Squall IPA - Dogfish Head Brewery

HopHead84

California

3/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

8/14/2011

Bottle thanks to a generous kingkong.

A: Hazy dark orange with a big white frothy head. Really good retention and lots or lacing.

S: Sugary caramel with a heavy bready malt profile. Hops impart orange flesh and tangerine, but they're not as pronounced as the malt characteristics.

T: Orange blends with prominent bread and caramel notes. The malt is sugary and sweet. This is malt heavy, with a subservient hop profile. The beer has a lower moderate bitterness.

M: Medium body with upper moderate carbonation.

Overall: Not my type of IPA. Heavy on the malt and very sweet with feeble hops.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 00:52:21 | More by HopHead84

vandemonian

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dogfish Head Craft Squall IPA is a nice IPA.

A: Amber colour and a 2 cm head that last quite awhile. 4.5

S: The aroma is quite woody with a hint of pine. 4

T: Slightly sweet with some hints of pineyness and floral hops. Less sweet than the 90-minute. This bottle was less hoppy too, but it may have been on the shelf awhile. 4

M: Pretty thick but without too much carbonation. 3.5

O: Decent, but this bottle lacked enough hoppiness. 3.5

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 03:54:28 | More by vandemonian

dasenebler

Maine

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL, bottled in 2011.

Pours a hazy, dark amber with a thick, off-white head. Nice lacing.

Intensely spicy hop aroma. Leafy and herbal, with some grapefruit.

Big, piney and resinous hop flavor. Very earthy and pungent. Really bitter, with a toasted malty aftertaste. Malt backbone becomes more and more apparent as the drink wears on. Alcohol is noticeable, but not overpowering. The mouthfeel is oily and resinous, with smooth carbonation.

The Squall seems more complex and drier than the standard 90min. Quite good.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 03:43:44 | More by dasenebler

antlerwrestler19

Nebraska

4.4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep copper with an obvious haziness to it - a massive off-white head of foam bellows up and hangs around for awhile before condensing back down into the glass leaving an ample amount of thick sticky lacing. The beer smells of complex tangy, fruity, piny, and oily hops with a minute amount of malt backing - a slight boozy burn follows in the end. Taste is an explosion of complexity with numerous hops assaulting the palate (much like the nose) very sweet with a bitter balance that is very pleasant. The mouthfeel is nearly spot on for me regarding this style - smooth and crisp with a following stickiness remaining. This beer was a step up from the original 90 Minute for me - a lot more complexity and an all around delicious treat after a hot and humid day.

Enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 02:27:25 | More by antlerwrestler19

silver7447

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Cloudy and only slightly translucent with a deep honey color. Very small head about 1/2 of a finger's width with ample and sticky lacing coating the entire glass.

S- This smells like a tame combination of citrus and malt. The smell is not overpowering, and is surprisingly devoid of hops, considering this is a 90-minute IPA. The sweet smell dominates any bitter qualities that may come out in the taste.

T- The initial taste includes heavy malt with a clover honey and pine. A well-balanced combination of hops and citrus lingers significantly, and adds a slight bitterness to this balanced beer.

M- The most memorable part of this beer for me was the alcoholic warmth that it left long after sipping. Additionally the light but persistent carbonation was key to my enjoyment as it is not overwhelmingly sharp, yet not too syrupy. A light stickiness adds to the very well balanced hop oils that pervade this beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 02:46:57 | More by silver7447

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

deep amber, very hazy, almost opaque in color. A small off white head at first, maybe one inch. Faded quickly and only left behind a small thin layer on the top. No noticeable carbonation. Looked thick.

Very very deep citrus. Lots of grapefruit and pineapple. Very sweet and bitter, almost harsh, but in a good way.Lots of extremely bitter citrus hops. Almost like eating a fresh grapefruit it was soo strong. Alot of alcohol as well. Definatly a sipper. This thing can clear the sinuses for sure.- Very smooth despite of the harshness. Not alot of carbonation left it a tad bit syrupy. But for a strong IPA, its nice to have them kinda thick. Very very dry finish left you yearning for another sip.

A true sipper, there is just no way you can drink alot of this, unless you are looking for some issues.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 16:05:18 | More by mikesgroove

silentjay

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

hazier copper than the original 90 minute IPA with a huge, fluffy off-white head that sticks around forever and laces extremely well.

still has that caramel sweetness as a backbone, but tons of piney and grapefruity hops are on the aroma. it seems like this went through maybe an additional dry hopping as the hop aromas are more apparent and range a wide spectrum.

still has a bit of that sticky sweetness akin to 90 minute, but it doesnt last long as the hop flavors bring some grapefruit juice, mango, pineapple, pine, orange juice, and citrus zest. finishes with a touch of cracked black pepper and some caramelly and syrupy sweetness.

medium bodied with a velvety, yet generous carbonation. a bit of a resinous finish as well as a touch sticky, yet it finishes actually pretty clean and crisp.

definitely an improvement on an already solid base-beer. 90 minute isn't my favorite DIPA by any means, but this elevates it as the bottle conditioning and what I think may be an additional dry hopping helps mellow out the sticky sweetness and renders the alcohol heat almost undetectable.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 04:25:51 | More by silentjay

mostpoetsdo

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Vibrant copper with a hint of haze. Thick, slightly off-white head, nice lacing.

