ApriHop - Dogfish Head Brewery

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

rossthefireman

California

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

A- nice deep amber/reddish hue, good head
S- Sour apricots, a little acetic, slight hint of malt
T- Sour apricots with slight malt. Even a little hint of peach, but thats from the apricots
M- good mothfeel, very carbonated and a little 'juicy'
D- Its drinkable, but what is it??

I am very confused by this beer. Is it an IPA with apricots, like the bottle says, or an apricot pale ale?
This just came to California and I was very excited to try this. Once I drank the first one, I was confused. I then drank a bottle each night for the next four days before this review, and alas, Im still confused.
Is it a good beer? Yes I think it is, but for a supposed 'serious' IPA, there is virtually no hop aroma or flavor to this beer . All I get when I drink this is a juicy sour apricot flavor that kind of dominates the flavor profile of the beer. And I think what throws me off is the label. When DFH says 'serious' IPA, I have visions of their 90 Minute, and this beer doesnt come close.
With that said, I would drink it again, but i wount go out of my way for it, and 'it' being this years batch. I keep reading that the flavor profile of this beer has been changing from year to year and I look forward to next years batch to see if there are any changes.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2009 14:28:40 | More by rossthefireman

BillHaverchuck

Virginia

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

Pours a wonderful amber. Almost a reddish tone with a minimal foam head. Smells very fruity. Hints of apricot (obviously) as well as some pineapple crossed with flowery / piney hops. Great mouthfeel. Very smooth yet still brings a slight fruity tang to it. A nice bite of grassy hops really finishes off nicely. Tasty beer here, will drink again.

Serving type: growler

03-06-2011 03:16:17 | More by BillHaverchuck

mjc3151

Illinois

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

A - lots of head, golden brown color, clear

S - smells like hops and apricot

T - can definitely taste the apricot initially, then afterwards there is a lingering hop bitterness in the mouth. apricot not overpowering.

M - medium carbonation, medium thickness on the tongue

O - overall this is a solid IPA, and I like how the apricot is not overpowering. It is very balanced, which is always a good thing.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 22:02:55 | More by mjc3151

JackMcAwesome

Florida

3.73/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the bottle:

Look: I got a one finger head from an aggressive pour, it dwindled down pretty quickly to a thin ring with some decent lacing. Not the usual that I'm getting used to from DFH, but still alright.

Smell: I was hoping for an 'in your face' whiff of apricot, but I didn't detect much. There was a bit of sweetness, caramel maybe.

Taste: And just like the nose, the apricot isn't that detectable to me. The hops is there, with the malt on the back end, but nothing that distinguishes this from any other.

Feel: Light, with medium carbonation. The standard enjoyment that I have come to expect.

Overall: It was a bit of a let down for me because I've come to expect so much from DFH. With that being said, STILL a good brew that I'll probably revisit when the season comes. I was just hoping for a bit more of the apricot to justify the name. Otherwise, a very good IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:34:40 | More by JackMcAwesome

dashmartino

Pennsylvania

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

This stuff is a great spring/summer beer. Swig it down on a hot day, goes down super smooth! This is a apricot beer for the conesiour or hop head. Anyone who thinks Magic Hat #9 is too sweet or wussy should give this a try. Appearance is very pretty, dark coppery color that is see through with a light head. Super smooth drinking. So sweet to drink, yet you get the wonderful hop finish (and a good hop belch if you drink it quick!) This beer is fantastic, look forward to it this time of year!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2009 23:12:38 | More by dashmartino

quad07

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Purchased this at Friar Tuck, $9.98 a four pack of 12oz brown bottles with pry off caps. Bottled date on the neck. Spring release!

It poured into my 23oz large beer glass a dark gold amber copper color that looked like a dark clover honey when held up to the light. The head was a white and tight silk texture that resembled shaving cream. The carbonation was tight and full. Very classy looking. A very appealing look for fruit ale.

I found the aroma very pleasant and appealing unlike most of the berry, fruit/vegetable beers I have had in the past. A green hop aroma up front with the fine sweet smell of apricots.

