ApriHop - Dogfish Head Brewery

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

JohnnyMc

Ohio

3/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Off centered ales for off centered people indeed.

This pours out a very nice deep amber, ruby red with hints of orange and a nice 2 finger white and fluffy head.

The aroma is mainly toasted malts with hints of piney hops and a slight sweetness from the apricots.

The taste is also very malt forward for an IPA. There are subtle amounts of piney/earthy hops and then those are followed by slightly sweet, but mostly hidden apricots. Very heavy on the malt flavor.

Very refreshing and crisp, but not very bitter.

Overall, this is a nice beer, but for the cost it's probably something I won't purchase in the future. Gotta give it to Same though, he is always willing to do something new.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 17:16:45 | More by JohnnyMc

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle served in a snifter.

plours a translucent, coppery deep amber tone with about 1" foamy light beige head. decent retention but even better lacing. citrus hoppiness with a piney secondary note or two first emerge from the aroma; the apricot presence is readily perceivable but not overpowering. some malt presence.

flavor largely follows the nose: citric hops, a dash of pine, and an enjoyable apricot turnout - again, enough to appreciate without going overboard and ruining the beer. good dose of balancing malts. medium-bodied mouthfeel; carbonation seems a hair below average.

overall this is not a world class IPA. however it is super drinkable, very tasty with the apricot twist, and perfect for spring - in fact i'd go a step further and say it would be just the brew for a warm summer evening.

(originally reviewed: 05-01-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 23:43:32 | More by BostonHops

BilbosNuts

California

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a clear copper color with a high amount of carbonation. It has a creamy, two finger, off white colored head that sticks around for a few minutes and leaves behind nearly solid rings of lacing.

S: Nice hop profile that includes slight pine and citrus aromatics. A moderate toasted malt presence provides a solid backbone. The addition of the apricots complements the hops and malts perfectly.

T: The taste is much more malty than hoppy and isn't as well balanced as the aroma. The apricots have a moderate presence towards the finish and a slight bitterness from a hoppy bite finishes it off.

M: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. The bitterness at the end creates a refreshingly crisp finish.

O: I enjoyed this IPA quite a bit. The addition of apricots provided a refreshing new spin on a style that has been beaten into the ground. I'll continue to pick this up seasonally.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 23:44:14 | More by BilbosNuts

brewskifan55

Mississippi

3.73/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a plastic cup at the Knight's Inn right after the Alice Cooper concert at the Beau Rivage Casino, Biloxi, MS.

A: Clear, dirty brown with an off-white half finger head that slowly dissipates. Decent lacing.

S: Piney hops, clean, grassy

T: Hoppy, grapefruit, a smattering of apricots, smooth, slightly bitter finish. Medium body

M: Medium with medium carbonation

O: Very sessionable. I'm not a hophead, but this was an easy drinker. Not overly impressed, but not bad, either. Makes me long for an Indian Brown.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 16:44:06 | More by brewskifan55

Giggy

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Nothing impressive upon pouring. Light ruby to amber color with a white head.

S: Floral IPA smell. Light hops and light malts.

T: Faint apricot flavor. Was expecting a little more.

M: Nice carbonation.

O: Mild IPA. But because it is mild, you can drink more than one in a setting. It also makes a nice summer beer because it isn't as heavy as other IPAs. Apricot flavor comes out more as the beer warms.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 00:12:15 | More by Giggy

BierStein711

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the bottle into shaker pint

Oaky, amber color with two and a half finger off white head,

No freshness date visible

Smells: floral hop, apricot

Taste: Pilsner malt, and hops very visible at the start, then the apricots come to play; they are very noticeable in the middle of the sip. A hoppy bitterness provides a denoumet.

Mouthfeel: perfect!

