Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

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

great flavor, beer is defintely super concentrated with flavor, hops and of course alcohol.

Bottle graciously shared by Hogtown Harry with Blankboy and GregClow. I was just flipping though some other ratings of this - why in the world are people so hung up on style here? BarleyWine, Double IPA, I don’t care, all I know is that this is a beer that I have been waiting to try for some time. I was a little cautious, as the World Wide Stout was massively disappointing, all alcohol and nothing else. So I sipped this with the aforementioned caution. First off, it looks amazing. Dark intense orange, lots of streaming bubbles, thick foamy white head - I can’t see a beer like this looking any better, so 5 there. The aroma- wow, it is actually quite mild! At 21% and these hops, I had insulated my nose hairs in case of fire, but it isn’t there. What is there is a mild hop aroma with tons of bready malt - it smells formidable, but there really isn’t any alcohol to speak of. The taste: WOW. I never thought I would use the word balanced to describe a 21% hopped all to hell beer, but here you go - it is remarkably balanced (more so than their 90 Minute I would argue). I get lots of hops, more really bread like malt, and alcohol for sure, but maybe more like an 8-10% beer - this is remarkably restrained. More importantly, it is the most balanced big Double IPA I have ever had. Medium silky mouthfeel. A nice sweet fruitiness in the background as well. Way more accessible than the World Wide Stout, this is truly heaven in a glass. Thank you Harry for sharing this. 120 Minute: Welcome to my Top 10.

Wow, I really liked this beer. Cloudy copper color, very small off-white head, didn’t last long. Nose is slightly floral, but the smell isn’t overpowering. Surprisingly sweet flavor in the beginning balances out the hops nicely. I expected a bigger hop flavor, but I think what its got is really perfect. Sticky on my lips, nice thick mouthfeel, like sweet crude. Alcohol is present, but not overpowering like in some other beers I’ve tried with less alcohol.

Play it again, Sam. The massive number of hop additions and whatever other strange alchemy Dogfish Head did to this beer created a surprising beast of a beer. My best description would be to call this beer a light, carbonated port wine. It does not tastes bitter. It is almost syrupy sweet, and there is a definite raisin flavor. Yet, the hop flavor shines, harnessing the sweetness and making the beer very drinkable - albeit in sips rather than gulps. I need to find more.

From a 12 oz bottle ($15!) in a tulip glass. This is the second time I’ve had this. Just amazing. Best beer I’ve ever had. This beer is all about hops. Fresh hop aroma. Huge hop flavor. Perfect hop bitterness, hoppy but not overwhelming. The beer actually smells just like sticking your nose into a bag of fresh hops. Full body, golden brown color. Just an excellent beer. The high alcohol content is perfectly balanced with the sweetness and bitterness of the beer. This is almost like drinking a scotch. Well worth the money.

12 oz bottle thanks to Secret Santa and lb4lb who both coincidently sent me a bottle. WOW!!! Truely a spectacular beer. So complex, so many flavors. Reminds me of a mead but yet hops too. Would be a tough beer to session. This gives a whole new meaning to "one and done." I think I could have drank the second one, but decided to wait to share it. The alcohol is well hidden by the sweetness and hops. YUM!

This is a really amazing beer. Cloudy light brown with a slight fizzy white head. An amazingly flower like hoppy aroma with sweet fruit notes. Thick rich sticky palate. Very rich caramel taste with a fantastic fruit, grapefruit, apple, and banana taste, for a 21% alcohol beer it’s not as sweet or as alcoholic tasting as I expected. This is a really fantastic beer!!!

Big. What else can I say about this amazing beer. If there is an element of flaw, it would be that its too damn sweet. I understand it’s super high in alcohol, but the sweetness makes it very difficult to pair with light vibrant dishes. Luckily the fall and winter seasons are just coming along.