120 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head Brewery

marburg

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Um. Wow?

Looks like freshly shaken corn syrup with little air bubbles rising. Golden-ish tone that just looks sweet. Aroma hints at pine trees and alcohol but drifts somewhere towards the tropics -- canned pineapple, sugary fake lime... Sweet on the tongue, fades to mild bitterness. Just bizzare -- but nice.

Putnam very correctly observed that this tasted better after baked goods -- namely the chocolate chip cookies that the 40-year-old "schoolgirl" (It was the day after Halloween; what can I say?) generously gave us.

Sweet, finnicky, bizarre, a bit overdone. Say what you will. It's probably all true.

But this is a hell of a beer with some real paradoxical complexities and simplicities that help you forget you're talking about a beer that weighs in at 20%.

A recommendation for the folks at DFH: Put a Surgeon General-style warning on the label: "Share with friends." Who the hell put this in such a huge bottle?

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2003 18:10:52 | More by marburg

putnam

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bright sticky hop fragrance. No grapefruit, though plenty of cool herbs like chervil, parsley and basil...candied, spiced lemon peel in the background. There is a suggestion of honey and caramel on the nose which becomes more dominant on the palate. Very sweet, with flavors of pineapple upside-down cake...concentrate. I was just beginning to think this beer was way over the top (narcissistic, attention-grabbing) when a costumed woman from the next table offered us chocolate chip cookies.
This is dessert beer. Drink it with cakes, cookies, buttered, flamed fruit and balance will be restored. Really beautiful in this context. Somewhat awkward (and oversized at 750ml) alone.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2003 16:20:42 | More by putnam

RoyalT

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Appearance – Scarily devoid of any head to speak of. The body is florescent orange and very clear.

Smell – Strong, floral hops with a big orange compliment. There’s some balancing malt as well making for a well-rounded aroma.

The sweetness is primarily tropical fruit. There’s a huge pineapple and orange melon aroma as well as smashed cocktail cherries. The malt is kind of bready and very solid. I swear this smells like a good Abbey Tripel.

Taste – This was rich and chewy like you wouldn’t believe. The orange malt flavor is big here, read Abbey Tripel again, with huge alcohol notes. The hops are lost in the madness.

The fruits from the nose are monstrous; almost overpowering. Mixed with the strong alcohol it’s like an Abbey Tripel cocktail. This lacks the subtle notes of the equally powerful World Wide Stout. This ale shamelessly flaunts its high ABV and style deviation.

Mouthfeel – No carbonation and somewhat smooth, all things considered. This ale is a behemoth in the mouth. Don’t drink this with a raw cut in the oral cavity. You could use this stuff to numb the gums for a root canal. The alcohol is overpowering in the mouth, which is too bad because there are some good flavors in here that get lost in the booze.

Drinkability – I wouldn’t recommend driving cross-country and sucking down a few of these bad boys. You have to take it real easy with this batch. I did my taste and gave the rest to the wife to finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2003 05:00:25 | More by RoyalT

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A bit over the top in most categories, this beer is less an IPA and more a barleywine in taste. Rather than belabor its high ABV let's just say that the body feel is a bit too thick and syrupy, the sweetness not balanced too well by the hops, and its drinkability very limited by all of these factors. I'll try again at some point to see if my sense of this beer changes.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2003 15:15:02 | More by AtLagerHeads

kevinl6

South Carolina

2.55/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

This beer didn't really resemble an IPA IMO. Sure, the appearance was pretty good and the smell wasn't bad either. In fact, the smell was very fruity and citrus'y' with a nice warming effect on the nostrils from the alcohol. My hopes were high at this point. Mouthfeel was full and thick...again, not bad. Unfortuneately, that is where the average/good qualities of this beer ended for me. It tasted like a World Wide Light! Very malty and syrupy tasting. The somewhat pleasant fruity smell did not transfer to the taste. Drinkability, forget it. My bud and I split the 750ml, and were ready to be done with it before our glasses were even half empty. Curiosity of this beer's "gimmick" persuaded me to purchase it...and at $20, it was a big mistake.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2003 14:51:29 | More by kevinl6

taez555

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle

This beer poured a thick creamy white finger sized head with a surprisingly clear amber red/orange body.

