Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

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

Hazy orange pour with a half-inch beige head. Sugary sweetmalt aroma wit hsome citrusy hops. Flavor is incredibly rich and far less bitter than I had imagined: orange zest with a sweet honey character. Hardly recognizable as an IPA ... more like a well-hopped barley wine. Very complex and rich.

Almost copper, amber color. Off-white head and lacing. Lazy bubbles float to the surface. Very, very piney, the smell is great. First hit with major bitterness. But, mellows wonderfully on the swallow. Alcohol is present but masked (unbelievably so). Never had a beer like this but really enjoyed it.

The color is reminisent of a Sauternes. Similar body also. Bouquet rich and alive with super sweet malt and maybe a little honey. Hops are there, but not as much as I expected. Incredibly complex nose. Too much to list. Very full bodied and rather sweet. Not nearly as bitter as expected. Finish that lingers on and on. Not much of an IPA. I'd call it simply an Imperial. Intense. Over the top in a lot of ways, but still quite enjoyable. Would make a great appertif.

Pours very thick amber with a decent head. Looking at the carbonation, the bubbles lift every so-slowly to the top, showing exactly how thick and syrupy this monster is. Sweet aroma with hints of pine and citrus... a tinge of alcohol in there as well. Flavor is rich... lotsa hoppiness, a bit sweetly alcohol-filled, and some fruitiness- citrus from the hops. Very nice.

Bottle. Sweet cherry, grapefruit, pine aroma with just a hint of malt. Light amber with small head. Primarily a moderately dry white wine flavor with hints of dried cherry and apple cider - shockingly light grapefruit hops finish and well hidden alcohol. High acidity. A true work of art - not just a mouthful of hops.

What an unexpected beer! Pours orange with thick white head. Intoxicating aroma of fall leaves, damp cloth and spicy hops, malt, hints of northwestern hops. I also notice some of the floral effects of the yeast. Some banana is noticeable. Taste is sweet, like mead or geuze. Not what I expected from an IPA. Lots of honey and tart fruit. Further tastes reveal hints of raspberry, some citrus hops, and more honey. Aftertaste is like honey-covered sour cherries. Medium to light mouthfeel with tiny bubbles. Quite a special beer. Though it calls itself an IPA on the bottle, I’m glad it is categorized here as a strong ale. I wouldn’t know where else to put it. Calling it the Holy Grail for hopheads is a bit much, as I don’t get any hopforwardness on this.

Bonus bottle from kramer17801. Dated 2004. Murky orange color with a sizable white head that fades nicely into some heavy lacing. Floral aroma with tons of orange and peach notes. Sweet and malty with a big orange flavored hoppiness. I opened this expecting not to like it but I find it outstanding. This is a VERY sweet beer but the hops balance it well and the alcohol warmth finishes it off very nicely.

Poured a clear amber with a creamy white head that left thick parallel lacing on the glass. Clean hop aroma with candy undertones. Taste is abrasive hops with a sticky sweet malt backbone. The alcohol is prevalent (of course) but contributes to the flavor nicely. In my humble opinion, a very underrated beer. Perhaps some people can’t take the kick on this one...