Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

[Corona Gigante]

Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute I.P.A., "perhaps the best I.P.A. in America" boasts the brewery website. This could be true although it's faint praise indeed. There is no US brew I've sampled gets anywhere close to Samuel Smiths.

My opinion: 9% ABV, not awful, although somewhat syrupy and way overhopped. As strong an apricot flavor as in some lambics I've tried. Worth $9 for four 12oz bottles? OK, barely. I believe I'll have no trouble finishing the four pack.

[whiteboard]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute I.P.A., "perhaps the best I.P.A. in America" boasts the brewery website. This could be true although it's faint praise indeed. There is no US brew I've sampled gets anywhere close to Samuel Smiths.

My opinion: 9% ABV, not awful, although somewhat syrupy and way overhopped. As strong an apricot flavor as in some lambics I've tried. Worth $9 for four 12oz bottles? OK, barely. I believe I'll have no trouble finishing the four pack.

Dogfish Head makes great beer. As far as the IPAs go, I much prefer the 60 minute IPA to the 90 -- not really a big fan of the 90 so I can understand your review. And I prefer the Shelter Pale Ale to even the 60 minute IPA. I think their best beers are Chicory Stout, Raison D'etre and Midas Touch. Hard to beat those. The new seasonal -- April Hop -- is damn good, too.

Sammy Smith's is some great stuff for sure -- especially the Oatmeal Stout and Imperial Stout. But their pale and IPA are not the best of their offerings in my opinion.

[onlyonerm]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute I.P.A., "perhaps the best I.P.A. in America" boasts the brewery website. This could be true although it's faint praise indeed. There is no US brew I've sampled gets anywhere close to Samuel Smiths.

My opinion: 9% ABV, not awful, although somewhat syrupy and way overhopped. As strong an apricot flavor as in some lambics I've tried. Worth $9 for four 12oz bottles? OK, barely. I believe I'll have no trouble finishing the four pack.

I am kind of a hophead myself and I agree 100% that it is the best I.P.A. in America, now the 120 minute from Dog Fish is just ridiculous. I think it is difficult to try to compare the Samual Smith I.P.A. to the American versions. They may have the same name but they are not trying to achieve the same results, us Americans we like to go overboard, push the hops limit. Most I.P.A. fans i know are a big fan of both. Just my

[KingMeatyHand]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

... and way overhopped.

That's quite an understatement you have there.

[SeanGAR]

I'd rather drink Burton Baton or Stone's IPAs than 90, or better yet Victory's Hop Wallop. I also find the 90 way too syrupy and the 120 undrinkable. The Aprihop I do love though.

[whiteboard]

Originally Posted by SeanGAR

I'd rather drink Burton Baton or Stone's IPAs than 90, or better yet Victory's Hop Wallop. I also find the 90 way too syrupy and the 120 undrinkable. The Aprihop I do love though.

Victory's Hop Wallop is exceptional beer!

[TheSmokingHiker]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute I.P.A., "perhaps the best I.P.A. in America" boasts the brewery website. This could be true although it's faint praise indeed. There is no US brew I've sampled gets anywhere close to Samuel Smiths.

My opinion: 9% ABV, not awful, although somewhat syrupy and way overhopped. As strong an apricot flavor as in some lambics I've tried. Worth $9 for four 12oz bottles? OK, barely. I believe I'll have no trouble finishing the four pack.

Samuel Smith does make some great beers. Their Oatmeal Stout is one of my favorite beers period. At the same time though, I think that some of their stuff really doesnt stand out. For example, their Nut Brown Ale is good, but I would take a Troegg Rugged Trail Ale (their nut brown) any day of the week over it. Before you give up on American beers, do yourself a favor and find some local micro-breweries and give them a whirl. You might, like me, be pleasantly suprised.

[Corona Gigante]

Originally Posted by TheSmokingHiker

Samuel Smith does make some great beers. Their Oatmeal Stout is one of my favorite beers period. At the same time though, I think that some of their stuff really doesnt stand out. For example, their Nut Brown Ale is good, but I would take a Troegg Rugged Trail Ale (their nut brown) any day of the week over it. Before you give up on American beers, do yourself a favor and find some local micro-breweries and give them a whirl. You might, like me, be pleasantly suprised.

I try every micro- and regional brewery I get the chance to try. We have and have had several brewpubs in Houston and without exception they have all sucked. We have one microbrewery, St Arnold's, which isn't bad when drunk very fresh.

Texas has some pretty strange laws concerning the import of alcohol into the state so I don't have as wide a range to sample as I would like. I always try to find beers I haven't tried before whenever I venture out of state.

Believe me, I'm not a snob. If I could find a US brew I enjoyed I would be delighted. I almost always prefer something fresh and on tap over something out of a bottle. My favorite tipples are traditional English IPAs and Best Bitters, Belgian Abbey or Farmhouse ales, and an occasional stout or lambic. Unfortunately, it seems that US brewers are aiming at an entirely different flavor profile, one that, with a few exceptions, I don't particularly care for.