S: Similar to 90 Minute, but more aggressive hops, citrus and earthy. A good malty sweetness lurking around. Grassy and a touch of musk.

T: Not sure how old, but the hop flavor is very upfront, surprising for 90 Minute. The grassy, citrus hop taste is very welcoming, a bit earthy. Maybe that's the unfiltered property coming through? The malt is familiar, touch of toffee sweetness. Surprisingly different than regular 90 Minute, due to the sharpness and presence of the hops.

M: Medium body, great carbonation. Smooth, bordering on creamy.

O/D: I'd prefer this to 90 Minute, it's hard not to compare the two. The hype is real with this beer, as long as you keep the rest of the DFH style of "hoppy beers" in mind. Worth picking up a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 02:57:03 | More by mostpoetsdo

willjschmidt

California

4.38/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a Sierra Nevada hop tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark amber color with a nice sized white head. Pretty good lacing as well.

S: Loads of hops in the nose as well as a hint of malt sweetness.

T: Layers upon layers of hops on top of a cakebread malt background. Well balanced, even for as hoppy as it is. The malt backbone is slightly sweet. The hops are pungent, floral, herbal yet only very slightly bitter.

M: A little bit more than medium-bodied, average carbonation. The carbonation is on the finer side.

O: A very good DIPA. If you like 90 minute, you'll really like this one as it's basically a hopped up version of it.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 03:25:59 | More by willjschmidt

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Medium amber in color, thick & creamy tan head, intense lacing, above average head retention. A bit cloudy, but that's to be expected.

Aroma: Hops, hops, hops. No surprise there. Hard to pick any out specifically since there are 6 different varieties in there. Tad bit of apricot, followed by alcohol. I couldn't detect any yeast, which is unusual for a bottle conditioned beer.

Flavor: Lots as malt, not as hoppy as I expected. Caramel, burnt sugar with a hint of spice. The aftertaste consists of pine and alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Very oily, nice. Medium-full body. Very little carbonation.

Overall Impression: Doesn't taste like the bottle conditioned beer I expected, not that it's a bad thing. No leftover yeast in the mix. Not much sediment left in the bottle after the pour. Thick, well balanced beer. Starts out sweet with the caramel and finishes with pine. Very drinkable considering the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 00:49:26 | More by soulfly1492

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle into a Duvel Tulip. Bottled: 2011 3B.

A: It pours cloudy red-orange with a finger of foamy head that leaves very sticky lace.

S: Lots of caramel malt, tropical fruits, pine sap, and some oakiness.

T: It is like a hoppy barleywine: caramel, plums, tropical fruits, soapy hops, and some alcohol.

M: Thick and syrupy body and a sticky molasses finish.

O: This tastes old even though it isn't. A total malt bomb.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 23:26:32 | More by bucklemyshoe

CharlieMurphy

New York

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Clean and clear amber color, just off white 1/3" head. Clarity not that of an unfiltered and/or bottle conditioned offering at all, no particulate.

S: Smells like a very clean DIPA, malts apparent but mild and thin for a high abv beer. A slight hint of -OH is present.

T: light thin malt body, but does do a good job of covering up and -OH astringency. -OH is present but welcome amidst very balanced hops (the bottle is a few months old)

M: Not too shabby on the drying but 1/2 a bottle does dry some. Malts definitely feel thinner than they should be.

O: Good IPA, not worth any special seeking out. Does hold up well over time. Wish the malts were richer.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 17:34:11 | More by CharlieMurphy

huhl23

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice amber-copper color with a big fluffy head that settles down to a half-inch crown of brilliant white.

First smells are biscuit bready malt and herbal piney hops. Given a swirl the alcohol and fruit bouquet becomes the dominant aroma.

The taste here is absolutely world class. Much like the nose and balanced in the middle and sliding into bitter hop flavor toward the end. The alcohol flavor is not a burn but more like a hearty roast. The malt sweetness never gets sugary and the hop bitterness never gets citric like many in this category do.

The body is perfect. The alcohol presence seems to temper the malt density and the hop oils have been carefully crafted to mingle cleverly then hold your attention as the other two factors fade. Smooth all around with just a little bite in the front and an alcohol finish. Brilliant!

