Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware
Purchased: 750ml (1 pint, 9.4oz) bottle bought at Evolution Wine & Spirits in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 7.5%
Reported IBUs: 75
In case you aren't obsessed with little details, you might not have noticed that all of Dogfish Head's "IPAs" follow their number system in terms of ABV and IBUs. The 60 Minute IPA clocks in at 6.0%, and packs 60 IBUs. The 90 Minute IPA clocks in at 9.0%, and packs 90 IBUs. The 120 Minute IPA is the odd man out, clocking in at a variable 15-20% ABV, but still packing 120 IBUs. Tonight's beer -- of course -- clocks in at 7.5% ABV, and packs 75 IBUs. About Dogfish Head:
Reported IBUs: 75
In case you aren't obsessed with little details, you might not have noticed that all of Dogfish Head's "IPAs" follow their number system in terms of ABV and IBUs. The 60 Minute IPA clocks in at 6.0%, and packs 60 IBUs. The 90 Minute IPA clocks in at 9.0%, and packs 90 IBUs. The 120 Minute IPA is the odd man out, clocking in at a variable 15-20% ABV, but still packing 120 IBUs. Tonight's beer -- of course -- clocks in at 7.5% ABV, and packs 75 IBUs. About Dogfish Head:
Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.
If you roll over to Dogfish Head's 75 Minute IPA page, you can find out about this limited-release beer. This beer is a blend of the 60 and 90 Minute IPA. The bottle states: "There are some situations when 90 is too much. There are other situations when 60 is too little. There are many situations when 75 is juuust riight. Bottle-conditioned with pure maple syrup for complexity and dry-hopped out the bejeezum boards." Once the 60 and 90 are blended, this beer is dry hopped with whole-leaf Cascade hops, and then bottle-conditioned with maple syrup. This will continue to ferment in the bottle, at least for some time, and may be a reasonable candidate for aging (sort of like a Barleywine). Let's get this into a glass, and see what's up.
This one pours a super hazy, orange/amber color, with 3 finger's worth of super thick, foamy, creamy, off-white head. The head has a dash of gray in it, and is leaving substantial lacing as I swirl this. In bright light, the head is a rocky and foamy white, and it's really sustaining nicely. The body takes on a bright orange appearance, with thin carbonation visible, in the form of small to mid-sized bubbles lazily rising upwards.
The aroma here is a nice mesh of what I've come to expect from Dogfish Head's IPA lineup. There's some resinous pine, resinous grapefruit, caramel/toffee, hints of booze-soaked bread, some brandy, and more pine/citrus/pineapple. The nose is somewhat subdued, but it's still very nice.
The taste is quite nice, and it seems to lean more towards the 60 than it does the 90. There's a lightness, crispness, and drinkability about this beer, as I'm getting a lot of pine, grapefruit, orange, citrus, and some really nice honey, caramel, and biscuit. There's a Barleywine thing going on here, as floral, piney, and light citrus hops play off honey sweetness, sugars, and -- yes -- some maple syrup. It's light, but never watery, as pine, and pancake syrup -- with a dash of cake batter and bread -- show up to save the day. It's sort of like drinking an already-aged American Barleywine, without having to wait many years. It reminds me of the Burton Baton, only with a dash less complexity.
And that's going to be the rub here...I love the Burton Baton. When you're talking about the price point (~10 dollars for 750ml) of the 75 Minute...you start weighing pros and cons. You can get a 6-pack of the 60 or 90 for that price (I think the 90 still comes in a 6-pack?). Or a 4-pack of the Burton Baton.
I don't know. This is really tasty stuff. At 7.5% ABV, this drinks remarkably well. This is medium-full, with light and smooth carbonation. Palate depth is great, with nice interplay between the hops and malt sweetness. Complexity is also solid. The beer wants to drift into watery territory, but the maple and malt sugars keep this on track. Up front is creamy smooth, a blast of honey and biscuit, and hop bitterness; the middle rolls into honey, maple syrup, pancakes, bread, cake, and then piney hops, citrus, grapefruit; the back end is lingering hops, pine, and more syrup and sugars. This fades to piney bitterness, with some nice pancakes/cake. Elegant, and reminds me of an aged American Barleywine.
