Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Milton, Delaware USA

Pours a very clear orange. Finger width off white head thats fizzy and lingers leaving some lacing. Strong smell of citrus hops, spicy, malty, and hints of apricots. The flavor is very hoppy, lots of citrus, fruity, and sweet malts. Bitter finish and a very solid balance. Not hint of alcohol whatsoever. A medium to light body, dry finish, no real carbonation feeling, and a lingering hoppy bitterness. Overall, a very well balanced beer. Great citrus taste and a nice lingering hop. Not overpowering or complex, but not simple. Pretty damn good IPA.

Fresh bottled, under 2 weeks. First whiff of aroma is something I can’t finger: strong, high note, astringent. This is overpowering but there is a maltiness underneath. Appearance is a golden, slightly dark amber with little or no head. Taste: bitter but lacking complexity, tangy but smooth and even. Overall, I’d prefer more balanced hop flavour in an IPA, decent but not spectacular.

Tap at Peculier Pub. Aroma of pine, citrus, grassy hops, no malt background. Flavor is similarly one-dimensional with little more than weak bitterness. Rather watery mouthfeel. Haven’t had this one in awhile, and like LilBeerDoctor below hoping this was just a bad tap line and not indicative of my impressions of the widely acclaimed 60 Minute.......So now had it in a bottle...and wow, it really is that bad...now I notice it even looks absurdly pale for an IPA. Aroma of all those hops, and flavor of NOTHING but hops, just odd bitterness on a base of NOTHING. Water and hops, leaving nothing but bitterness, and not even a substantial bitterness at that. Overrated gateway beer, period.

Bottle. Pours copper with an off white head. Aroma is very hoppy, and at times comes across as floral, pine or citrus. Caramel malt is there as well. Medium, sticky body. The flavor is sweet hoppy, but not overpowering. Floral, pine, orange and caramel. Perfect balance of bitter and sweet in this one, a really great session IPA

On tap at the Peculier Pub. Pours a clear gold/orange with a thick white head that left nice lacing. Aroma of dull citrus, pine, grassy hops. Flavor is an odd pine bitterness, pepper. Very watery palate. I don’t know if this was a bad tap line...but this was gross and not enjoyable.

Update 8/3/2008: Had this in a bottle, bottled 7/10/08 so I know it’s fresh. Ugh, the same super bitter, nasty hops with no malt backbone. Near undrinkable for me. Wow, what an overrated beer.

Draft and bottle. Golden color, filmy white head. Somewhat citrus-hoppy aroma with caramel-malty backbone. Moderate, grassy bitterness with sweetish, juicy, honey-malt-like center. Bitter aftertaste, but quenching. Still a great all-around IPA.

Bottle. I love this beer. Lives up to the billing as a cask beer in a bottle. A clear golden color. Hoppy, but slightly grassy aroma. Flavor is not as hoppy as some IPAs. Has a nice long finish. I look forward to trying the 90 minute and 120 minute versions.

Poured a clear golden amber color with nice carbonation bubbles rising in the glass. There was a nice foamy head that went down to about 1/2" fairly quickly, but it left a decent amount of lacing. There was a strong hoppy aroma with a citrus/grapefruit scent. There was a nice initial hop bite with a hint of grapefruit. The flavor rolled into a nice bitter finish that lasted well on the palate. This beer went well with spicy sushi. Great beer!!