Dogfish Head 90 Min IPA

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Dark_Ale

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I tried this beer yesterday, $11 for a four pack. Very Hoppy, Alc 9%. I put one in storage for some aging may be some more of the malt will come through after a year or so. This beer was thick. A ton of body, Thats the only thing I did'nt like, If you like hops try this one out. They have a 120minute IPA but I have not tried it yet. They say they continually hop this beer for 90 minutes, I guess a hop additon for each minute.
 
Yeah. I like that beer but in small doses.
After I drink a couple a feel like I just had a big meal and several beers.
 
Mark me down as not a fan of the idea of aging/cellaring 90 and 120...they can be on the edge of cloying as is. I have had a few that I suspect were a bit long in the tooth while on the store shelf and that sticky sweetness was really pronounced and not to my liking....accentuating that wouldn't be to my preferences.
 
I've had the 60 and the 90min. 60 is almost an accessible brew for non-hop heads, 90 is up there and intensely hopped, I loved it. A local bar has the 90m and they're great because they're so strong and they're about the same price of getting them in a store, of course I cant drink anything after those retard my pallet.

I saw the 120Min at Whole *Paycheck* Foods and they wanted $10 for a 12oz bottle sorry but thats drawing the line for me. I guess I wont ever have that beer if that price is indicative of what they average price is for them.
 
Have not tried any but the 60. My brother went out and bought a case of 60 and found that it was just too much for him, so he gave me the almost-full case (24/12oz), which seels for about $35 here in PA. He made my day.
 
SteveM said:
Have not tried any but the 60. My brother went out and bought a case of 60 and found that it was just too much for him, so he gave me the almost-full case (24/12oz), which seels for about $35 here in PA. He made my day.

Tell your brother to get the 90minute ;)
 
My local grocer had the 90 for 8 bucks last week and I tried it for the first time. Loved it! Went back for more...sold out!
 
An excellent IPA and one that would definately benefit from some aging. I love this stuff and look forward to trying the 120 min when I find it again.
 
had my first bottle of this the other week. Fantastic beer with a great hoppiness to it.

I love how well it hides the 9%.
 
for anyone that likes strong abv beers and strong hops. Just bite the bullet and spend the money on a bottle of 120min...I love the damn thing. it will put you down. I believe its 21%abv...and you feel it. one bottle is good to split with a friend thats not a lightweight
 
edb said:
I saw the 120Min at Whole *Paycheck* Foods and they wanted $10 for a 12oz bottle sorry but thats drawing the line for me. I guess I wont ever have that beer if that price is indicative of what they average price is for them.

Thats about the norm for a 12 oz bottle of 120. I was up in new york and i found this very ghetto beer store but they had a ton of great beer. I found a CASE of 120. Well, i thought it was a case until i opened it, it was acutally a bunch of Shelter Pale Ales in a 120 case. Anyway, i found about 6 120s and they were about $9 a piece. At the gourmet beer store down here in VA, they got 3 cases of 120 in and each bottle was about $10. Dont feel ripped off for paying $10, thats about the average price. And if you see a bottle and have never had it, i recommend buying it. The gourmet beer store that i mentioned above sold out in about 4 hours.
 
I have about a half a case of 90min in my basement thats over a year old. I don't like it nearly as much as the fresh stuff. Hops are really mellow, and thats the main reason I enjoy the beer.

I did just brew up 5gal of a 90min clone. I can't wait till I keg it!!! :D

Ohh, and it's worth the $8-10 for a 120.....just once at least. And the World Wide Stout is the same price, and deff worth it. I've got a few in the basement from 2003. I can't freakin wait to drink em, but I'm waiting for a special occasion.
 
hmmm
I have a great beermonger so it's easy to get my hands on this stuff. With that said, I have IPAs I'll drink before I have a 90 minute. Oh and just so we're all clear, I wouldn't turn one down if offered...

1 case 90 minute + 1 case India Brown Ale = Something similar to Burton Baton :cross:
 
Dark_Ale said:
If you like hops try this one out.