[MrINMENSO]

I'll have to look for the April Hop Seasonal...haven't seen it here in Charlotte yet.

[JohnnyFlake]

I am not a big fan of the highly hopped beers, however, I still appreciate one every now and then. Personally, as far as american made beers, I do not care for any of the Dogfish IPA's. My personal favorites, when I am in the mood, are Stone IPA, Full Sail IPA and Sierra Nevada IPA.

JohnnyFlake

[Wetterhorn]

I'm with JohnnyFlake - I don't like heavily hopped beers. I always think a micro goes for an easy fix when they hop their beers too much. In trying to make them distinctive through hops, they forget the craft of making beer.

I don't care for the Dogfish IPA. Too hoppy and not enough balance. In my humble opinion.

[Wetterhorn]

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

I try every micro- and regional brewery I get the chance to try. We have and have had several brewpubs in Houston and without exception they have all sucked. We have one microbrewery, St Arnold's, which isn't bad when drunk very fresh.

Texas has some pretty strange laws concerning the import of alcohol into the state so I don't have as wide a range to sample as I would like. I always try to find beers I haven't tried before whenever I venture out of state.

Believe me, I'm not a snob. If I could find a US brew I enjoyed I would be delighted. I almost always prefer something fresh and on tap over something out of a bottle. My favorite tipples are traditional English IPAs and Best Bitters, Belgian Abbey or Farmhouse ales, and an occasional stout or lambic. Unfortunately, it seems that US brewers are aiming at an entirely different flavor profile, one that, with a few exceptions, I don't particularly care for.

Given what you wrote about your taste preferences, you may want to check out the New Belgium Brewery.

http://www.newbelgium.com/

Here are some comments on their beers:

Fat Tire Amber Ale

“Fat Tire Amber Ale, from New Belgium Brewing, features a Belgian-style balance of malt and hops – bready but with a lighter Yank twist. It’s a tasty cult beer; a light flash of hops tames the malt. So easy to knock back a few.”

Anthony Cerretani and Jason Alstrom, Outside Magazine

1554 Brussels Style Black Ale

Other than being dark in color, 1554 has little in common with Porters or Stouts. The beer is fermented at relatively high temperatures using a European lager yeast that imparts a refreshing, zesty acidity. Chocolate and coffee tones in the nose give way to a surprisingly clean finish.

Abbey Belgian Style Ale

The color of just-polished mahogany crowned with a tightly laced, mousse-like head, our Abbey Belgian Ale raises eyebrows just on sight alone. An ethereal swirl of banana, spice and smoky aromas compels further study. Cross the liquid threshold and discover flavors evoking ripe fig, caramel, coffee and clove. Settle into the solace of Abbey’s other-worldly finish. This is ale consecration.

[JohnnyFlake]

Originally Posted by Wetterhorn

I'm with JohnnyFlake - I don't like heavily hopped beers. I always think a micro goes for an easy fix when they hop their beers too much. In trying to make them distinctive through hops, they forget the craft of making beer.

Excellent point!!! In my opinion, the big hoppy beers, and there are a hell of a lot of them, are simply a cop-out on the part of the brewery. There are easy to make and they can be produced cheaply but it's dam near impossible to taste anything but the hop in those beers. The true measure of a Micro-Craft Brewery, is in the more subtle beer styles with complex falvor profiles. Instead of those hoppy BS Beers, try some of the truly great beers, such as Sam Adams Scotch Ale, Stone Old Numbskull, Sam Adams Nut Brown Ale, Full Sail Amber Ale and Unibroue Maudite, La Fin Du Monde& Trois Pistoles to name a few. They are great Micro-Craft Brewery Beers and there are dozens & dozens more!

JohnnyFlake

[txmatt]

I like the 60 minute the best of Dogfish's IPA line; the best tasting and cheapest , comes in 6 packs! I have only had one 4 pack of the 90 minute, but have countless 6ers of the 60. The 120 minute is still a must try though.

I think Dogfish Head is a good craft brewery, and they aren't hiding their lack of skill with the abundance of Hop flavor. If you aren't a hophead that is fine, but DogFish Head blows away the beer that New Belgium has been putting out the past year. New Belgium used to be my favorite brewery, but they are transitioning from a micro to a macro like Sam Adams did, they are having some growing pains. If you have been drinking New Belgium a long time, you know what I am talking about. You can't consider a beer that is available in WalMart and Target alongside A-B and Coors products a micro anymore. Sammy and New Belgium are high quality macro beers. Sierra Nevada seemed to do the best with the transition. I suspect Full Sail might be faced with some production volume decions here soon as well.

Lately I have been in a Belgium rut. I found a store that had Mardesous and Duvel in both the 8 and 10 (Dubbel and Tripel) by the case; and bought a case of each. These two beers are almost as good as the Trappist beer at 1/2 the price since they are commercially brewed instead of monk brewed.

MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm BEEEEeeeeR!

[Corona Gigante]

OK, I feel I should retract my previous statement. I just drank the third bottle and I have to say, to quote the worm in James & The Giant Peach "It's not dirt... but it's not bad."