The nose was very fruity. Citrus, lemons, limes, some sharp pepper, round malt, yeast. A nice big maltyness. Not as much of a hop presence at the name would suggest, but it was definitely there.

The taste was a big thick doughy malt. Full bodied, but very easy drinking. A sugary sweet caramel malt taste. A firm alcohol warmth. Tight black pepper, citrus hop. An even bitterness that comes out more as it warms. but the sugary sweet malt really dominates over the hop in this beer. This beer does not taste 20% at all.

It took me over an hour to finish this beer and it really took on a different character as it warmed. The hops came out a bit more, but still.. the sweet malt dominates over the hop.

I'd really be interested in aging this beer a few years. I could see the sweetness blending amazingly with the hop to form almost a hop candy taste.
Good beer, but I'd take the 90 minute over this any day.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2003 05:40:41 | More by taez555

aracauna

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Calling this an I.P.A. is ridiculous. Everything about the flavor says barleywine. It has that characteristic buttery fruit aroma common in barleywines and it was surprisingly not hoppy given the name. Sweet and alcoholic and definitely best in small doses. It was odd to look at it next to the 60 and 90 Minute. The 60 was by far the palest but the 90 seemed just a hair darker than the 120 and had a better head.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2003 05:23:40 | More by aracauna

SheepNutz

Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle poured into a tulip-style glass. It pours a hazy amber orange color with two fingers of head. There is a fair amount of lacing left, which is unusual for a 20% brew. The smell is very sweet with the aroma of citrus, flowers, and alcohol. The taste starts a little bitter, then fruitiness in the middle, and just the slightest bit of alcohol on the finish. The mouthfeel is super thick and heavy, much like World Wide Stout, leaving a thin coating over the lips. The drinkability is fairly good for this high-alcohol brew. Something that every great beer lover must try once.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2003 02:52:12 | More by SheepNutz

mydeadguy

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

So, this beer is a monster, 20% ABV. Drank a 750 ml I recieved for my birthday (with no idea of its strength) during a movie (Kafka's The Trial) and standing up was quite the chore...Here it is in it's new incarnation as a 12 oz. bottle.

Pours a hazy orange blond, with a fluffy barely-off-white (yellowish) head, really healthy looking, leaving nice trails. The head reemerges on swirling the glass. Smells very heady (astringent), floral hops, hop resin and sweet alcohol.

Tastes syrupy sweet to start, beyond malty sweetness, hop resin and candy or sugar sweetness. Theres a saturated hop bitterness...then, whoa, the alcohol really takes over (both on the tongue, and in the brain). I don't even taste hops anymore, and being an I.P.A., I have to say "???" Even with swirling in the mouth, the hops still take a backseat to the sweetness and heavy alcohol. A burley barleywine, I say, with more than it's share of sweetness.

Mouthfeel is syrupy, sticky, and really lasts on the palate. Please note that any beer after this is water.. save it for a night cap. Drink slowly.

Drinkability, well I don't know what to say, probably best served (as it was at AOBF) in 4 oz. increments.

Realistically, this beer might be too much, maybe it'll mellow a bit with age (says 'Ages Well' on the label). I love DFH, but the 90 minute IPA and the Olde School (barleywine) both do different aspects of this beer, IMO, better than the 120 Minute does itself.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2003 02:44:15 | More by mydeadguy

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

2.17/5  rDev -46.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Corked 750ml bottle- I really don't know about this. Super sweet, syruppy and sticky, unbelievable mega hoppyness, very in your face, which can be nice, but they've gone too far with this, almost undrinkable. Maple-fricking-syrup to the max, with heavy citrus and pine. Too much, i'm sorry (Bottle-GBBF 03')

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2003 01:46:29 | More by rastaman

ElGuapo

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A golden brew with a small amount of quickly dying foam on top. It seems as if hops were planted inside your nose. Spicy and floral to the extremes.