This beer is very hoppy, however it is brialliantly balanced with malt, and I don't think it tastes "hoppy" at all. I've had IPAs with much lower IBUs that tasted much hoppier then the 90 min did. So I would say if you like delicious, well balanced beers then try this one out. The same goes for the 120 min. I just enjoyed one of those on Sunday night, and incredible does not even begin to describe it. The balance and incredible taste almost completely mask the fact that it is a 20% alcohol beer. I've got another one that I bought a few weeks ago that I will probably age for a year and see how it tastes.
 
I've had both the 60 minute and the 120 minute. The 120 minute is too much in my opinion, it's just too much alcohol. My friends and I split a bottle 4 ways and 3 oz was plenty for me. At $10/bottle it's pretty costly too.
 
BTW...tried the Dogfishhead Fort on tap this past weekend at 3Floyds Brewpub.
That was like 18% and pretty interesting. A bit overbearing, but enjoyable to try and share.
 
BTW...tried the Dogfishhead Fort on tap this past weekend at 3Floyds Brewpub.
That was like 18% and pretty interesting. A bit overbearing, but enjoyable to try and share.

SWMBO and I split a big bottle of their Fort one time at a pub without realizing the ABV (she liked the label)...we ended up having to wait quite a while before we could drive anywhere as we'd already had a couple of beers. The owner of the pub came over and said with a grin: "I see you're drinking the Dogfish Head Fort - did you know it's the strongest fruit beer made in the USA?" I squinted at the bottle and said "Holey crap, that's why it's kicking my ass" or somesuch witty comment... :drunk:

Regarding their IPAs, I love the 60. The 90 in moderation is a treat too but the 120 tastes like hopped orange juice concentrate to me...bleahghh!
 
I think the 120 is a bit too "earthy". $10 is fair considering what it is. I would split one with a friend but to buy one for myself again,... probably not.
 
There's a bar here that has a beer club meeting every month... I eventually stopped going because they didn't have themes that I liked but my first one was a DFH horizontal tasting. I don't remember if the WWS was there and I know I had the 90 but can't remember it... the 120 min saved me $10 though. Damn was it good. The aroma is pure hops: I mean insane. The taste, though, has such a high gravity that the GU:IBU ratio doesn't stand a chance and it's incredibly sweet. 'Beer candy' one guy described it.

$10 is standard for a bottle, so I'd split the price with a friend or two and try it. I was lucky enough that when I rushed back up during the free tasting afterward I got another, larger sample :D
 
Talk about a resurrection...I have posted about my dislike of this line of beers, the 60, 90, 120. There is zero hop aroma or flavor for me. I had them at a brewfest that Sam Caglione brought the kegs to and so I know they were fresh. To me I think that he is brilliant brewer, marketer and promoter. I however dislike that line and it has made me not get the others yet.
 
Their India Brown is tasty...but then I like the 60 and 90 min IPAs.

But, as I said, I absolutely revile the 120...and I generally like barley wines.

EDIT: Oops, sorry Matt, I guess I was the "thread necromancer"...
facepalm.gif
:( (Browsing a bunch of threads and got side-tracked into the "similar threads" below without paying attention.)
 
I also like barley wines when labeled as such. If you call it an IPA, then I want it to be an IPA. I have just chalked it up that DFH makes an English/East Coast styled IPA. It works for many people, just not myself.
 
I picked up a bottle each of DFH 60 and a 90 while I was out on my lunchbreak so I could try these again this evening...it's been quite a while. I don't remember the 60 being particularly "east coast" and actually remember it being pretty hoppy if just a tad sweet.

I have some Diamond Knot IPA, Elysian "The Immortal" IPA and Lagunitas IPA at home to compare. I'll see if the neighbor wants to come over for an IPA tasting/testing this evening...3 bombers and a couple 12s would be a bit much for me alone. :tank:
 
I have just chalked it up that DFH makes an English/East Coast styled IPA. It works for many people, just not myself.

