Beer: Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA
Brewery Location: Milton, DE
Beer Style: DIPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 9%
I've had this on a number of occasions since I started this blog, but I've just never took the time to review it. This is one of my very favorite beers, and I am really curious what the hop shortage will do to this beer. DFH I am sure has their contracts with their hop companies, but I am curious if the recipe will change, pricing will go way up, or if this beer will be harder to find in the Midwest.
DFH are known for their big beers and unique takes on beers. Their IPA's come in 60 minute, 90 minute, and 120 minute. The name is reference to how long the wort (unfermented beer) is at boil with the continuous additions of hops. They recommend this beer be served in a snifter according to DFH's website. It really does help the nose on this beer.
I read a story that they first made this with an old electric football game that slowly added the hops. The board shook and gradually added the hops to the boil. I would like to see a picture of how this was accomplished. Now, I am sure it is all done with process automation with as much of this as they make.
It pours a nice deep amber hue with a slight touch of orange. Decent head to start with, but it quickly dissipated and left good lacing on my glass. The nose is packed full of hop aroma settling into citrus and pine scent with the malt scent trying to make it through all of that hop scent. The taste is what makes this beer something special. Bitter at first, but the malt quickly comes into play balancing out that bitterness. The malt is big and bready and rings in the hops just right. The sweet caramel finish on this is my favorite aspect of the beer. It is just very well balanced and not a tongue/taste bud grenade that will make everything taste like pine cones for the next few hours. Each drink the flavors of those hops keep coming though. Citrus, pine, and grapefruit meld so well with the sweet sticky caramel finish. The mouthfeel as I stated is very sticky and the beer coats your entire mouth very well, and is still so crisp and actually extremely refreshing. I would drink this beer pretty much any chance that I get in pretty much any time of the year.
I do have to say that I prefer this beer on tap vs. the bottle. It's not that much of a difference really, but I think it is slightly better on tap (but most are). If you are a hop head this is a fantastic offering from DFH, and easily one of the top DIPA's that are widely distributed across the country. If you are not much for big, bold, and hoppy beers this may not be for you. I would still suggest giving it a try, but try a regular IPA first (particularly Stone's IPA and Bell's Two-Hearted Ale to break you into IPAs).
Cheers!
Matt
3 comments:
Hello Matt,
I like your blog very much. Where do you buy all of this variety? I live in Greenfield and pickins are slim.
Great review, Matt. The 90 Minute is, hands down, my favorite beer and probably the favorite of most of the other Hoosier Beer Geeks as well.
deuce: I am not sure about Greenfield at all. I've never really traveled out there that much. A quick trip over to beermapping.com didn't really reveal that much either. You can use World Class Beverages website and try and find beer in an individual basis, but that would be very time consuming. I would just talk with the liquor stores that you frequents. They are serviced by the same account reps that my favorite places are, but they don't bring any there. Ask for something you want and see if it can be ordered for you.
Jim: This is one of my favorites as well, and for the price what an even better deal.
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