Rating: Above-Average
I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I like this a lot...and in many regards, this is better than the 60 and better than the 90. In other regards, it isn't. The additional malt sweetness via the maple syrup really adds a layer of complexity to this beer. It reminds me of the honey that is added in Hopslam, and in many ways, this beer is very much like Hopslam...only more nuanced, and less bright/hoppy. I can't complain, Dogfish Head has a real winner here. For around 10 dollars, I would definitely pick up a few of these. I might even age one of these for a year or two...see how this ends up. Food pairings: pancakes, man. Breakfast. Belgian waffles. Waffles and fried chicken. Eggs Benedict. A Monte Cristo...oh lawdy, that would be heavenly. I DO recommend this, but I've been spoiled with the 120, 90, and Burton Baton.
Random Thought: Goodbye, old Pope...hello, new Pope! According to the Nostradamus' prophecy...this will be the last Pope. Dun dun dun....
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| Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA |
This one pours a super hazy, orange/amber color, with 3 finger's worth of super thick, foamy, creamy, off-white head. The head has a dash of gray in it, and is leaving substantial lacing as I swirl this. In bright light, the head is a rocky and foamy white, and it's really sustaining nicely. The body takes on a bright orange appearance, with thin carbonation visible, in the form of small to mid-sized bubbles lazily rising upwards.
The aroma here is a nice mesh of what I've come to expect from Dogfish Head's IPA lineup. There's some resinous pine, resinous grapefruit, caramel/toffee, hints of booze-soaked bread, some brandy, and more pine/citrus/pineapple. The nose is somewhat subdued, but it's still very nice.
The taste is quite nice, and it seems to lean more towards the 60 than it does the 90. There's a lightness, crispness, and drinkability about this beer, as I'm getting a lot of pine, grapefruit, orange, citrus, and some really nice honey, caramel, and biscuit. There's a Barleywine thing going on here, as floral, piney, and light citrus hops play off honey sweetness, sugars, and -- yes -- some maple syrup. It's light, but never watery, as pine, and pancake syrup -- with a dash of cake batter and bread -- show up to save the day. It's sort of like drinking an already-aged American Barleywine, without having to wait many years. It reminds me of the Burton Baton, only with a dash less complexity.
And that's going to be the rub here...I love the Burton Baton. When you're talking about the price point (~10 dollars for 750ml) of the 75 Minute...you start weighing pros and cons. You can get a 6-pack of the 60 or 90 for that price (I think the 90 still comes in a 6-pack?). Or a 4-pack of the Burton Baton.
I don't know. This is really tasty stuff. At 7.5% ABV, this drinks remarkably well. This is medium-full, with light and smooth carbonation. Palate depth is great, with nice interplay between the hops and malt sweetness. Complexity is also solid. The beer wants to drift into watery territory, but the maple and malt sugars keep this on track. Up front is creamy smooth, a blast of honey and biscuit, and hop bitterness; the middle rolls into honey, maple syrup, pancakes, bread, cake, and then piney hops, citrus, grapefruit; the back end is lingering hops, pine, and more syrup and sugars. This fades to piney bitterness, with some nice pancakes/cake. Elegant, and reminds me of an aged American Barleywine.
Rating: Above-Average
I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I like this a lot...and in many regards, this is better than the 60 and better than the 90. In other regards, it isn't. The additional malt sweetness via the maple syrup really adds a layer of complexity to this beer. It reminds me of the honey that is added in Hopslam, and in many ways, this beer is very much like Hopslam...only more nuanced, and less bright/hoppy. I can't complain, Dogfish Head has a real winner here. For around 10 dollars, I would definitely pick up a few of these. I might even age one of these for a year or two...see how this ends up. Food pairings: pancakes, man. Breakfast. Belgian waffles. Waffles and fried chicken. Eggs Benedict. A Monte Cristo...oh lawdy, that would be heavenly. I DO recommend this, but I've been spoiled with the 120, 90, and Burton Baton.
Random Thought: Goodbye, old Pope...hello, new Pope! According to the Nostradamus' prophecy...this will be the last Pope. Dun dun dun....
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