This is the first time I'm hearing a division between East vs West coast for American IPAs (especially Double IPAs...which is American anyway). I've always equated American IPAs as being hoppier then their English predecessors. I wouldn't lump DFH in with English IPAs, as it does seem more like a hoppy American ale. Now when it comes to American IPAs, there are different profiles with each brewery. For me, I also agree with folks who say that DFH is on the sweet side....but that's not a "malty" kind of sweet and it's not coming from a lack of hops. I equate it to using a less piney hop (or not enough flavor bitterness) and also using too much "sweet" grain (it could be a lot of crystal, or maybe they used honey or something to raise the ABV). We get a hoppy or sweet characteristic from both the type of hop schedule or the particular grain profile used. For a Double IPA that's brewed on the East coast, I like Weyerbacher's DIPA better. It has more of a citrus aroma as well as a more balanced feel in the mouth. For me, they used a better hop schedule as well as more balanced grainbill for my tastes. I tend to like most ales, but prefer balance. The hoppy beers that I prefer to Dogfish are Stone and Great Divide on the West coast....and Weyerbacher and Shmaltz (Hebrew Lenny's RIPA) coming from the East. If I were to just look at IBUs of beers that I like, I'm sure they run from 18 IBU on up to 160.
 
This is the first time I'm hearing a division between East vs West coast for American IPAs (especially Double IPAs...which is American anyway). I've always equated American IPAs as being hoppier then their English predecessors. I wouldn't lump DFH in with English IPAs, as it does seem more like a hoppy American ale. Now when it comes to American IPAs, there are different profiles with each brewery. For me, I also agree with folks who say that DFH is on the sweet side....but that's not a "malty" kind of sweet and it's not coming from a lack of hops. I equate it to using a less piney hop (or not enough flavor bitterness) and also using too much "sweet" grain (it could be a lot of crystal, or maybe they used honey or something to raise the ABV)

For being a beer that is hopped continuously for 90 minutes I would expect it to have less malty sweetness and more hop flavor, bitter and aroma. It is not as dry as most IPA's, which is why I lump it into the English IPA style. I just sent an email to DFH to try and find out the FG and OG. I personally think they start at higher than 1.090 and finish above 1.020. For me it needs to finish at least below 1.020 and this beer is far too sweet to be that low. Also, with that sweetness there is a serious lack of the balance of hop bitterness.

That is why I say, call a barley wine a barley wine and an Imperial IPA an Imperial IPA.

*Disclaimer - The BJCP doesn't have a category for English Imperial IPA, so I couldn't link to that. I thought about going to English Barleywine, but figure that there is enough Hops in the 90 Minute to call it an American Barleywine. Since the 90 Minute claims to have 90 IBU, 9% abv, I have to assume they target 1.090 (though with the amount of sweetness I would guess higher for the less attenuation and retention of 9%abv).
 
Expecting Sam & Co. to only "color inside the lines" may be a bit disingenuous. ;)

To me, none of their brews seem to be "to style"...
 
I tried it last weekend and wasn't impressed by it as compared to something cheaper like southern tier ipa. I also tried Stone Ruination which I much preferred, funny since I HATE Stone IPA. The 90 wasn't as hoppy or as complex as I expected. Now, their indian brown is really good.
 
I tried it last weekend and wasn't impressed by it as compared to something cheaper like southern tier ipa. I also tried Stone Ruination which I much preferred, funny since I HATE Stone IPA. The 90 wasn't as hoppy or as complex as I expected. Now, their indian brown is really good.

I love Ruination despite the fact that it's a "bitter bomb". :)

I was really surprised by DFH's Indian Brown! I tried it for the first time last week. Maybe the "sweetness" I notice in their beers just suits that style better?
 
*Disclaimer - The BJCP doesn't have a category for English Imperial IPA, so I couldn't link to that. I thought about going to English Barleywine, but figure that there is enough Hops in the 90 Minute to call it an American Barleywine. Since the 90 Minute claims to have 90 IBU, 9% abv, I have to assume they target 1.090 (though with the amount of sweetness I would guess higher for the less attenuation and retention of 9%abv).

