ApriHop - Dogfish Head Brewery

dogfishandi

New York

2.68/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

poured out of 12 oz. bottle at cellar temperature into pint glass. i must say that i was very turned off by this beer at first, so much that i couldnt even finish the bottle. i was convinced that it had gone bad, maybe because i was expecting an ipa, and got a lot of fruity sourness, from a fruit that i was not too familar with in beer. however, the more i drink it, the more im begining to enjoy it. still a little too funky though.

it pours a crystal clear orange/ amber color with some nice off white head that has very nice retention. a tiny bit of lacing.

the smell is almost primarily all sour fruity funk, i guess this is also known as the aroma of apricots. pretty much no hops detectable in the aroma. a slight smell of malts is present though.

the taste starts off decent, then takes a sour turn for the worst. all apricots, no hops, somewhat disappointing. finishes with a kind of dry wine like aftertaste. sour, tart, and hardly any bitterness. some grains noticeable too.

pretty medium body with medium carbonation. i would never buy this again, it tastes like a wine that has gone bad. i wouldnt recommend this to anyone, unless you really love apricots.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2009 22:16:23 | More by dogfishandi

grayburn

South Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I guess I'm not really sure where the guys at Dogfish Head were going with this one. I have heard that it has become less and less hoppy every year....at this point I don't believe ApriHop is an appropriate name, the hops are no longer, there is some decent fresh sour apricot...but no hops to speak of. The appearance and the mouthfeel may be this beer's saving graces, but this is no IPA...I'm not impressed at all, but I appreciate the creativity.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2009 19:14:30 | More by grayburn

TexIndy

Texas

2.7/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. The neck had a lasered bottled on date of 2/12/09. It was a clear bronze color with a few carb streams but no lacing. It had a very small head that quickly dissipated into a thin collar.

The aroma was surprisingly well balanced. You can smell the apricots but instead of dominating they blend in with the citrus hops and caramel malt. The taste however is pure sweet apricot. Eye puckering sweet with pretty just apricot showing thru. The hop and malt in the nose just disappear in the taste. The taste is OK for a few drinks but then I'm dreading the rest of the glass. Kinda a struggle to finish it but I did. Light to medium body with the aforementioned pucker factor.

Overall, an interesting beer that I wanted to like but just missed the mark for me. Mild recommend but one and done for me. I really respect what Dogfish is doing with their beers but they are still hit or miss for me unfortunately.

[1x]

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2009 01:54:29 | More by TexIndy

DJButters

California

2.7/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

a - typical IPA style with a golden hue, frothy full head.

s - a fruit forward and citrus based IPA. Missing that hops smell and in no way could I guess it was apricot based.

t- Whats going on here? No hops and that smooth IPA dry finish has been replaced by a bitterness similar to unripe fruit. Just not that enjoyable

m - About avg

o - Wanted to tick so I did. Didnt blow me away but maybe I needed it fresh at the brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2011 23:26:30 | More by DJButters

Auracom

Illinois

2.7/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Extra from my good friend Raffy, thanks man! 12 oz. bottle poured into a Bruery tulip on April 9th, 2012.

A - Deep amber-burnt orange with a ruby hue. Surprisingly little light tan head with quick dissipation and little retention. Decent lacing.

S - Apricot marmalade, tropical and fruit hop notes, light malt backing of brown and candied sugar. Simple yet effective.

T - Pretty meager flavors, mostly effervescent front palate, middle light pine, fruit, and hop bitterness, rear palate is just a touch of the malt bill with an extremely short and lightly dry finish. I sense very little of the apricots here, jellied or fresh. As it warms I get a touch of the fruit in the aftertaste but it really doesn't suffice.

M - Light body, mid-high carbonation. Typical for style.

D - Unmemorable. The nose was definitely better than the disappointing taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 16:31:23 | More by Auracom

freed

Oregon

2.73/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Tried this because, uh, my wife wanted to know what it was like... yeah....

Attractive labeling and cap like most Dogfish stuff, and poured like a beer should. The body is a gorgeous amber, a moderate amount of small bubbles accumulated for a head, and the body is active with carbonation - possibly due to the cleanliness of my glasses, but I give the points to the beer.

The aroma is stiff with malt, surprising from an beer selling with hops and fruit. The fruit and hops are noticeable, but not as I would expect. Lacking a style standard, it is really the beer that has to leave the impression. Which brings me to the taste.

There is too much dried apricot flavor to this beer. The maltiness is pretty good, and would make for a rich IPA, or a great ESB, but it definitely takes over any flavor that should exist with the word "hop" in the name.

As such, its somewhat syrupy, which doesn't lead to drinking much. I split the 12oz with my wife (really), and that was an appropriate serving. Despite the beauty of the pour, it didn't stack up to what I'd hoped.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2004 02:09:52 | More by freed

Vancer

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Well, my first no-go for a DFH. This blend of apricots and IPA just didn’t match or balance worth a damn.

Right from the start, a nice well carbed and clear amber pour – but a meaky little white head that died like a candle in the wind.

A citrusy and of course, apricot aroma. Tastes of apricots, obviously. Smooth and a bit oily, just way to soda pop sweet for any real drinkablity. Seems to be too much of a gimic brew. I wouldn’t turn one down if offered for free, but I’m not buying anymore, either.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2006 12:46:03 | More by Vancer

gameface23

Massachusetts

2.73/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a light amber with a fizzy white head that leaves decent lacing.

S: I didn't really get too much hop aroma with this one. Some apricot, but mostly a musty malt aroma. I wasn't really impressed at all.

T: Malty & fruity sweetness with an aftertaste that just didn't do it for me. Metallic aftertaste.

M: Average mouthfeel.

D: The 7% alcohol is hidden very well, but I just didn't like the taste. I'm happy that I only bought a single 12 oz. because I doubt I will ever buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2009 22:05:17 | More by gameface23

naterock

Missouri

2.75/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

poured into a tulip with a deep entrancing copper color with a one finger head.

smell is... sour fruit. I guess that is apricot but really not much.

Tastes of sour fruits and some light malt. no hops to speak of but just a little bitterness on the tongue.

Mouth is medium and slightly oily. I really don't see myself getting anymore. just a sub-par beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 17:40:52 | More by naterock

hopsbreath

Oregon

2.75/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Looks good, boring smell, tastes like an IPA, feels like a watery IPA, and easy to drink. Pretty boring overall.

I try to review a product within the style. Aprihop is listed as an IPA. That being said, they also claim this has apricots in it. The head on this was apricot colored and that was the only indication of apricots I got. I will not seek out again and would advise against this one. There are better IPA's out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2010 23:45:05 | More by hopsbreath

TheEclecticGent

Georgia

2.78/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Had this one up in the sleepy little town of Sylva, NC.

A - It pours into a pint glass a hazy orange color with sizeable white head that lasts about half the session with moderate lacing. Good carbonation.

S - The nose is of hops and fruits.

T - A bitter rush of hops in the beginning and fading to a nice apricot fruit flavor. I would prefer it to be a little less hopped, but I'm not a huge hop hound overall. The apricot flavor helped ease the hoppiness.

M - A medium mouthfeel and fizzy.

D - A little hoppy for an easy drinking beer, but I would have this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2006 19:05:12 | More by TheEclecticGent

KBoudreau66

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light amber color with carbonation and two fingers of off white head that will dissipate after drinking. Leaves no lacing.

Smells of apricot and sweet malts up front. Undertones of sweet malts and alcohol.

Tastes like alcohol and sweet malts up front with hops and alcohol in the background.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and carbonated.

I wasn't overly impressed with this beer. I usually don't like fruit flavored beers, but I thought because it was an IPA it would be pretty good, and I was wrong. This is all based on my particular taste, and is by no means saying that other people won't enjoy this brew. I just personally didn't enjoy it. It's too much apricot and is unbalanced from my perspective. Tastes too much like a Magic Hat.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2009 04:47:21 | More by KBoudreau66

hustlesworth

Ohio

2.78/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- clear reddish copper with golden highlights, nice firm fizzy beige head, and a good splattering of lace.

S- well, apricots and hops. with also some toasty and caramel aromas in the background with some brown sugar sweetness. i'm not really a fruit beer guy, but i love the addition of apricots to beer so i'm pretty sure this will be a winner. not mega-hoppy, but there are some pine and citrus notes and an indirect earthiness and band aids. apricots compete with and mostly drown out the hop aromas after a short time.

T- interesting stuff. this seems to be a rather run of the mill IPA with an overlay of apricot tartness. a rather lactic acid tartness. reminds me of a 2 beers i had from north carolina, except those didn't have apricots in them.. moving on, the ipa isn't all that bitter or hoppy, just a nice balance of woodsy hop bitterness and toasty caramel and bread. the apricots are unripe and relentless, but they do however add another layer to what i would consider a boring brew. finishes toasty and apricoty with a very mild grassy tea like bitterness and the taste of a light green pepper such as gypsy.

MF- dry and crisp, with ample carbonation giving it the juiciness of pineapple juice mixed with 7up.

D- sadly, i expected more from this one. 'a fruit beer for hop heads' does not really apply. it's just a mild pale ale with apricots in it. it's decent, but all in all, i won't be chasing after another one.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2009 00:52:02 | More by hustlesworth

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

2.8/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance - slightly hazy but luminescent orange. A frothy off-white head holds at a creamy covering, some light lacing left behind.

