I (like many, I think) find that Dogfish Head gets a ton of hype because they are, without a doubt, a creative and risk-taking brewery. And I applaud that. They are the commercial version of exactly what homebrewing is all about. With that said, I think it's the *brewery* and not necessarily the *beers* that deserve the accolades. The mindset and approach is definitely laudable, but for me, a great number of their beers really don't sit well on my palate. I love *******' Brew (the beer and the album!), Burton Baton, and 90-minute, but I can't force myself to finish Sixty-One, Midas Touch, or pretty much anything they brew with grape must or fruit juice. I always find this interesting, because this kind of creativity and fearlessness with ingredients is exactly what I find so awesome about DFH, and yet the way they tend to use those ingredients in a practical setting leaves me wondering if it was ever a good idea in the first place.
And one last note, for the commenters who have been holding the side conversation on this thread: if it wasn't clear, I'm not trying to be negative here. I am, in fact, saying that I admire DFH and think that they deserve the hype that they receive for their out-of-the-box ideas. I'm also saying that a lot of those ideas end up falling flat for me when the beer hits my tongue.
