ApriHop - Dogfish Head Brewery

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours a clear golden orange color with golden burnt orange hus when held to a light source and a one finger frothy white head that quickly settles into a thin ring. Not much in the way of lacing.

Slightly sweet syrupy apricot aroma with subtle light fruit notes, caramel malt backbone and earthy hops.

Crisp sweet light fruit with a caramel malt backbone and a nice bitter earthy hop balance. Pretty sweet with lots of apricot, apple and pear. Very crisp but slightly watered down with a dry piny earthy hop finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 08:11:39 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The rare solid effort from DFH. You can be adventurous and still make something delicious, not weird for the sake of being weird. But I digress.

Pours a great, well, apricot color, good thick head great lacing. Noticeable aroma, just the right fruit amount in the taste and nose. Good hop profile too. So much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Mouthfeel, sticks with it down to the end of the bottle. Drinkable, but like all DFH, its pricey.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 00:33:48 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Johnny Brenda's

An early spring seasonal. A tremendous blast of fruity flavor that wasn't disgusting, and still unmistakably a beer. I think they have mellowed out on the obvious apricot taste in recent batches. Pours a slightly hazy copper with a thin head that sticks around for a while. Sweet fruit and citrus hops in the aroma. Bitter hops up front in the taste, followed by a distinct blast of apricot. Medium mouthfeel. Crisp and drinkable.

Serving type: growler

05-01-2011 19:43:29 | More by Rifugium

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a delicious burnished amber colour, looks very thick in the body, lots of languous large-bubbled carbonation feeding a lightly filmy head of off-white foam. Lacing is good. Looks pretty tasty overall.

Oh man... There's something so classic about the American IPA that we just can't get in Australia. This aroma, full of sweet fruit and pepper, takes me right back to my last trip to the US. It's not as full on as some IPA aromas, a bit sweeter, and less of the pungent potency, but still very tasty.

On the palate lie those hidden apricots. Initial robust IPA character is then leavened by a sweet-sour dried apricot flavour, that adds a little bit of quirky fun. In all honesty, it fits rather nicely with the sharp hop characters. There is, however, not the level of back palate bitterness I would have expected. But again, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

A very drinkable brew. Undoubtedly odd, but assuredly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2009 01:31:29 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

2.1/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Hops and apricots...those folks at DFH know how to draw out some crazy ideas. On to the beer:

The filtered orange color in this beer shows an array of carbonation bubbles sticking to the glass, the head is fuzzy and drops to a thin lace. There's little firepower in the nose. There's a faint sweetness that reminds me of fruit juice, and a stale grain note. Time to panic?

This is hard to rate. Sharp alcohol, bitter hops, and fruit concentrate-like sweetness. Do I like it or hate it? Eh...that alcohol sting is not pleasant, and the apricot and hop flavors don't meld well. I want to chew on the apricot flavor, it's so gummy. Mouthfeel is light and flimsy.

Take a cheap, oversweetened fruit juice concentrate, then add it to a dull, hoppy beer with an annoying alcoholic bite. A bland, poorly balanced beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2009 04:03:47 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer after its emancipation from the 12-ounce brown bottle pours somewhat muzzy deep amber to copper color; the head is mountainous and frothy in texture, the color a nice light tan. Nose is sweet with the malt and Apricots, also a tad of hops, crisp, fresh with the start sweet and nicely malted, top is middling in its feel to the palate, Finish has an authoritarian acidity, the hops personable in their spiciness, sweetly and dry aftertaste, a bit light weight, but drinkable none-the-less

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2004 20:59:34 | More by Gusler

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured a dark peach-amber with a 2 finger rocky dull white head capping things off.

S: mandatory fruity apricots accompanied by a rather pleasant and soft floral hopping.

T: The initial flavor started off sweet upfront with hints caramel and apricot notes. There is a light floral hoppiness lingering in the background that compliments the overall flavor while letting the apricots take center stage. There is a nice balance between the fruitiness and hopping and was not overly fruity like many others per style. The beer starts off sweet then finishes with a slight sour/tart fruitiness.

M: medium, aggressively carbonated with a semi-dry tart fade.

D: Good drinkability for what it is. A nice floral hopping and toned down apricot flavor makes this easy to enjoy like a fruity pale ale. One you could possible have a few of in one sitting on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 23:26:26 | More by beerthulhu

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very clear, orange/amber with a thin stand of dark cream coloured head. Some lacing and good retention. Plenty of aroma, with caramel malt, fruity apricots, floral and spicy hops, along with a bit of alcohol. Full, slightly viscous body with carbonation that's well integrated, leaving you with very fine bubbles and no harshness. Caramel malt sweetness throughout, with mellow apricot and moderate bitterness rounding things out at the end. Some pine hop flavour part-way through. Dryish hop finish with lingering apricot and a bit of alcohol warmth. A fruit beer that's definitely above average. I really liked how the apricots only form part of the character, rather than overpowering everything. Nicely balanced!

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2005 17:33:27 | More by DrJay

HopHead84

California

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer is an apricotish orangish gold color, if you can picture that. The head is about one finger high and white with decent retention and a little lacing.

The aroma is of citrus hops with some subtle apricot. The malt is sweet and caramely. I don't
get a lot of hops or apricot here. No alcohol is detectable. The apricots are a bit more noticeable in the flavor, but they're rather dull. The caramel malt imparts some sweetness that add to that of the fruit, and the level of bitteress is low-medium.

Light bodied with good carbonation and a dry mouthfeel.

This beer isn't all that hoppy or apricoty.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 16:45:03 | More by HopHead84

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours with no head, a dulled and largely unappealing pear colour. Rather cloudy. A strong and pinching aroma coated in lightly bitter, nose tickling hops, which along with some light effervescence, is drowned out by an off-putting biscuit-like, bready malt profile and more than modest alcohol presence. A little deterring...
Mouthfeel equally unimpressive. Alcohol somewhat present, a thin and watery makeup. Hops resonates on the finish. The apricot can be hard to detect on some sips and again, a strong off-putting malt is too aggressive in the forefront.
Overall, quite spotty. I expected a little better.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2007 19:01:09 | More by biegaman

kojevergas

California

3.25/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a conical Guinness pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average for no particular reason; I guess I'm just in the mood for an apricot beer. I forget where I acquired this.

Served straight from the refrigerator and allowed to warm only slightly over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a 2.5 finger head of nice cream, good thickness, and good retention. Colour is a semitransparent somewhat dark caramel. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Fresh fruit and floral hops, caramel, biscuit malt, and a nutty note. I detect no apricot whatsoever. Call me crazy. An average strength aroma.

T: Vague indistinct floral and fruit hops, with a hint of pine accompanied by caramelized malt, biscuit malt, that nutty note again, and a hint of caramelized peach - I guess you could call it apricot. Strangely balanced, but strangely well. It lacks focus but works as a sort of hodge-podge scattershot brew. It's as though for once things just fell into place for the brewers at Dogfish Head. Quite sugary and sweet to make it palatable for the masses. Overly sweet? Perhaps. Pretty decently built for an IPA; at least the hop bitterness is balanced. Not horribly complex or subtle, but I'll take from Dogfish Head what I can get.

Mf: A bit thicker than it needs to be. Smooth and wet, with slight coarsness towards the finish. Some hints of cream; I wish the cream were more developed. Good carbonation.

Dr: A drinkable little IPA, but a strangely balanced one. Apricot fans should look elsewhere for their fix (maybe even Pyramid's hefeweizen), but this is a decent offering from Dogfish Head. Of course, I'd never get it again on account of the price...

High C+

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 02:24:10 | More by kojevergas

Brad007

Vermont

4.93/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Beer pours a light copper color with a thick, frothy head. The aroma is hoppy and full of the apricot essence. The taste gives away a wonderful hoppiness balanced with some sweetness from the apricots. It leaves a smooth mouthfeel and does not come off as too bitter or too sweet. Well balanced beer and certainly a better example than the other beer of this style that I sampled.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2007 17:02:28 | More by Brad007

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes taken 3/24/10

Served in a pint on tap at Al's. Pours a dark amber color that is quite clear. Minimal powers of retension displayed by the minuscule amount of white head that had appeared. Nose is a pleasant aroma of citrus hops and fruity citrus zest. Taste is citrus and fruity upfront from a blend of hops and the addition of apricots. It has a slightly spicey and warming alcohol bite. Only a minor amount of bitterness is present despite the initial hop
character that the nose led on. Light feel and low amount of carbonation. Very drinkable but the alcohol was a bit more pronounced than expected. The apricot addition is an interesting swing to the style. Regardless it blends well with a mix of alcohol and hop character which leaves an interesting mix of flavors left clinging on the tongue.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2010 19:30:53 | More by stakem

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear copper, off-white head, very little retention and lace.

S: Malty, slightly fruity (apricot).

T: The flavour isn't over-powering, yet somehow it hides the alcohol content. There's a really nice bready malt flavour, some apricot, with a hint of hops. It has a clean, crisp bitterness.

M: Moderate to full body, moderate carbonation. Very nice.

D: Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2006 22:10:17 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.7/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A very drinkable but complex brew. Has a faint but noticeable nose of apricots and hops. Pours golden with a nice but not overwhelming head. Has an intriguing taste of Apricot fruit followed by bitter almond/apricot pit that immediately transitions into a medium hop bitterness. The transition from fruit to the melded bitterness of pit and hops is what makes this beer sublime.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2006 05:33:46 | More by Georgiabeer

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hmm...clearish orangey apricot color, how fitting, just under a finger high head of dirty cream colored foam, some thinnly etched strings of lace stick. Smell has a nice herbal/grassy hop with a solid toasted malt backing, some detectable notes of fresh apricots and slight pine lay underneath, very fresh smelling with a raw grassy hop edge. Taste has a toasty frontage blending quickly with herbal grassy fresh hops that has a mild bite ending with a mix of pine wood, citrus fruits and just a peppering of the apricot can be detected nearer the finish where it tappers off with a toasty malt flake and bake twinge and a grab of hop bittering thats favorabley mild. Feel is about medium, nice and crisp with a light drying quality with just the right amount of bite and balance making for a good drinking IPA fruity treat. Its not as Aprihopped as I hoped it would be but its quite good non-the-less. Borderline sessionable with the 6.6% - drinkable all the same. I could easily put a few of these away and be a happy camper. Thanks to drweizen for the bottles!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2004 02:05:18 | More by tavernjef

mactrail

California

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beautiful dark amber in the tulip glass, decent head and pleasant carbonation in the mouth. Malty without being rich. Touch of sweetness goes well with the fruit. Rather acidic and hops are forward, so it's still an edgy beer. Each sip renews the malt and the unobtrusive fruit, but the hops get more bitter.

I have liked this beer for a long time but haven't tasted recently. Seems sharper and harsher than I remember. Still it's an interesting standby and a style more good brewers should try (New Belgium take note).

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 04:24:12 | More by mactrail

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served from bottle into a Samuel Smith Imperial pint. Pours red orange with a one finger off-white head that slowly subsides to minimal. Maintains nice lacing throughout. The aroma is comprised of hops, fruit, and sweet malt. The flavor is of malt, hops, fruit, and apricot (surprise). It is medium on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this is a very nice twist on the traditional IPA. The apricot touch adds a bit of sweet to the usual bitter variety. If you are a hop fan and want to try something different this is worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2010 23:29:27 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.45/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear dark brownish amber with not much head. Aroma has a sharp bite and a definite fruit smell, rather like a cider. Flavor is malty and fruity, and has a noticeable apricot component, as well as some hoppy bitterness. Finish is lively and has a good edgy feel.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 02:52:09 | More by Cyberkedi

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer is dark orange and completely transparent with a small off white head that leaves some nice lacing on the walls of the pint glass.

The aroma offers hops, stone fruits, sweet malt, juice.

The flavor is sweet, with apricot flavor really coming out strong. Following the heavy apricot flavor is a balance of hops and sweet malt, with a slight nod toward hops.

The feel is medium bodied and sticky on the palate with a pronounced sweetness throughout.