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 14:45:15 | More by huhl23

patreely12

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A - bright orange/amber, nice color, crystal clear. lots of carbonation bubbling around and clinging to the side of the glass. two inches of creamy head, which keeps it's size for most of the drink and leaves a lot of lacing all the way down the glass.

S - lots of hops, floral and fruit. some sweet malts and a little hint of alcohol. simple but smells like how an IPA should and that's enough for me.

T/M - mostly strong, piney and floral hops all the way through. lots of fruit, hints of grapefruit, orange and tangerine. sweet pale malts and added sweetness from some honey and caramel notes. tastes like a toned down 90 min, less alcohol presence and less of a syrupy mouthfeel. medium bodied and high carbonation.

Overall this is really good. I think I actually like it better than their 90 min, or at least it's more drinkable. the 90 min. has such strong flavors and body, this is toned down slightly and makes it way easier to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 14:36:40 | More by patreely12

mikechance

California

2.98/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured a nice orange/rust color with a 1/2 inch from a 22 oz bottle. I didn't pick up much in the smell just a little alcohol and a hint of the malt. For me it was a fairly boring tasting beer. Not much stood out. It was much closer to a Belgium style beer than a Double/Imperial IPA. It just lacked everything…no distinctive smell, hops or male flavor and kind of flat aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 01:54:16 | More by mikechance

Imsothirsty

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured medium amber, hazy from the 750mil. Low head, slimy lacing.

Nose is pretty much all hops, fruit first and some floral

Taste citrus hops first tangerine and grapefruit, followed by more than expected malts maple and molasses.

Mouthfeel is quite smooth, surprisingly not bitter, very light on carbonation, medium weight, leaves some slick

Overall a very solid IPA, I would like to try one that I know is fresh, the stupid liquor store told me that this bottle had not been in the fridge for a least a few weeks, don't really know how old it is. Worth a try at 7 bucks.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 00:58:52 | More by Imsothirsty

nandemo1

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy gold, with a very small white head and almost no carbonation.

Smells of grapefruit. Taste is also citrusy, more Orange, with a deep malt and some piney notes. Bitterness is pretty strong but well balanced by the malt.

Mouthfeel was very flat. Definitely gives off an alcohol burns.

Overall, an interesting twist on DFH's 90 minute. I'd try it again, bot not a mainstay in my rotation due to the heat and lack of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 01:50:30 | More by nandemo1

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

One of my favorite IPA's, right up there with FW Union Jack, and DFH 90 Minute IPA. I hear this might be on its way out since it's a redundant offering along side the standard DFH 90 minute. However, I think the bottle conditioning that's afforded in this offering is what sets the two apart. Fabulous hop profile with a smooth, smooth mouth feel. Great beer this time of year. I'll miss this if they discontinue it.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 21:26:27 | More by Retail1LO

capeannbass36

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a clear copper with a white one and a half finger head that fades away rather quickly.
Medium lacing throughout the drink.

S- Initial whiff is bitter piney hops. Followed by a slightly sweet caramel or toffee.

T- Somewhat sweet, but not overly so. I find it very similar to Laughing Dog's Devil Dog....but not as good according to my taste buds. To each his or her own, I guess.

M- Somewhat oily, very little carbonation. Almost flat taste and feel. Surprisingly warm for ABV.

O- Not my favorite Dogfish Head to say the least....and I love almost every one of their beers that I have tried. Someone else mentioned that this is a "bottle conditioned version of Dogfish Head 90". I respectfully disagree. I love the Dogfish Head 90. This stuff does not measure up for me. Perhaps it was not stored properly or??

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 18:34:37 | More by capeannbass36

dancingnancie

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This was purchased at a local liquor store. I was surprised to see it. 2011 limited edition batch.

A: Very nice looking copper color. Nice carbonation rising to the top. I love bottle conditioned beers. Fingers worth of white head.

S: I'm getting nice earthy hop character. There is a nice caramel malt smell coming to mind. Very bready, and a slight alcohol smell.

T: The caramel characteristics really come out in the front. After that, the bitterness kicks in. It really reminds me of an English bitter, more than the 90 minute. All in all, solid tasting.

M: Very drinkable. Nice bitterness, very east coast. Not bad!!

O: I really enjoyed this beer. It's another great ipa. I wouldn't rank it in my top 5, but I would seek again. Glad I got to try this one. I would recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 00:31:00 | More by dancingnancie

Cavery

California

4.03/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml shared with Klym, bottle date smeared, clearly says bottled in 2011 though. Bottle was courtesy of Bobpack; cheers!

Poured into Over-Sized Wine glass.