Overall, this isn't bad! Try it.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 05:21:31 | More by BierStein711

TheBishop27

4.48/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A- a nice bold reddish amber really like the color reminds me of a beautiful mahogany wood

S- a standard IPA aroma nice floral hoppy notes with a little spice

T- starts off sweet like an apricot of course goes into a hoppy flavor and ends with a beautiful hoppy apricot flavor

M- love the mouthfeel just enough carbonation with the spicy hoppy taste

Overall- really like this beer, but I am partial to IPA gotta love those hops. enjoyable thats for sure the apricots add a nice sweetness to the already bitter IPA. would definitely recommend this to any hophead who is looking for something a litte different

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 01:11:27 | More by TheBishop27

Jamesthebrit

Michigan

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

A: A pretty bold reddish dark brown amber.
S: A pretty standard IPA smell. Floral spicy...
T: Good on the taste. The fruityness really comes through and it blends well with the spice and bitterness of the hops.
M: Sits a little light with quite a bit of carbonation. Spice really hits hard.

Overall a pretty good IPA. The fruit certainly adds something but I don't know how much. It's a good IPA otherwise. Pretty good but nothing overly spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 21:43:35 | More by Jamesthebrit

brandonlovesbeer

2.1/5  rDev -45.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

The Pour:
Not alot of head. Dissipated almost immediately. It just, sort of, beaded up in the middle.

The Look:
Light ruby color. The head is white. Go figure, red beer and white head.
There was minimal carbonation. Just a small stream coming from the bottom. Although, as the beer warms up, the carbonation does become more pronounced.

Aroma:
It wasn't really what I was expecting. I don't smell any apricot. The aroma was very similar to the 60 minute IPA. Light malt, light hop, just light everything.
The crystal malts were probably the most prominent aroma.

Taste:
I was pleasantly surprised because there was no apricot/peachy flavors to speak of. Only an astringent peachy aftertaste. The Hops and Malt are definitely the prominent taste in this beer.
The apricot definitely doesn't do anything for this beer. It's almost as if it was an unwanted accident. And DFH said, let's just go ahead and bottle this beer anyway.

Verdict:
It's very astringent, it's not very hoppy. I can drink it without cringing (I guess). This is just... It's not that good. Definitely not as good as what they are charging for it. I would give this a 'C'.

I'm never gonna buy this again. I'm never gonna look for this. I'm gonna get through this glass but... It's nothing special. I'm definitely not going to waste my money buying another one of these.

I don't really care for the astringent aftertaste that the apricots provide. The plus is that it's NOT a fruit beer, as the name would suggest. But on the down side, It's certainly NOT an IPA either. I've had weak American Ales with more hop presence than this. The hops are VERY subdued. The DFH websites describes it as being... "continuously hopped with irresponsible amounts of amarillo hops."

Irresponsible? I don't think so. Maybe in the brewery, but it doesn't come through in the smell or taste.

Worth the Money:
So based on all of that, is it worth the money?
$2.99 per single bottle == .25 cents per oz
$10.99 per 4 pack. == .23 cents per oz
$9.99 per 1/2gal growler. == .16 cents per oz.

I don't believe in 4 packs. Especially not for a beer with such low quality (compared to the style it is classified under). If this were about $9 for a 6 pack, I can see myself paying that for this particular beer. But it's not worth more than that. And I am stretching here to find some positive aspects.

Most people like this beer. I don't know why. But you make your own decision. Maybe this beer's for you and maybe it isn't.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 20:56:03 | More by brandonlovesbeer

Chickenhawk9932

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured copper with a frothy cream colored head. Nice lacing down the glass.

Big punch of apricot in the nose with some subdued hops in the back slightly citrus with some bitter herb.

Big apricot flavor up front, then the hop bitterness dances around the palate = very lively, nice carbonation. Goes back and forth with sweet and bitter, finishes dry with syrupy body that is both sweet and bitter.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2012 01:55:36 | More by Chickenhawk9932

vonnegut21

New York

3.6/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a mellow, golden brown with a two finger white head. Smells of pine, citrus and light stone fruits. Tastes like a standard IPA with light, mild sweetness. Very hop forward, with a nice malt backbone. Medium bodies with decent carbonation. Overall, a decent IPA with an interesting twist.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 21:49:12 | More by vonnegut21

t420o

California

3.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Dogfish head Aprihop

A- pour produces a 1-1/2 finger tan head resting on a golden-amberish body. Good retention and lacing.  4

S- getting into the smell it's like floral hops and juicy apricot. It smellls very good. 4

T- very light tasting and neither the hops or the apricot really stick out at all. The flavors are a bit muted. It's probably good that it's not overdone with apricot, but I'd add some more in and amp up the hops as well. 3.5

M- excellent mouthfeel. Good body and carbonation. 4.5

O- I think this brew could be done much better. As is it's good but not good enough. 3

B

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 05:48:31 | More by t420o

Giovacchini

California

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

A- pours a copper color with a thin head that dissipates.