Overall, a decent fruit beer with some nice things going on. A bit too sweet for me personally.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 22:48:16 | More by Huhzubendah

ccrida

Oregon

2.9/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle (bottled on 3/18/08) poured into my meantime snifter, Aprihop is a clear copper with a small white head that quickly settles, leaving light lace. Served at fridge temp.

Smell is apricot syrup and crystal malt, fairly soft at first, with the fruit gaining prominence as it warms, as do the boozy vapors. While alluring for a fruit beer, the label might have one expecting complimentary hop aroma, which I cannot for the life of me find. It smells like a cheap fruit wine.

Taste is grassy hops, light apricot and grainy, with a bitter finish. Alcohol is prevalent, at first it seemed fairly clean but not to well hidden, but as I worked my way through it, the fusels dominated the aftertaste in an distasteful manner.

Mouthfeel is sharp and crisp, drier, but with a thicker, viscous body.

Drinkability is OK, more bad then good, definitely not as exciting as the fruited IPA experiment sounds, though not a total dud either. It goes down pretty easily at first, but the booze tires, and by the end, I'm pretty much sick of it. I've only had this once before, and it's been at least 2-3 years...I liked it more then, although at the time I was expecting it to be overly fruity, which it's not. I recall more hops though...perhaps my tastes have changed living on the west coast, perhaps it's just a function of this bottle being 3 months old. Either way, I don't see myself ever buying another one of these.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2008 00:23:41 | More by ccrida

RoyalT

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance – This nice-looking darkish-orange beer sported a good, retentive, orangish-white head.

Smell – The light, ripe apricots were intermixed with some sharp piney notes and a good, balancing malt base.

Taste – The toasted malts and complex hops (mostly pine and citrus) were evenly mixed and went well with the light apricot flavor. There’s also a small nutty character that adds to the natural apricot character.

Mouthfeel – This beefy Fruit Beer is a bit bigger than medium-bodied. It is very hoppy with a strong malt base infused with luscious apricots.

Drinkability – This is a great beer from a great brewery. The beer came across very strong and fibrous.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2004 15:55:36 | More by RoyalT

largadeer

California

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Beautiful clear copper with two fingers of fluffy white foam. Carbonation is very active making for some excellent head retention.

Smell: Strangely, not a lot of hop aroma; instead, it's all apricot, juicy and slightly tart, with a hint of citrus beneath it.

Taste/mouthfeel: This is my first fruit-infused IPA, and I wasn't entirely sure if it would work or not. I'm happy to say that it does, and it's even quite good. Thankfully this beer is still pretty dry, even with the addition of fruit. The apricots lend a lot of flavor, but don't overwhelm the base beer, which is actually quite mild despite the label proclaiming something about a "serious IPA" (though I should know by now that DFH doesn't truly make aggressively hoppy beers). Grassy, citric hop flavors blend nicely with the apricot, which is pleasantly fruity without being particularly sweet, and even provides a hint of tartness, while the finish is clean, dry and crisp.

Drinkability: I drank this one in no time at all and I'd gladly have another.

Notes: Thanks dyan, this one is the first of many.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2008 04:13:35 | More by largadeer

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Poured ontap, a dark copper in color with some head and lace clinging.

Smell: Fruity smell upfront, with some malt sweetness and floral hops chiming in.

Taste: Definate apricot flavors with a fair amount of piney hops. Malt sweetness blends with the fruit, and just enough hops to keep it from being a sweet mess. I like the apricot flavor in the beer, its kind of like Magic Hat #9 but with more of a hop presence.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with spritzy carbonation.

Drinkability: One went down fine and it is a good spring seasonal, but for extended drinking it may be a tad cloying.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2010 17:39:03 | More by Stinkypuss

avalon07

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an amber color and a clear texture. There was a thin head that quickly dissipated. Pretty good lacing.

S: Underplayed aroma of apricots, malt, hops, and some citrus.

T: Tasted of sweet malt, apricots, mild hops, and perhaps a little lemon. Not the most dynamic or zesty of flavors, but still decent.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a slightly slick finish. Light-bodied.

D: Drinkable, but not the greatest thing DFH has ever produced.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2010 14:06:30 | More by avalon07