REVIEW 121: 90 MINUTE IPA

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

STYLE:  Imperial IPA

ABV:  9.0%

PURCHASE:  Four-pack of 12-oz. bottles, $11.99

SERVING:  12-oz. bottle, poured into tulip glass. A standard pour (15-20 seconds) produced a head of roughly an inch and a half. A faster one (roughly 10 seconds) got closer to two inches. Very good retention.

APPEARANCE:  Hazy and translucent. Rusty copper/burnt orange color, with an off-white head. Steadly, slow bubbling from the bottom of the tulip. Prominent and slightly wavy lacing.

BOUQUET:  Hops, as with any IPA, are most noticeable, but here they are tempered and rounded out by primarily three other aromas: Roasted malt; traces of citrus, likely lemon and grapefruit; and, surprisingly, dark fruit, likely fig and raisin. Honestly smells like an abbey ale from Belgium.

PALATE:  Moderate body--although it's fairly light for a beer with a 9.0% ABV. Carbonation starts softly, then crescendos steadily and consistently and will only become sharp if held for an unreasonably long time. Hops are a constant presence, as you'd expect, but are only truly conspicuous from mid-palate onward. Rich finish and aftertaste, with, again, strong notes of fig and possibly raisin. (This can't be a placebo thing, can it?) Light touches of lemon and grapefruit--and maybe even a little orange--are evident at the very end. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Tonight, believe it or not, was the first time I ever had the 90 Minute IPA. I've had the 60 numerous times, and the 120 on one or two occasions. But for some reason, I never got around to the 90 until tonight. And if I had been blindfolded, I would have thought this was from Belgium. That's how expertly crafted it is.

Many consider this the best IPA in America. They might be right, though Pliny may have something to say about that. In any case, this is a truly elite brew.




GRADE:  A+

I don't know this girl.