The BJCP doesn't list "English Imperial IPA" because one doesn't exist. Americans have been upping hops and ABV...especially with pale ales. And barleywines don't taste anything like DFH 90, plus they are a higher ABV. I do think DFH is doing fine by calling the 90 minute a DIPA....it does seem to fit the characteristics for me, even if it is too sweet for my tastes. I also wouldn't go by attenuation in judging sweetness either. My rye IPA seems to be having a ABV of 8 and the FG is right at 1.020....it's not sweet at all due to the heavy amount of rye and little crystal. With the 90 minute having 90 IBU, it does have plenty of hops....it's just the type of hops and balancing between bittering vs flavoring is less pronounced. I think "hoppiness" does boil down (no punn intended) to your balancing of bittering/flavoring/aroma hops as well as type (IE I like some of the more recent high AA hops more then others). I've noticed IBU rating alone won't necessarily indicate how hoppy a beer will taste.
 
TAnd barleywines don't taste anything like DFH 90, plus they are a higher ABV.

The first thing I thought when I tasted DFH90 was, "Wow. Why didn't they call this a barleywine." It wouldn't be an extreme example of barleywine, but it would certainly be in the range.

For my taste, there is very little in the way of hoppiness to this beer. Of course, Ruination is my absolute fave beer, so I've definitely tuned myself into big hop flavor.
 
The first thing I thought when I tasted DFH90 was, "Wow. Why didn't they call this a barleywine." It wouldn't be an extreme example of barleywine, but it would certainly be in the range.

I don't see it as a barleywine....a good example of a hoppy barleywine to me is Rogue's Old Crustacean: 110 IBU, ABV 11.5, 85% attenuation. It still has some nice smooth maltiness (and not a sweeter one from a lot of specialty grains). I've also noticed some barleywines that don't have a high IBU still will try to keep specialty grains to a minimum.....the thing about many "American" imperial styles is that they do throw in all sorts of things to get ABV up (and may have more unfermentable sugars that also ups sweetness).
 
A few weeks back I picked up a mixed case of 60 and 90 min for a party. I absoluetly love the 60, and plan on making some of that myself. The 90 was friggen awesome as well, but was a little too much in terms of body for me to drink it all night. My gf kinda enjoyed the 60 as well, which is saying something considering she hates most beer....
 
Originally posted by chri5
The first thing I thought when I tasted DFH90 was, "Wow. Why didn't they call this a barleywine." It wouldn't be an extreme example of barleywine, but it would certainly be in the range.

My thoughts exactly. In fact, I would not be having this discussion if it was called a barleywine. I would look at it in a different light completely. Not saying it would change my view on liking or disliking the beer, just from a critique (not the word I want to use, just can't think of another) sense.

I don't see it as a barleywine....a good example of a hoppy barleywine to me is Rogue's Old Crustacean:

.....the thing about many "American" imperial styles is that they do throw in all sorts of things to get ABV up (and may have more unfermentable sugars that also ups sweetness).

And barleywines don't taste anything like DFH 90, plus they are a higher ABV. I do think DFH is doing fine by calling the 90 minute a DIPA....it does seem to fit the characteristics for me, even if it is too sweet for my tastes. I also wouldn't go by attenuation in judging sweetness either.

My rye IPA seems to be having a ABV of 8 and the FG is right at 1.020....it's not sweet at all due to the heavy amount of rye and little crystal.

With the 90 minute having 90 IBU, it does have plenty of hops

I am glad that we can have a good debate like this to iron out different thoughts on the same subject. And I love a good Rye IPA, just kicked my keg of the stuff that was 8.5%. Have three pints of that and you wake up without your pants, sleeping in the garage :mug:

In the top where you mention Rogue, it is hoppy and I didn't find the 90 minute to have the hop prowess I thought it would. Where you mention it not being a barleywine, I want to show how the BJCP describes a barleywine. They can call their beer whatever, but to me this is an accurate description of what I taste in the 90min:

Flavor: Strong, intense malt flavor with noticeable bitterness. Moderately low to moderately high malty sweetness on the palate, although the finish may be somewhat sweet to quite dry (depending on aging). Hop bitterness may range from moderately strong to aggressive. While strongly malty, the balance should always seem bitter. Moderate to high hop flavor (any variety). Low to moderate fruity esters. Noticeable alcohol presence, but sharp or solventy alcohol flavors are undesirable. Flavors will smooth out and decline over time, but any oxidized character should be muted (and generally be masked by the hop character). May have some bready or caramelly malt flavors, but these should not be high. Roasted or burnt malt flavors are inappropriate. No diacetyl.