The flavor in my opinion is a well balance of green hops with not an over powering bitter taste with not to much of a sweet apricot taste.Taste a little carmel too. The 7%ABV is not strong or over powering at all.

Mouth feels is smooth with just enough carbonation and has a little sticky texture to it.

Over all a good fruit beer that is quite refreshing. A four pack is just right for me in one sitting. I lit up a Patagas #10 cigar on my third bottle and they complimented each other quite well.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2008 04:42:46 | More by quad07

rwinzing

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is one of my favorite seasonal offers form DFH. I poured the bottle into my DFH snifter. It is a very nice dark amber color with an off white head. Not a huge head and it disappears quickly.

Smell is more of a floral hops not smelling much of the fruit. Very nice smell

Taste is wonderful mix between a good IPA with a little fruit and sweet finish

Mouthfeel is nice a little thin but nice

overall- I enjoy this brew it reminds me that spring is on it's way. I purchase a fair amount of it every year and am never dissapointed

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 22:17:16 | More by rwinzing

lvbs

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This was a polarizing beer, getting a bunch of fives and twos overall on the ratings sheet. It is hoppy and with a robust apricot aroma, pours darker than you might expect, and then has a combination of strong apricot sweetness and hop spiciness. Some of the hop heads were disappointed, and some of the anti-hop people loved it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2008 21:42:09 | More by lvbs

yourchoice

New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +19%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a beautiful amber color, with a thick but quickly dissipating head. Nice lacing.

S- Aroma is pretty straight forward IPA hops...pine and citrus. I'm trying to convince myself I smell apricot, but I really don't.

T- Unlike the smell, I definitely taste the apricot, very distinctive. Subtle, but definitely there, and very tasty. Still obvious piney hops, but not so much citrus which I'm guessing DFH was going for with this beer. Apricots and pine, great combo.

M - Aprihop surprised me that it was thicker than I expected. Very interesting, but not necessarily what I expected with an IPA.

O - Not a ton different than many IPA's, but different enough. I really enjoyed how subtle the apricot flavor was. Perhaps wrongly, I went into it expecting my experiences with pumpkin beers...while I enjoy them, I only enjoy them sparingly. Aprihop I could definitely see having more than one in a sitting. What I expect from a good IPA, but with a twist of Apricot. Good job DFH.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 02:10:33 | More by yourchoice

Phinner

Michigan

3.2/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I was slightly disappointed in the overall taste of this beer. The apricot flavors are pronounced, but it was slightly too malty for my taste. It could be improved with better balance to allow the apricot flavor to come though better. Otherwise, the mouth feel and aroma were ok.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 22:10:32 | More by Phinner

Beerfayce

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into tulip

A: Clear coppery amber, thin head

S: Sharp dry fruity apricot, grassy sweet and citrusy

T: Dry and slightly sweet, bitter hoppy presence with afruity quality, similar to a chardonnay.

M: Light, dry and well carbonated

D: Easy to drink, an interesting and well crafted beer

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 00:44:50 | More by Beerfayce

BigDoug

Pennsylvania

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

On tap at Mad Mex. Big Azz beer special. 22oz draft!

I absolutely love this beer! I had it for the first time last month out of a bottle and loved it. It's even better on tap!

Pours a very beautiful dark amber with nice clarity. Has a very rich creamy slightly off white head that stays for a bit. Leaves ok lacing.

The smell is perfect! Aprihop is the best name for this beer cuz it smells like a hop with apricot accents. Sweetness from the arpicot and an awesome aroma from the hops. Also picking up a little malt aroma in the back. It's one of the best parts of this beer.

The taste is out of this world good! I can't believe this beer is only rated a B+ overall. I had this with my Mexican food and it paired sooo good with it. The apricot and hoppy flavors went awesome with the tortilla chips and salsa. Went great with my spicey chicken burrito too! Has a big apricot flavor but not overpowering cuz the hops really make an appearance in the flavor. The flavor really gets better as it warms a bit. Great bitterness. Mild bitterness but just great with the apricot notes. I don't like fruit beers much but this is the best fruit beer hands down. Definately would call the a fruit IPA.

Mouthfeel was perfect for this one. Nice creamy medium body. As it warms, it just gets better. Carbonation was very good.

Drinkability was great considering the pretty big 7% abv. I would have gotten another 22oz draft if I wasn't so stuffed from my huge burrito! Another fantastic make from Dogfish Head!

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2010 19:41:16 | More by BigDoug

jester5120

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured into dogfish pint glass

A- average appearance with a slight red color

S- light malt, apricot, and hops aroma

T- great taste. strong ipa taste with very light hint of apricot.

M- average mouthfeel. medium bodied with a lingering hop flavor

O- awesome IPA with a light apricot flavor that makes it an individual

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 01:39:26 | More by jester5120

tekn0ph1sh

Florida

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

12oz Bottle - Red Wine Glass

A Moderate Head. Moderate Lacing. Clear Copper to Dark Amber Honey colored IPA with fresh apricots. Carbonation bubbles from the center of my glass.

S Apricots and Hops with a hint of pine and citrus aromas.

M Lots of carbonation and a heavy body. You can feel it as it slides on down.

T It is very balance. You get a forward floral and fruity taste of apricot with hints of citrus and then a hoppy finish. The taste profile is pretty smooth and even.

O I really like this IPA. Though it is not as good as the 90min IPA it is still a favorite. I have been drinking as much of this as I can get my hands on while I can. As it is a seasonal release it won't be around all that long. If you haven't tried it give it a whirl its a unique experience.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 23:10:33 | More by tekn0ph1sh

RichardWalter

California

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

Luckily I found on the top shelf of retailer unopened from the cartoon. Not that I usually order a fruit beer. But this is definitely worth drinking.
Pours orangey amber. Full white head stays . Fruity fuzzy peachy flower fragrance smell . Some fresh hops, mouthfeel mild smooth . Apricots of course are present .

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 02:02:10 | More by RichardWalter

heapofaoatmeal

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

this is a very nice fruit beer, nice orange color pristinely clear. the head is white fluffy about 2cm. the aroma is pronounced apricot with little to no hops. taste is all tart refreshing apricot balance with a nice body of 2row and a little crystal. i get almost no hops, if they are there they are hidden under the apricot very well. buying the bottle i was intrigued by the marry of fruit and hops i really enjoyed the beer, but its not really much of an ipa. very nice spring seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2009 04:52:54 | More by heapofaoatmeal

jerskine

California

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

A: dark, amber-like appearance with very thick foam consistency and lots of thick lacing

S: very sweet smelling and an obvious apricot aroma; malt and tangerine as well

T: very interesting combination of IPA flavor and apricot; not very hoppy as malt and apricot flavor take hold of the taste buds with this one

M: has more the mouthfeel of a red amber ale than an IPA; this well balanced and well carbonated beer goes down very smooth

O: I was pretty hesitant to try this, however I'm glad I did. This was a very interesting balancing act of flavor as apricot and hop flavor mingle in a subtle way. This was an extremely enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 04:23:56 | More by jerskine

holden303

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass

A: Pours a rich amber/copper color with less than a finger of head that dissipates almost immediately.

S: Not a whole lot going on here, a hint of hops, as well as a hint of apricots.

T: Nice amount of apricots on the taste although nowhere near overpowering, it resembles more of a copper ale than an IPA although you do get some hops on the finish.

M: Nice refreshing mouthfeel

D: Easy to drink although not necessarily a session beer. For Dogfish Head's more fruity side of beers I'd definitely prefer a Festina Peche than this Aprihop, although worth trying I probably wouldn't buy again.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 02:57:22 | More by holden303

captaincoffee

California

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

Oh Dogfish Head...maybe you are cursed with fans setting the bar to high. So many special beers, some of which I've loved and others not, but all were drank with an appreciation of what you were trying to accomplish. Aprihop? Its a good beer, dont' get me wrong. If someone handed it to me in a blind taste test, I'd say it was a damn fine beer. Beautiful color actually, which certainly must come from the apricots. As an IPA or as a fruit beer, however, it fell a bit short on both accounts for me. Based on how you typically do business, I'd guess you used a ton of real apricot for this brew. Unfortunately, it doesn't really come through. As an IPA, the great qualities of our other IPAs don't come through either. It's kinda both, but neither. As a whole, it is a good but undescript mash where the fruit and hops cancel each other out rather than building to something special, although there is a very nice mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 13:44:03 | More by captaincoffee

jrenn

Kansas

4.55/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Clear orangish.

