900. Dogfish Head – 120 Minute IPA

Posted By kkozlen on May 12, 2018 | 0 comments

It’s been a super busy Saturday, starting with my son’s soccer game at 11:30. Then we went straight to my daughter’s dance performance at 1 o’clock, and then to my son’s baseball game at 3:15. After all of that, I needed a beer, and since I hit number 900, I though I’d crack something a little special open. I bought this 120 Minute IPA a few weeks ago when I saw them at the liquor store. It felt a bit steep at $10 for this bottle, but it’s reputation preceeds it. The bottle didn’t have ABV marked on the label, but my understanding is that it’s upward of 15%. The label does say that it is continually hopped for the entire 120 minute boil and then dry hopped for a month afterward.

Location: Poured from the bottle into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 18% ABV, 120 IBUs, ~500 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s orange in color and it’s pretty hazy. The head is somewhat thin, bright white and creamy. It has a sweet light malt and slightly dank hop aroma with a little dose of alcohol.

Taste & Feel: The body is very full, and the mouthfeel is a bit viscous and creamy. The flavor up front is pretty sweet with a mix of hop bitterness and alcohol. In the middle, the sweetness builds quite a bit, with an alost candy-like sweetness. However, there’s a hop bitterness that kicks in during the finish.The hop bitterness and sweetness last for a bit in the aftertaste, and are joined by some alcoholic warming in the throat.

Food Pairing: This beer is pretty big and sweet, so it needs something bold and savory to stand up to it. I’d probably go with something like BBQ brisket or pulled pork.

Overall Impression: It’s quite flavorful, with a lot of sweetness, hop bitterness, and alcohol. With all of the sweetness, I can see where this might be a better beer to age, and with the dank hop bitterness, it might not lose a lot of hopiness. While I respect the extensive brewing process that it takes to make this beer, it’s not a beer I found super satisfying to drink. Overall, I’m glad I can say that I tried it but I definitely wouldn’t pony up $10/bottle for this one again.

My Rating: