Twenty One percent. Yes, a beer with21% ABV. This is the most serious beer I’m willing to drink.  The Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, brewed in Milton, DE is an American Double / Imperial IPA.

Appearance

Poured into a goblet, the beer is thick looking. The color is a cloudy soft golden orange. The off-white has little retention, and falls after a minute or two. The lacing is slight.

Smell

Massive sting of alcohol hits you at first. Its not at all what you’d expect from a beer. Citrus notes are present. The extra top hopping leaves a wonderful floral aroma that does manage to cut through the static. Also, there is a more than fair amount of sweetness here. Cane sugar sweet. That may be my one dislike here…

Taste

Ooh! Takes a minute to get used to the almost overbearing sting of all 21%. But after that… the taste is quite complex here. Citrus, like maybe grapefruit. It has a taste similar to unfiltered, very young Gewuerztraminer wine.

It does seem to be on the very far end of most Imperial IPAs. The added daily dry hopping that lasts a full month does give it a tremendous sense of floral notes, both in taste and flavor. But there is no sense of the the extreme dryness that really heavily hopped beers often impart. Your nose can’t help but get involved here. The end result is a warming of your entire mouth.

Mouthfeel

The initial shock of 21% brings an unusual heat. The carbonation is just right.  Very full in the mouth, but doesn’t coat in a slick way. Coats yes – but not negatively. There is a nice citrus aftertaste that seems to stay put longer than most Imperials.

Drinkability

Sipper for sure. The heat off the alcohol alone keeps you from slamming it down. I gotta point out one thing here. This beer gets better and better as you drink it. I think some of that comes from the shock wearing off and you get down to the meat of it.

Bottomline

Did I mention the 21%? Not sure if I got to that yet. Man, this is another beer that I wait all year for… and it does not disappoint. The “wayyy higher than everyone else” ABV is a little out of my comfort range, but it is still very tasty. At $12 a bottle, it isn’t a beer that I have often. When I do, its worth every penny. Ok, I might be a little drunk now. Final grade…

A-

Ok. i’m pretty drunk now.

Another Imperial IPA / American Double. This time from Victory Brewery out of Downingtown, Pennsylvania. 8.5 ABV. I shall not be scared. I bought this beer as an homage to my partner in crime at work, Bobby Burdette. He’s a huge fan of heavily hopped beers.

Appearance

Golden yellow, the beer is a sight to behold. This is what beer looks like. The modest head is white and airy and falls quickly. It leaves the slightest thin lacing on the surface of the beer and clings to the glass as if trying to escape.

Smell

The hoppyness is apparent but almost subtle by comparison to others of this style. Slightly bready and lemon. Or piney. Can’t tell. Its very nice to be sure. But I’ve got to say that I’m impressed in the lightness of the aroma. Its something not excepted in this style of beer.

Taste

The taste. The taste is very pleasant. I almost feel cheated by this beer being an Imperial IPA. I can’t remember a Double being this easy to drink. Sure, the high alcohol is something to respect but I would sure like another. If only all IPAs were this tasty, I’m sure the style would be more mainstream. Slightly sweet, the hint of citrus balances against the hoppy notes that certainly dominate this style.

Mouthfeel

The carbonation dances on the tongue, but the alcohol cuts that party short. Its definitely a sipping beer. Or at least taking it slow. Overall, I can feel only the slightest dryness on the palate. It does feel a tad thick in the mouth.

Drinkability

Surprisingly smooth. By now I’m typing one handed. That’s how good this beer is becoming. I’m certainly taking it slow. I respect a beer this smooth yet possessing 8.5% ABV. The beer stils manages to leave a dryness in my mouth that demands I continue drinking. But I can feel the alcohol creeping up.

Bottomline

Wow. Extremely tasty. This beer manages to let me redefine the way I look at hop heavy beers. Bobby Burdette will be hearing about this one. I just wish I had a better picture of the label.

A-

This American Double from the Mendocino Brewing Company comes out of Ukiah California.  7.5% ABV for this Double IPA. From the bottle neck:

Our Limited Edition Winter Seasonal is a robust, full-bodied Imperial India Pale Ale. This heavily hopped brew is exquisitedly blended with rich malts for a unique drinking sensation.

Appearance

The beer, poured into a globlet, is a deep rich amber. Very attractive color in fact. The head, however… that’s another story. I had to pratically slam the beer into the glass just to get the ¼” head that fell so fast I missed the color altogether. The beer coats the glass and leaves a decent lacing went takinga  drink.

Smell

The aroma builds well as you bring the glass to your nose. Highly hopped, the aroma is… pungent. Perhaps that adjective springs to mind in light of the almost non-existance of the previous beers aroma. The slightest bit of taosted malt comes through. Enough to keep the smell from being altogether rank  I suppose. There is also a sweetness there that seems fruity in nature but certainly not huge.

Taste

While certainly highly hopped, the taste is quite balanced for the style. Full in the mouth, there is a building metallic tartness that I find off-putting. It doesn’t stay long, but its enough to taint my opinion. It started off well enough. The malt is there to bring a balance to the equation. The bottom third of the beer begins to taste almost bready, chewy even.

Mouthfeel

Perfectly carbonated, this beer is fine to drink. Certainly full bodied, the taste didn’t  linger in the mouth initally the way some IPAs can. That mouth puckering dryness that turns many folks off on IPAs altogether. However, as I drank more, it became clear that something was wrong. There is an odd aftertaste of metal that I find unpleasant.

Drinkability

Personally, I’m not sure I wouldn’t drink this again. Not to say you couldn’t. It is certainly worth another for the style. But I can’t make up my mind. The hops are balanced and I find that interesting for the style.

Bottomline

I’ve had to completely rewite the review after I got further into the beer. Then I had to rewrite it again. This is a beer that I will certainly remember, how fondly remains to be seen. But I would recommend it to any hophead for a try. Final grade…

C+