S- grapefruit, pine, sweet maltiness, apricots, and lemon.

T- malttiness, juicy hop oils, grapefruit, grain, bread, apricots, and pine.

M- subtle carbonation with an oily mouthfeel and nice bitterness.

O- this is a decent brew but not my favorite. I wish fresh DFH beers were easier to find here in California. It was hard to review this beer without a bottled on date. I am also not used to a malt heavy ipa and prefer a little malt like most West coast IPA's

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:00:57 | More by Giovacchini

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to GusDom for this bottle; unfortunately, there’s no more Dogfish Head to be found in Indiana.

Brewed around three months before the date of this tasting (“BOTTLED IN: 2012F21:24” I’m guessing means bottled on February 21, 2012).

A: An incredibly good-looking ale: the body is blood red, like Founders Red’s Rye, a shining ruby hue. The head is all cream, with a thick texture and a contrasting off-white color. An inch or full retention, as well, accompanied by strings and strings of lacing. A superb presence.

S: Just as I anticipated, this nose is all about the IPA character: caramel malts, a rich underbelly of toffee, in a balancing act with some flowery chamomile, pine, and grapefruit rind. The apricots are extremely mild, showing only a bit of flesh form the fruit in the malt profile, along with mulberry and apple. It’s an incredibly balanced nose, though a heavy hit of alcohol does show up.

T: A very interesting brew – there is a certain fruity quality to the smooth DFH pale ale taste. It begins with a wondrous malty influence, showing flavors of cornbread, pilsner malt, wheat husk, and a barnyard graininess (a more-than-sound IPA malt flavor). The grapefruit pulp is huge here, so palpable that it’s nearly like taking a bite of the real thing. It comes with a sticky citrus rind hoppiness, as well as a luscious fruit juice flavor that comes from the apricots, I presume: peach, apricot, and tart cranberry. It’s an acidic, fruity taste, sweet mixing with the resin of the hops; a character that comes through in the dry, yet mildly tart aftertaste.

M: Extremely drinkable for this style of beer; it’s thick, yet smooth and not very filling. Every sip is full, yet juicy, like a fresh apricot – imagine that.

O: A fresh hit of fruit really kept this beer fresh and interesting; it’s not usually a complicated style, but it’s nice to get this kind of balancing flavor. If I had access to this, I’d definitely buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 01:56:24 | More by BarryMFBurton

eriktoyra

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice dark amber colored liquid into the glass. Lots of carbonation that looks like the one found in sparkling wine. The head is yellow-white with small bubbles. Fairly even head, about two fingers high. Slowly goes down to a thin layer leaving lots of lacings on the glass.

S: A slight note of bitter hops, oranges, grapefruit and sweet tropical fruits. Carapale malts and a bit of alchohol at the end. The smell of apricots emerges after a few sips.

T: Lots of malt and sweet fruit, finishes off nice with some distinct grapefruit tones that stays long. Apricots are definitely there, as well as some honey. Well balanced.

M: Smooth. Very smooth. Medium carbonation. Feels a bit oily and "round". Very easy to drink.

O: A great IPA I would buy anyday again. The apricots does a really good job in this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 00:32:30 | More by eriktoyra

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

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

I poured this one into a pint glass. It has a nice dark golden color body with a nice 2 finger white head. The smell is very aromatic of hops. The taste is very hop up front and i get the balance of the malts on the back of the tongue. I'm not picking up any apricot taste. The mouth feel is great and overall this is a really good ipa, which i love.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 04:00:42 | More by chefhatt

Redrover

Illinois

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

This was one of the May specials at Cuvee Cellars in Elmhurst. $3 is a good deal!

Poured into a standard pint, the beer is dark bronze with a sticky tan head.

It has a big citrus pine nose. It is fresh and inviting.

Taste is hop forward lots of juicy hops with a solid caramel malt back end. It has a hint of juicy fruit gum (tropical) that emerges mid-glass.

It has slick oily mouth coating goodness. Just a great beer here at a fantastic price!