Aroma - I couldn't smell much of anything. Letting it warm a bit, with a pre-emptive swirl, I can just barely detect the faintest malt and non-descript fruitiness. There is eventually a citric hop influence to the nose. For the most part, though, this is non-aromatic.

Taste - a solid malt start, rather average, turns a little sweet, and then very thick with alcohol flavor. Some hops finally show up in this IPA, but they stay somewhat bottled up. Some bitterness is present, but without any fruit or citrus component. No apricots anywhere that I could taste. Not all that distinctive, IMO. If tasted blind, this would get a lot of mis-classifications for a Belgian, I think.

Mouthfeel - hefty carbonation, smooth feeling beer. Boozy, vapory residue in the mouth, Fairly pleasant.

Drinkability - tastes fine, but given the abv and cost, and my overall disappointment/missed expectation, ApriHop doesn't measure up.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2004 15:49:30 | More by brewdlyhooked13

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.8/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a bright orangey-copper color with a profusive, fizzy white head.

Smell: Floral, sprucey aroma with a light, thin apricot fruitiness to it.

Taste: Light toasted caramel sweetness. Mild sour apricot juiciness devlops in the middle. Dull grassy hop flavor. Slightly metallic. Finishes quite dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a very tingly, spritzy carbonation.

Drinkability: Creative idea, but this one didn't really grab me. I simply found it to be a bit wanting in both categories: IPA bitterness and apricots.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2006 03:45:11 | More by ChainGangGuy

SpecialK088

Missouri

2.8/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a Snifter

Nice crisp clear bronzr with about a 1 finger head that goes away quickly

Aprocot notes with just the slightest hop note, not alot going on here

Fruit with just barely a bitter hop note right in the middle, like the nose it desn't have alot going on. Honestly its almost like there is a sligh rush of flavor in the front then nothing.

Light to medium body and kind of overcarbonated, very straightforward and I woudl say very far from an IPA

I would love to have had this in previous years cause it seems like it has done very well in them. I noticed the grades are way down this year.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 17:45:49 | More by SpecialK088

PossumJenkins

Maryland

2.83/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a nice golden color with decent, lasting head. Smell is fruity. Taste - where's the apricot? I expected a much stronger flavor to this beer; in fact I couldn't taste the apricot at all. Just a bland, generic-tasting IPA. Dogfish Head has many offerings that are much better than this.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2004 01:33:58 | More by PossumJenkins

bluemoonswoon

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Last of a 4 pack poured into a New Belgium Tulip.

A: Pours out a clean, richly bubbly golden amber with lighter brown (mahogany I suppose if you want to get complicated) mixed all together. Head starts out dense and a half inch thick but fades into a mere skin reaching across the top.

S: The aroma is (dare is say it) almost balanced for a Dogfish Head beer. Certainly not as extreme as I was expecting. I have in my head a clear idea of what apricots smell like, a dusty kind of tartness (almost stale) when dried and mixed with nuts, sweet, syrupy with a juicy tartness that makes your nose almost able to pick up a kind of texture in the smell itself, a kind of gritty, tannin-like profile somehow mashed into a discernible aroma. There are apricots here but not the kind I was expecting. They are evident on the first inhale then converse with the hoppiness of a traditional American IPA. The resulting aroma seems to take away more than give something back.

T/MF: Fruity, mildly bitter, slightly water/washed out and loose kind of swishy feel. Slightly grabbing in the back of the throat. The tartness of what I am normally familiar with with apricots is nowhere to be found here. There is a kind of nutty fruitiness, a sweet, but far from cloying nutty/fruity/malty sweetness mixed with a skinless apricot, with very little of that tannin-like grabiness that the skin of an apricot brings.

D: I really had high hopes for this beer and maybe it tastes like a fresh apricot, but to me and what I'm familiar with and what I've come to understand from apricots, this beer just doesn't deliver and on top of that it doesn't taste like much of an IPA either. Disappointing to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2009 03:39:37 | More by bluemoonswoon

Florida9

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

drank @ Hopleaf

served in a "modified pint glass"

A: Light brown with a yellowish tint. Two fingers of very creamy head.

S: Apricots are the first thing you smell. Not overwhelming, but certainly make their presence known. Then lemons, alcohol, and sour wild yeasts.

T: Tart lemons with faint apricots. Virtually no malts, sweetness, or hop character. Reminds me of a sugarless radler, if there were such a thing to exist.

D: I don't get this beer. I just don't see it being considered a APA as it is noticeably devoid of hops, but, there is little in the way of malts either. Really just a lot of lemon essence and sour twanginess. If I wasn't in a bar and hadn't just paid $6 for it, I most likely would have been pouring this one down the drain. I wonder if this batch was bad, or the keg near empty or something, anything to explain this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2009 00:59:33 | More by Florida9

usmittymc

Mississippi

2.83/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle (bottled on 3/4/09) into a tumbler glass.