The second sentence alone nails what I tasted in the 90min.

When I think about IPA, the first thing that comes to mind is hop aroma. If I am drinking a Pale Ale then I want bitterness from hops, though not as much the aroma of hops. IPA also is dry, sometimes on the edge of bone dry from both the hops and the attenuation. When I think DIPA, I think higher alcohol, but still dry finish and hoppy aroma. There can be more sugar left in it, but the bitterness of the hops and the hop acid should make it have the perception of dryness. The 90 minute to me missed its mark there by not having any hop aroma (maybe I got an old bottle when I retried it last month, but at the beer fest it was a fresh keg and I don't remember any aroma) and then by being sweet. Not just malty, but sweet.

That is why I wouldn't call it an IPA, but a barleywine. And under the BJCP guidelines, the Imperial IPA can have an OG of up to 1.090, where the barleywine goes from 1.080-1.120. And as a barleywine, I think it is an excellent example.








*Another Disclaimer - the local god here, Russian River, calls their Pliny the Elder and their Pliny the Younger both Imperial IPA. The Younger is definately barleywine strength at 10.5%abv and is hopped to bejesus, but they still call it an IIPA. So DFH can keep calling them whatever they want.
 
I am glad that we can have a good debate like this to iron out different thoughts on the same subject.

I agree...beer geeks are always going to have differences of opinion since we have different taste palates and preferences :mug:

Just to re-itterate what I think of as a barleywine vs a DIPA....a barleywine to me can be more subtle and is meant more of a sipping beer like wine. I think of it as normally having a good balance between not overly citrusy hops and a pure malt base profile that will not hinder it too dry or sweet.

If I'm going to quote the BJCP, the area that makes it hard for me to see the 90 minute as being a barleywine is this:

"Low to moderate fruity esters. Noticeable alcohol presence, but sharp or solventy alcohol flavors are undesirable. Flavors will smooth out and decline over time, but any oxidized character should be muted (and generally be masked by the hop character). May have some bready or caramelly malt flavors, but these should not be high."

I think the main thing you don't like about the 90 minute is that it doesn't have agressively bitter hops (I think it's got plenty of flavor hops, but I agree that it's not an aggressive in your face hop). But to me, those sweet notes coming from the 90 minute are the undesirables of a barleywine :drunk: From taste preferences, it actually looks like we have very similar preferences. I too like dry IPAs, but I've noticed the ones I don't like can get quite sweet (and this is more of a caramel to fruity sweet then subtle malt sweet). I've had some other DIPAs where I go yuck over the sweetness or hotness (the 90 minute isn't the prime example, but it's subtley like that: too fruity and hot): I haven't had that with barleywines or imperial stouts...since they tend to use less caramel malts or balance it with roasted malts. Actually, for just enjoying hoppy beers, I probably prefer sticking with an insane IBU and aroma in an ABV 8% range or below. Once it goes above 10%, give me a smooth barleywine or an insanely hopped imperial stout :D

Oh, one more thing:

There can be more sugar left in it, but the bitterness of the hops and the hop acid should make it have the perception of dryness. The 90 minute to me missed its mark there by not having any hop aroma (maybe I got an old bottle when I retried it last month, but at the beer fest it was a fresh keg and I don't remember any aroma) and then by being sweet.

See, I agree with you from a preference thing. But one thing I've notice about hops is that it is a balancing act. I have had IPAs that get a citrusy pucker and sweetness (from both the flavor hops and specialty malts) because they didn't have as much bittering or aroma hops (and I think flavoring hops can add its own fruity esters if not tamed by bittering AA). With the 90 minutes I've had...they've had a more subtle hop profile then some other DIPAs....I did get some aroma and flavor. But there wasn't as much hop bitterness as I'd like, and it was a bit too sweet from those particular hops as well as specialty grains (ie more fruity and caramelly then malty).
 
