75 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head Brewery

THANAT0PSIS

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA

Appearance: Warning: after pouring you, the drinker, will have to wait several minutes for the massive four to five finger plume of rocky, bone-white head to dissipate. Perhaps reading a Dostoevsky would pass the time nicely. Of course admiring the been-there, done-that, golden color with just the faintest hint of orange might be a constructive use of the time as well. Finished? Great. The incredibly large head you have been waiting on is made up of varying sizes of bubbles running the gamut from soapsuds to pinheads, which makes for an interesting and novel spectacle. Once the head finally caves, it leaves behind the appearance of a ruined soufflé, which is not as unattractive as it would be in the cooking world. Lacing is as massive and stubborn as the head. The carbonation in the glass is not as active as one would be led to believe by its white crown, but it is somewhat difficult to tell with perfect certainty due to the cloudiness of the liquid. A great looking head on a beer of the shade all beer drinkers have seen before.

Aroma: The nose is extremely malt forward, as in this beer’s two constituent beers the great 60 Minute IPA and 90 Minute IPA, both mainstays in their respective style. Resiny hops back up the sweet malts brilliantly, adding another layer of sweetness. The sugar just keeps assaulting the nose in the form of the maple syrup that this mix is bottle-conditioned with. Surprisingly, there is little bitterness here, but perhaps it is simply hidden by the sweet behemoth of aroma that this beer puts forth. Caramel notes mixed with mild tropical fruit are the simplest and most obvious notes, and while those are typical of IPAs (especially its parents) this one smells like it got lost in a candy store on the way to the drinker’s mouth. This is really great stuff.

Taste: Right up front, oddly enough, the hops bring the bitter. Of course, as is expected based on the aroma, the malt and maple sweetness snatches the reins almost immediately and never lets go; fortunately, the hops manage to keep their own restraints on the sweetness and do an excellent job of making this beer one of the most balanced that have passed these lips. In short, the highly acclaimed 60 and 90 Minute IPAs combined in a bottle-conditioned environment with a delicious maple syrup addition (that miraculously is not cloying, and is actually well-hidden as a bit of a beer Easter Egg that the drinker knows is there from the get-go) makes for as great of a beer as one would expect; anything less would be a disappointment.

Mouthfeel: This is so drinkable it should be illegal to own more than one at a time. It is practically the Pringles of the beer world. The body is a perfect, creamy medium, so this stuff goes down like delicious-tasting, slightly thickened water. There is a bit of warmth from the alcohol (at only 7.5% ABV), but it is extremely slight and quite pleasant. The one serious blemish on this beer comes in on the palate, however: there is very little carbonation. Perhaps this should not be an issue, but in a beer as complex as this one (two different IPAs, each complex concoctions in their own right, plus the richness of maple syrup) carbonation would have really helped out to spread the flavors around and make sure that every bit of this otherwise-stellar beer got its turn in the spotlight. Still, the drinkability makes up for this because it goes down criminally easy.

Overall: This is a must have not only for hop lovers as the title (and Dogfish Head themselves) suggests but for any and every craft beer drinker. This is such a drinkable beer that I am slightly upset that Dogfish Head has not released these in four- or six-packs yet. The bomber is great, but the quaffability begs for a four- or six-pack treatment. The worst part (or best, really) is the undeniable fact that this beer gets better as it warms and you drink more of it. Dogfish Head, come back to Wisconsin. I need this in my fridge at all times… 18/20

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 05:00:51 | More by THANAT0PSIS

tviz33

New York

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

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Texas

4/5  rDev -3.6%

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Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

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Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

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Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

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Corey17

New York

4/5  rDev -3.6%

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California

4/5  rDev -3.6%

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Florida

3.25/5  rDev -21.7%

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megamass

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%

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gshackles

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

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Honus1

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.6%

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California

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%

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Georgia

4/5  rDev -3.6%

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mcdonald422

California

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

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dan027

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +20.5%

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NoleDoc

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

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kbrown

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

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Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

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mverity

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

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RhyminBelmont

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Split a bomber with Kiki into appropriate glassware

A - Frothy whipped head, slightly yellowed, thick lacing (might've poured too hard), amber colored body and slightly cloudy. Sort of a flat shade which tends to brownish, with visible rising carbonation

S - Smooth and well-rounded, w/ a slight sweetness and hoppy tang (cat pee/weed/citrus) but cut by light maple, light caramel, warm booze

T - Hop front, slightly spicy/herbal, grapefruit bitterness lingers, citrus, not as sweet as smell suggests

M - Fairly light bodied with some carbonation tingle. Lightly drying

O - Tasty offering, maple character brings something somewhat unique to this brew, although mostly as an accentuating factor for the malts. Better than 60, lacking the borderline roasty depth of 90

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 03:31:38 | More by RhyminBelmont

Zimm

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

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Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

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Kentucky

4/5  rDev -3.6%

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California

3.25/5  rDev -21.7%

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