry hopping to balance that out. Spectacular beer. I would have NEVER guessed that it was 42 proof. I need a few cases of this.

There are those that understand and appreciate this beer, and those that do no apparently. I’m not trying to come across as a beer snob, but those that rated this low either had a bad batch or didn’t enjoy an aged variant. Currently sipping on one from the 3/30/06 batch, that I’ve had stored away in the closet for almost a year, and it is absolute heaven. I’m not sure how some have managed to have a headless 120 minute but that head on this one just wont dissapate. Reminds of me of the oh so wonderful Aventinus where the head just hangs around lacing the side of the glass for the entire duration. I have savored this fine offering from many a glass and the only one to do it justice is the Duvel Tulip. Chill it down nice and right and sip on it over the course of an hour. It leaves the drinker with the most wondeful buzz and happy stomach. I sample one from each batch and if its good when fresh I buy an entire case. This is truly a very special beer that will only be appreciate by those with experience. Cloying, sweet, hoppy yet mysteriously smooth for 21%. It really just doesn’t get much better than this.