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 21:29:45 | More by Redrover

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a cloudy copper-orange color with a finger of frothy off-white head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of lots of citrus and tropical fruits including apricots, grapefruit, pineapple, with some piney hops and a bit of caramel and biscuit malt.

T - Starts off some apricot flavor with some tropical hop flavor with some grapefruit, pineapple, and bitterness with some sweet caramel and bready malts. Through the middle, some resiny pine hops come through with some stronger bitterness and a bit more apricot flavor alongside a bit stronger malt flavor. The finish is a mix of topical and pine hop with some bitterness and a bit of sweet malt.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a resiny, bitter, and dry finish.

D - Very drinkable. The apricot flavor really works nicely alongside the tropical hops, and the beer has a great balance overall.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 03:51:14 | More by ngeunit1

cvm4

Mississippi

3.33/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Nice amber color and a eggshell 2 finger head after pour. Okay lacing.

S - Some hops and a little malt. Lingering sweetness in the background.

T - Not overly apricot to me. Nice base IPA that seems more malty and sweet than hop forward. Very subdued apricot here.

M - Good carbonation, lighter body but just has a cloying sweetness I don't like.

O - Not impressed. I'd choose a lot of regular or even BMC fruit beers over this.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 20:51:30 | More by cvm4

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours light amber/orange with a great white head. Tons of rings and lace down the pint.

Toasted malt, some hoppy notes. Looking for apricot and not finding it.

Great IPA, but where is the fruit? Nice moderate hoppy brew, with more malt forward. Bitterness and toasted malt, with some sweetness to round this brew out. I guess the apricot is there, but I don't taste it.

Good medium body and carbonation.

Overall, I liked this, but it is still more IPA than Apricot brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 00:16:47 | More by OtherShoe2

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A surprisingly enjoyable APA. I was cautious because of the apricots and a years ago less than impressive draught experience, but that may have been the establishment and this bottle is truly great.

The apricots are only obvious (to me) in a dry but jammy element to the finish. There is ripe stone fruit in the aroma as well, but it blends nicely with the tropical fruit and citrus notes that Dogfish Head captures so well. It pours a beautifully clear and dark amber, almost glowing with reddish orange tones. Impressive lacing and a plaeasntly carbonated mouthfeel, not as slick or oily as one sometimes finds in a 7% ABV beer.

A pleasant surprise and definitely a beer I'd highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 00:08:55 | More by hopsolutely

Samp01

New Jersey

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

A ruby amber with a large lasting creamy beige head on the pour with very good head retention lacing to the end. Aroma of caramel malt, yeast, fruity esters, apricots with citrus floral hops. Taste is caramel malt, yeast, fruity notes and some nice apricots flavor with some citrus floral hops. Palate is a medium body, creamy mouth feel with good carbonation. Finishes with caramel malt, some yeast, fruity and some good apricot notes followed by some citrus and floral hops for balance. Aroma and flavor of apricots come through more as it warms up, has a good malty background. Overall a very good, tasty and well balanced brew, I would recommend this and drink again, very nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 19:23:52 | More by Samp01

msh4k3

Michigan

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

Bottle served in a nonic pint glass

a. A darker copper orange, and a little hazy but opaque. I had 1 finger head.

s. Citrus notes from the hops, pine notes, apricot notes, and english pale ale malts.

t. You get hit by a slight bitterness of hops, then you get some apricot notes, and finally some grassy & peppery notes. Kind of sweet. A little on the boozy side.

m. A bit of body on this, medium to high carbonation, then you get a bit of alcohol warming. A little sappy doesn't retain too long.

o. Delicious apricot flavored beer. It's availability that goes along with spring makes it a treat. Not my favorite of this style but its pretty tasty IPA. Drink it before its gone!!

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 04:27:44 | More by msh4k3

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Apricot season only lasts about five weeks. We prolong this experience by drying them... oh, and we put them in our beer.

I like IPA's and I really enjoy apricots. So, the mix should be very good. It starts well with the look and smell. I like the blend of hops and fruit.

The flavor isn't as good as the smell. It is a decent beer. The flavor is very hoppy, but bitterness comes over the top. I don't get much of the apricot, though.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 01:39:10 | More by ummswimmin