Dogfish Head 120 min IPA

[siwelwerd]

So I am a big fan of Dogfish Head. We can't get it here in Missouri, but my wife was across the river a few weeks ago and was kind enough to stop and pick me up some. Since I've never tried the 120 min, I had her pick me up a bottle.

Now let me preface the following by saying the 60 min is one of my absolute favorite beers, and the 90 minute is a wonderful beer as well, and I thus had high hopes for this one. So I cracked open the 120 min tonight... and I was tremendously disappointed. It was very sweet (almost cloying), and I get more hop aroma and flavor from the 60 min! What gives? Did I just get a bottle from a bad batch? Am I supposed to let this age 5 years before touching it (the bottle said "Enjoy now or age for a decade")? Is my palette just that screwy (I acknowledge I have trouble picking up some smells)? I just can't get over the fact that I paid $10 for a bottle of beer that tasted almost syrupy. Anyone else had a similar experience with this beer?

[Bellmer]

So I am a big fan of Dogfish Head. We can't get it here in Missouri, but my wife was across the river a few weeks ago and was kind enough to stop and pick me up some. Since I've never tried the 120 min, I had her pick me up a bottle.

Now let me preface the following by saying the 60 min is one of my absolute favorite beers, and the 90 minute is a wonderful beer as well, and I thus had high hopes for this one. So I cracked open the 120 min tonight... and I was tremendously disappointed. It was very sweet (almost cloying), and I get more hop aroma and flavor from the 60 min! What gives? Did I just get a bottle from a bad batch? Am I supposed to let this age 5 years before touching it (the bottle said "Enjoy now or age for a decade")? Is my palette just that screwy (I acknowledge I have trouble picking up some smells)? I just can't get over the fact that I paid $10 for a bottle of beer that tasted almost syrupy. Anyone else had a similar experience with this beer?

I have a bottle I'm afraid to try. I had a sip of someone's once when I was drunk and remember hating it. I'm with you - I love 60 and 90 is pretty good (I'm not much of a hop head at all), but 120 seems like a gimmick. The FG is as high as a number of pale ale OG's - 1.050 I think (which is why it seems so sweet). It's also 40 Proof (20% alcohol), which covers a bunch of taste. It seems like they made it just to make it (again...gimmick).

[Mylo]

DFH is very hit/miss for me. There are a few of the DFH beers that fall into this "too sweet, high alcohol, (and high price)" gimmick area. 120, 90, Midas Touch, Raison d'Extra are included, as are the "dirt" beers - B&B and Fort.

That being said, I think the 60, Punkin, Festina Peche, and Palo Santo are awesome f-ing beers. Palo Santo is in a league by itself. Just my opinion.


Mylo

[one_dead_soul]

i tride a 120 on tap at ebenezers last night. i was expecting it to be really syrupy but was rather surprised. it smelt sweet with a little bit of hops aroma. but when i tried it, it was very well balanced. it was alot better then i thought it was gonna be. maybe i just got a really fresh batch

tom

[Thirsty Mallard]

I remember having a 120 minute once and thinking the same thing... way too sweet.

Then again, I thought that about Midas Touch too. I bought a 4 pack, tried one and didn't like it, so I put it in the back of the fridge. About 3 years later I was cleaning out the beer fridge and decided to open one and see how it was... I was shocked. It was fan-tastic. All the cloying sweetness had melded into a great flavor medley that I REALLY loved.

It is a pain to age these beers, but well worth it, I think.

[ipaisay]

I remember making an IPA with my hophead loving brotherinlaw a few years ago. Our goal was to drink as many different IPAs while brewing "our" IPA. Well, we were just plugging right along with our goal until....the 120 came up. Neither of us had had it before. We split it into two different glasses. It killed my Brotherinlaw's view of hoppy beers. I just took tow sips and put the whole glass in the fridge. It took me two weeks to finish that half glass. Our IPA turned out great! My brother in law put his in the toilet if you know what I mean.

During the hop shortage, I was considering drinking a 120 and pissing in a freshly brewed wort and would have about the same IBU's.