A: Pours a clear caramel color with a thin white head. Lace sticks to the glass after each sip.

S: Cut hay, faint apricot aroma, not a whole lot going on here surprisingly.

T: Tartness on the front. I suppose that's the apricot, but if it is, it's very subdued. Turns to a quick blast of bitterness that disappears completely in a second. Finish is a little sour.

M: A tad slick, but relatively light in body.

D: Not too impressed with this one. The tartness of the apricot seemingly kills any hop flavor or aroma. Disappointing since it is advertised as a serious IPA. Glad that I tried it, but now I have 3 more to give away...

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 19:05:51 | More by usmittymc

sirpsycho

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Pour was a medium amber color, head was small and off-white, didn't stick around long. Aroma was appealing, ripe aprocots, slight citrus. Flavor did not deliver what the aroma promised. Could barely taste the apricots, slight hoppiness was there. They need to pump up the apricot flavor profile on this one, could be a winner if they did.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 15:45:00 | More by sirpsycho

timmah427

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - pours a dark amber with a tiny head that disappears completely after a second. Looks like a fizzy, lighter colored soda.

S - The first smell that hits you is apricot, accompanied by plum and other dark fruit and a hint of bready malt.

T - Sweet fruit. The sour apricot taste dominates this beer and really covers up any hop flavor. The only part of the taste that I enjoyed is that you start to get a hint of breadiness from the malt after a few minutes of drinking it.

M/D - Too fizzy and thin. The sweetness helped to make it seem a little thicker, but the overall sweet/sour apricot taste just made it hard to stomach. Not a terrible beer, but I definitely won't be spending any more money on this.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 04:01:48 | More by timmah427

stumac

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Got the day off due too supposed bad weather, smokin the pineapple, chillin with my lady, a good day....

call me crazy, but I've never had an apricot. So I'm trusting my girl's taste notes on this one....

this brew pours up a clear copper color with a decent off white head. the nose is slight sour light fruits (im guessing apricots), subtle hop bitterness. the taste is apricots (im guessing), they are very strong in this brew, lots of hop bittering but is totally cut with the sourness of this brew. Reminds me of an American Flemish Red...minus the red. medium bodied, medium carbo, a weird bugger

EDIT: Is this brew supposed to be sour???

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2009 20:45:46 | More by stumac

PerzentRizen

Mississippi

2.85/5  rDev -26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Okay so I am a little taken aback here. I love DFH and I have thoroughly enjoyed every beer I've tried from them. That being said I'm not loving this beer. It has a tart flavor that doesn't lead to taste or drinkability. This beer goes exceptionally well with hot spicy food and lends itself a great intro to an evening of drinking sours; other than that this beer is not on my "good beer" list. Everything below was written well before the foreward...

Poured into a Duvel glass this beer is a dark amber color with a frothy white head. It looks amazing and I'm damn excited to try my first sip - I will be patient!

The smell is of very tart and dried appricots, sweet malt, and the "funny" smell must be all of that mixed with the hops. This has a little brett or other funky smell to it...strange.

The first taste is exceptionally tart. My first thought is that this is an appricot lambic, but it's classified as an IPA. Is there any wild yeast here? If not I think it's about time Sam! This beer would improve from a little wild yeast.

Mouthfeel seems thin but that may be in part to the high carbonation from the fruit. When I homebrew my fruit beers have always been overcarbonated and I think that's what happened here. I think if I let this sit for 10-20 minutes I would like it better. ***Note to future partakers - warm this to cellar temp before consuming and decant for 5-10 minutes to allow the excess carbonation to vent off.

Overally drinkability is unhindered by everything. Is this my favorite fruit beer? Hell no but it's not bad. I would drink another if it were offered which is more than I can say for any Sam Adam's fruit beer.

Final Note: Let me finish by saying that I really want to love this beer. I truly respect Sam and his crew and I will continue to buy up their great beers but I can't say I truly love this one. I know some people will love this beer, but I'll stick to 90 minute, 120 minute, and Black and Blue!

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2009 21:48:09 | More by PerzentRizen

curasowa

New York

2.85/5  rDev -26%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Beer #2 in my week of DFH. Poured a clear, golden yellow with 1 finger of creamy head. This beer has a very unique smell that I'm having trouble placing, but the apricot isn't overpowering, which is a plus. The uniqueness continues upon tasting. There is a hit of bitterness quickly followed by sweetness, no doubt from the apricot and then the two tastes mix in your mouth. The body is a bit thin and watery the sweetness wins out in the finish. This is an interesting take on an IPA with a unique play on flavor, but I don't really care for it. Doubt I would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2009 01:23:58 | More by curasowa