Friday, October 18, 2013

Beer Review: 120 Minute IPA (fresh)

Reviewing the infamous 120 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery out of Milton, Delaware. This double IPA clocks in at a whopping 18% ABV.

Score: 90

Bottled on 02/15/13. Served in a snifter glass and enjoyed on 05/15/13.

Appearance: Pours a clean looking caramel color with a thin layer of off-white head atop the glass that settles to ring around the glass. Average lacing, above average retention -- shocking for the ABV. Basically, this looks like you'd expect an IPA to look like. 4/5

Smell: Boozy caramel and surprisingly subtle piney hops. Sweet citrus, cheap waffle syrup (you know, the kind at a Comfort Suite's continental breakfast) and wood chips, a little earthiness too. Smells quite malty. 4/5

Taste: Tastes like an aged Behemoth with more alcohol warmth on the palate. Syrupy caramel malt, boozy malt, a dash of vanilla. There's citrus, earthy hops and a lingering orange and syrup flavor in the finish. Despite the booziness, it does not taste like it is much more than a 10% ABV beer -- certainly not as boozy as you would expect of a beer that has a higher ABV than a bottle of DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker schnapps. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation. This beer is surprisingly viscous and syrupy! Has a nice malty sweet character with a dash of bitterness from the hops. Dry finish. 4/5

Overall: Definitely overpriced what it ultimately delivers, but pretty tasty nonetheless. I can't imagine this beer is cheap to brew given the gravity. Although 120 Minute IPA is not quite as good as other malt-bomb high ABV imperial IPAs that blend the line between American barleywine and imperial IPA like Double Crooked Tree or Maharaja, I found that I liked this beer essentially as much as a two or three year old Behemoth.

Cost: $9.99 for a 12 oz bottle.

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