In this day and age I like to think that we are all able to get beer at its freshest no matter the distance from the original brewery. I mean, what is a week going to do in terms of flavor? That said, I just drank a bottled Pliny the Elder tonight (bottled 6/10/09) and it had zero malt smell, sits pretty at 8%abv and has "let's call it" the same IBU (though I think technically it is more around 85 or so, but some say high as 200, so...). It is a very healthy DIPA and features everything that I like to think any DIPA that I try to brew should have. Malty balance in the taste, acid from the hops, balanced bitterness and a beautiful hop aroma. That hop aroma to me is key. If there is no hop aroma then I start searching for a different class of beer to place it in. In fact, if someone dry hops a barleywine and then ages it for two years I almost want to say that they have wasted the hops.

That said and returning to my original point, I might have gotten an older bottle of the 90min that had aged enough that the hop aroma was gone. I don't think so though. Also, the bitterness was not apparent and the only thing I can chalk that up to is the fact that they don't attenuate down below 1.020. I can't think of it any other way. They also don't get the ph low enough. I measured my last IIPA at 4.5ph. It tasted that way too. The hop acids come through amazingly well.

Balance is the key and without it you have a beer that tastes flat. To me, the 90 min is not balanced well. Again, there are so many different palates and tastes that I can not say that it is a terribly made beer and that no one should ever drink it because it is ****. I can however not purchase it myself and leave more for all of you fans out there :mug:

photo-776777.jpg

all around the border of the label it says things like "drink young" "Pliny the Elder is a historic figure, don't let this beer become one" and I gather that is because of the half life of hop aroma from dry hopping
 
In this day and age I like to think that we are all able to get beer at its freshest no matter the distance from the original brewery. I mean, what is a week going to do in terms of flavor? That said, I just drank a bottled Pliny the Elder tonight (bottled 6/10/09) and it had zero malt smell, sits pretty at 8%abv and has "let's call it" the same IBU (though I think technically it is more around 85 or so, but some say high as 200, so...). It is a very healthy DIPA and features everything that I like to think any DIPA that I try to brew should have.

Oh man, I'm so envious:cross::D I've been wanting to try Pliny the Elder, but it's not here in GA. I heard from one of the beer stores that GA has an old single distributer policy (and the distributer for the Atlanta region doesn't carry Russian River). But yeah, I notice that most bottles of Great Divide (from Colorado) are dated and tend to be under 3 months old. But their DIPA has a hoppier feeling then 90 Minute (and I believe their stated IBU is 85)...it's not as sweet as 90 Minute either. And for an East coast beer that's close to Dogfish in location....I think you'd like Weyerbacher's DIPA much better. If a beer isn't going to be balanced, I guess I'd rather it be weighted towards overly hoppy, roasted, or genuine malt....I don't like overly sweet.

As for bitterness with a DIPA....have you tried a continual hop schedule? The more I'm experimenting, the more I'm less of a fan of continual hopping. With batches I've tried, I seem to get more of an aroma and flavor, but less bitterness. I do think that to get a nice feeling of hops (whether subtle or intense), it's nice to go with a set bitter to flavor to aroma schedule. I do think that's more important then FG, since I've had plenty of beers turn out with desired attenuation that was above 1.020, and weren't that kind of fruity sweetness I taste with the sweet DIPAs.
 
In this day and age I like to think that we are all able to get beer at its freshest no matter the distance from the original brewery. I mean, what is a week going to do in terms of flavor?

I mentioned this issue early in the thread - that the folks who don't care as much for DFH tend to be far from the brewery. I don't think it's just a matter of regional preferences (but who knows?).

On paper, transporting beer should not be all that tough to do, but having worked in the logistics business for 30 years, I can tell you that what works on paper seldom works exactly the same way in reality. The cost of true "cold chain management" is enormous and would push the cost of beer through the stratosphere. So you are left at the mercy of truck drivers, truck reefer systems and minimum wage loaders and unloaders. Hey, what could go wrong? :)
 
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