A: Hazy yellows and soft browns in this very honey amber looking beer. Not the biggest head here. half finger with a violent pour. Soft light white small bubbles over around the edge of the glass; constellation lacing stains the sides of the glass. Looks good, looks like a Midwest IPA or a young barley wine. Some noticeable stickiness where the fluid licks the glass.

S: Sweet sugary notes. Carmelized onions, pineapples, and mild saurkrauts. A bit unusual, but mostly just a mellowing sweetness that is too fine for grains. There's definitely a little bit of plum flesh in there too; this thing is pretty darn juicy. Hops come off quite mild actually, but they certainly blend with a slight alcohol burn for a spiced character.

T: There is a lot of residual sugar in here, I really just want to describe it as very wort-tea like. Sugary leather and a light zesting from a lemony hop. I really like the flavor a lot, but is it very DIPA like? The hops are very light, totally like having a hop cone instead of a lemon in your iced tea. There's a nice marriage of the hop with a natural caned sugar flavor that puts this on the edge of IPA and barleywine for me. Certainly more a malt character in this beer.

M: A full body with an iced tea milkshake mouthfeel. There's so much sugar in the brew that it reminds me of a milk tea. I don't mind it so much, but I think this could irritate a lot of sticklers for style. This mouth is hard to place for me, certainly full and slick, but the sugars give a coating in the mouth that glazes the entire drinking experience. This might be cherished or hated. I personally am on the fence about it. I learn towards that it's pretty good. No coarseness despite being quite sweet; which makes for a slight feeling of sugar grains.

O: The flavor and the smell are interesting and even good tasting to me. However, this one really is quite on the fence in style. I like where this has gone, and it's made for a different DIPA. I like how the sugars contribute to a fuller body, and I don't mind my hops being a garnish. I just wish more of the complexity in the nose would make its way into the taste. The taste is certainly very sugary, but it gets pretty numbing after a full glass. Drinkability isn't bad, but the amount of sugar makes me feel like there's a headache in pending. This is worth a try, not bad at all. Just might want to keep it do a single bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 22:15:54 | More by Cavery

Klym

California

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a lighter maple brown with a small head that leaves a ring and few spots of lacing. Looks pretty thick for a DIPA.

S: Smells more like a barley wine to a DIPA to me, but still smells good. Hops, and though dominantly dark fruits a little bit of tropical fruit and citrus also thrown in the mix. A deep maltiness to this.

T: This taste is really hard to pin down. The taste is pretty consistent throughout, though the finish is much more citrusy than the rest. An extremely blended combination of hops, dark fruits (figs, dates, etc.), some tropical fruits, tree sap, and a little bit of pepper. Big malty backbone to this. This is definitely one of the maltiest DIPAs I've had.

M: Pretty thick and a little syrupy in the mouthfeel, but it's all very appropriate. Carbonation is mild but I'm not sure it'd be improved with more carbonation. Feels heavy for a DIPA but I think that's more about personal bias than the style.

O: This was good, but I have a hard time figuring out just how good it was. Part of the struggle is that I have a personal preference for crisp and refreshing IPA/DIPAs that concentrate more on hops, which this one didn't do so much. It's tasty, and if you enjoy a malty backbone you'll love this. Extremely balanced and deep, complex flavors to it. Worth trying, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 21:37:50 | More by Klym

devinoconnor

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Friends brought this back after visiting Dewey Beach in Delaware.

Pours a hazy brown, murky as well from not being filtered. A nice bubbly white head.

Hops and citrus immediately hits the nose. Very interesting complex of aroma.

Taste is sweet, sugary and hoppy but well-balanced. Lots of flavor and plenty of character.

Another solid showing from Dogfish Head.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 19:58:09 | More by devinoconnor

theboozecruise

Louisiana

3.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber of this one in Houston to try.

It's a hazy amber color with a finger and a half of bubbly white head.

It has a nice grapefruit hoppy smell, a little caramel malt base to it.

The taste is more of the same, a well balanced hoppy IPA with a solid base and lots of flavor.

Another good one from Dogfish Head.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 03:59:09 | More by theboozecruise

distantmantra

Washington

2.08/5  rDev -50.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Gold orange color with creamy white foam and sticky lacing.

S: This bottle was purchased about a month ago, so it had to be somewhat fresh. However, this smelled like pure alcohol. A hint of hops and citrus was present, but it reminded me of a sweet whiskey.

T: Hot hot alcohol is the dominant flavor. Not well-balanced at all.

M: Low carbonation, high heat.

O: I've had Squall in the past and really enjoyed it, but this bottle was an absolute mess. I stored it properly in a temperature sensitive environment, but the alcohol was not masked at all and overwhelmed every other flavor in the profile.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 05:13:16 | More by distantmantra