REVIEW 49: 60 MINUTE IPA

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Dogfish Head Brewery

STYLE:  IPA

ABV:  6.0%

PURCHASE:  60-oz. pitcher, $11.00

SERVING:  Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. From tap to pitcher, this yielded a standard head of an inch or so. When dispensed into the glass, a standard pour got roughly an inch and a half, as did a slower pour. A fast pour got almost double that. Better than average retention.

APPEARANCE:  Deep gold color, bordering upon caramel, and fairly transparent. Your standard, slightly off-white head. Blotchy lacing around the glass.

BOUQUET:  Yes, it's an IPA, but it's not as overtly hoppy as you might expect. Yeasty undertones pervade the nose, as do caramel, grapefruit, and a floral essence of some kind. 

PALATE:  Moderate body that comes off as relatively light for a six-percenter. Light carbonation. Juice-like mouthfeel. One of the maltiest IPAs out there; there is no "crescendo" quality here, particularly with regard to hops. In fact, the hoppiest part of each sip is the aftertaste, which itself is balanced out with yeast and citrus notes, as with the bouquet. Smooth drinking experience, even for the novice IPA imbiber. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  This remains one of the best known entries on the American IPA market, and one of the flagship stateside IPAs of the modern craft beer movement. The familiar green fish logo is a welcome sight at any bar, restaurant, or distributor, and the brand is still a go-to when introducing an inexperienced drinker to the world of the India Pale Ale. 

Alas, Dogfish Head has simply been surpassed by various offerings in recent years: Crooked Eye, Racer 5, Troegs, Stone--just to name a few. A brew that was once a consensus All-Star has now--at least in this reviewer's view--been relegated to the status of solid player.




GRADE:  B