A craft beer icon: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

 This past December, O’Bannon’s scored a pony keg of the much sought after Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.  When it was first brewed, this was the strongest IPA on the market (the crazy bastards at BrewDog have changed that). A hop heads dream, this beer clocks in at an astonishing 120 IBUs.  I could only imagine that a beer with such a high concentration of alpha acids would be completely unpalatable.  Add to the fact that the beer usually contains 18% alcohol by volume but still retains the qualities of a beer.  DFH only bottles the 120min. several times a year, so when they hit shelves in select locations, they disappear pretty fast.


The O’bannon’s keg release party was set for 8’o’clock, but around 7:45 there was already a packed house.  I saddled up to a table to wait for my buddy John, but since a line was already forming at the bar, I walked up to wait.  I had no idea there were so many beer lovers in College Station; I was glad to see it. I learned the bar was selling half pints for $8.50. Then I was really amazed; not only were there a lot of beer lovers in College Station, there were a lot of people willing to pay so much for so little.  There were so many people trying the 12omin.  they ran out of their half pint glasses before I got one, so I waited a little while extra for mine.

Comparable to the actual line... ok, maybe not

When I sat back down I couldn't help myself, and instead of waiting for John, I went ahead and tried it.  The color was a reddish orange with about a finger of white head.  The beer only left a few blotty spots of lacing.  The aroma was full of grapefruity, citrusy hops, but I didn’t waste much time smelling the beer because I was too excited to taste it.  While I expected it to be intolerably bitter, it wasn’t.  It was deliciously sweet at first, with juicy grapefruit, and then finished with spicy peppery hops; somewhere in the middle, I tasted green grapes. I expected a little alcohol warmth or harshness on the swallow but there wasn’t any at all.  I also anticipated the beer to be astringent and drying but it was slightly wet.  It left a tingle on my tongue; I think my taste buds were very happy with my purchase.

I wish this were in my hand right now

I couldn’t force myself to rate Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA less than a 5 out of 5.  It was amazing, a necessary experience for any craft beer lover.  The only knock on this beer would be the price and low availability, but who cares really?  It’s not supposed to be a beer you drink every day, it’s a beer to be enjoyed on a special occasion.  It’s not a beer you chug down, it’s a beer you savor and fully appreciate.  There’s a video of a guy downing an entire bottle as a joke.  It almost makes me cringe, such a terrible waste.

The catch up review to end all catch up reviews: Abita Brewing Co. Vanilla Doubledog

A few months back I was out running errands and decided to make a quick drop into Spec’s.  After a quick breeze through I stopped in front of a new little display I hadn’t seen yet.  There must have been about 30 of the same bottles, just sitting on a small wooden shelf, as if they had popped up out of nowhere.  The bottles were the 25^th Anniversary Celebration Vanilla Doubledog by Abita Brewing Co. in Louisiana.  At the time I’d never tried any of their brews, except for their delicious root beer, so I decided to give this one a chance.  As I was leaving, I instinctively paid for the beer in cash, and forgot to use my gift card… didn’t make that mistake twice.

It was a Picard facepalm moment

Abita sometimes gets a bad rep.  I’ve heard a lot of negative comments about their beers, “they’re bland,” or “they’re ok, not that great.” Whenever I heard many people make the same claims, I start to assume they’re true.  When I picked up that bottle though, I thought, “even if their other beers really are bland, surely a limited release anniversary beer won’t be!”

I had this beer maybe 2 months ago, but I still have my review notes so I’ll post this review anyway.  I’m sure someone will appreciate it.  My bottle of Vanilla Doubledog poured a dark chocolate brown color with a faded tan head.  Aroma contained a light hop zest first, a bit of vanilla, and then a strong nose of roasted malt.  The taste was just a bit more complex. The roasted grain made a strong first flavor then made a little room for some spent coffee bean and almond tastes.  In the middle a little of that vanilla bean flavor came through, and on the back end just a tiny hint of hops balanced the malt.  The brew had average carbonation, and equally mid-level body, finished smooth.

From what I remember, and I’ve always been told I have a great memory, I rated Vanilla Doubledog 4 out of 5.  I was pleasantly surprised with this brew, especially with Abita’s mediocre reputation.  This is probably one of those ‘to each his own’ situations, everyone’s tastes are different, popularity comes and goes.  Recently on BeerAdvocate there was a discussion on over-rated brews, to everyone’s surprise Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head chimed in and shut everyone up completely.  Give it a read; it’s a great insight on beer snobs, and should remind you not to be one.

Hmm... quite.