Smell: Light hop aroma. Full on sweet rounded apricot smell. Creamy though. Really pops out at you.

Taste: Can't taste the booze too much on this one. Very well rounded. Grapefruit and apricot notes. Almost had a sherbet quality. I found myself trying to chew it many times.

Mouthfeel: Great body. Velvety. Full, but not offensive. Very drinkable.

Overall: I <3 Dogfish Head.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 19:27:10 | More by jrenn

Rob315

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Transparent burnt red orange with ruby highlights and cream colored head.

Aroma: Big hop prescence, juicy tropical fruits(mango, pineapple), citrus, malt sweetness

Taste: Hop bitterness fades into sweet apricots and tropical fruits. Very well balanced between
hop bitterness and malt sweetness, finish is crips and leaves hop bitterness lingering.

Overall: Love it. One of my favorite spring releases.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 17:55:32 | More by Rob315

stouts4me

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance looks good when held up to the light.Nice color.

Poured into a chilled Stone pint glass . The cold is not a deterrant on the flavor, taste is well defined still, apricot is there but I think just a little more would have been nice.

The taste was well done by dogfish, again I think just a bit more and this would be totally refreshing.

overall I like this a bit more than some of the other Dogfish creations.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 00:25:44 | More by stouts4me

Beertron

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Yet again, a DFH I haven't tried from a sample pack from the distributor. Let me right now pronounce how nice it is to have a job where people drop you off a 12-pack's worth of mixed Bell's and DFH beers and want you to sample them. Poured this into a tap glass from the bottle. Might've been a little bit on the cold side.

A - 3/4" snow white head. Medium to large bubbles in the head that gave it the ole rocky look when they started bursting. This disappeared quickly, leaving me with a dark golden beer.

S - Strong on the alcohol with a lightly fruity floral note from the yeasts. This smells like peach blossoms. (I'm sure this is the apricots coming to town...) Very pleasant.

T - This is really a surprise. The hops are much more subdued than I had expected. Well-balanced between some fruitiness, a nice malt flavor, and a soft, light hop tang. Wow. This is lighter in flavor than I imagined. (After warming a bit, all of the flavors came out a bit more but were still quite masked compared to my expectations after smelling.) This beer is unexpectedly refreshing. I'll take this on a hot summer day while sitting by the lake.

M - Very smooth with a lingering effervescent dryness. Holy smooth!! Wholly inviting!!

D - Yep. Give me a sixer of these on a warm evening and they're gone. Better yet, give me a day off and a twelver of these on a hot day and they're gone (as is the day).

F - Mussels. Tangy cream-based sauces. Lighter toasted nuts (such as peanuts or pine nuts). Briny, salty foods. I'd make: Steamed PEI mussels with white wine cream sauce, finely-diced salumi gentile and grilled sourdough bread.

O - Wow. I always expect something unique and different from DFH, but they still caught me off guard with this -- a lightly-flavored refreshing beer. In that vein, they did a stupendous job. This beer is yum and drinkable as hell.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2007 18:13:40 | More by Beertron

kgs

California

4.9/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Oh so pretty. Dark golden with a head that slowly subsides to lacing.

Smell: An ineluctably tempting combination of fruit and hops that wafted toward my nose as soon as I opened the bottle. Springlike but grownup.

Taste: This is the first fruit beer, beyond He'brew Rejewvenator (before they went from figs to dates), that I have ever enjoyed. The hops/apricot counterpoint is perfect: assertive hops paired with gentle apricot, grassy and sweet. Almost unworldly.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, round, caramel feeling, a wee syrupy but in a nice way. The mouthfeel is the most seductive part of this beer.

Drinkability: Dangerously so. At 7% ABV this is not beer for chugging, but it goes down very easily, . Made me sad I had no blue cheese in the house!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 02:54:33 | More by kgs