This beer is pretty bitter, but the huge presence of hops gives it a somewhat sweet taste at some times. It is definitely what I would call and Imperial IPA. It will dry your mouth out quite a bit, but it is still pretty drinkable. The alcohol is there, but not at the lever you would expect for 20%. This is one intense beer, and if you can chew on hops, you will like it. I will say there are definitely other hop loaded IPAs that are better, but this one is excellent and unique.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2003 19:35:39 | More by ElGuapo

hopjack13

California

2.6/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

an i.p.a.??? okay...i guess.. i think old sam was blowing smoke up our you know whats! this is no holy grail for hop heads! where the hell do they get the 120 i.b.u.'s from??? dunno???
appearence...honey color maybe?? head....where?
smell....aroma...malt.. sweet malt.
taste..mouthfeel..aftertaste...finish..? whatever...too sweet not enough hop bite to be called an i.p.a.(imo) also a tangy aftertaste. alcohol is present and so are the malts , but where are the hops!? 45 degree plato , hops must of been hidden in the grain bill im told. d.f.h. has a lot of beautiful offerings but in this one i am disappointed.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2003 04:17:40 | More by hopjack13

ybnorml

Rhode Island

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I quess this beer qualify's for the new classification I2PA or Imperial IPA because of its high alcohol content. Not much of a head. Amber / dark amber in color. The aroma is like citrus candy with a faint floral hop bouquet just as you inhale. Because of the high alcohol this candy sweetness dominates the flavor and the drinkablity. There is a small hint of hops flavor at the begining of the sip ( I sipped it ) . The sweetness kept me from rating the "smell, mouthfeel and drinkability higher. I would assume anyone drinking this kind of brew would know what they're getting into. This is a sipping drink to warm you up, not a cold beverage to quench your thirst. Oh and by the way I liked it as I am partial to strong beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2003 21:40:31 | More by ybnorml

GreatPondBrewer

Oregon

3.2/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a nice reverse cascade into a white fluffy head atop a hazy yellow bordering on amber body. There was tons of lace which does not surpirse me at all considering the alcohol contenet and subsequently the malt content. Smell was spicy and full of cinnemon, cloves, syrup, caramel and esters esters esters. There was a surprising lack of hops present. Taste was heavy. In fact heavier than most Imperial Stouts I have ever had. It was thick, hardly carbonated. This was the closest I will ever come to quafing a whole glass of syrup. It was incredibly sweet, a little sharp, but mostly maple syrup and honey. Hops were almost non-existent. Malts were all this beer was. The alcohol was not necesarily apparent, but it was also not hidden well. Hard to explain. The sweetness seemed to dominate masking the alcohol, but when you sat back and thought about it there was tons there. Drinkabilty? What can I say No one should drink more than one of these. An interesting brew that would be better designated a port or sweet brandy than an IPA. Many thanks to nomad for providing me with this hard to find brew! I will now go be drunk.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2003 01:17:03 | More by GreatPondBrewer

jcalabre

California

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I must give a big thanks to hoprus and francisweizen for the bottles that they provided.
Appearance: It pours a clear golden color with a medium bubbled white head. The head dies pretty quickly.
Aroma: Piney and citrusy.
Flavor: In the first sip (and I emphasize sip, don't try gulping this one) you're hit with a sticky, syrupy flavor. It's sweet, but not too sweet. Little tingles of alcohol pop up & tickle your mouth.
What surprises me is that it's more sticky sweet than hoppy.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2003 19:24:09 | More by jcalabre

nomad

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours an orange color? Seemed more like amber. Had lots of carbonation, a thin foam head that died, and some lacing. It's hard for a high original gravity beer too look great.. Smelled of tons of maris otter malts, syrup, brandy, grapefruit, roses, and tiny hop leaves. Lots going, but mostly toward the sweet side. Taste was of big ass malts, potent alcohol, syrup, and hops that come on only with warming. Unfortunately, the hop flavor was oily and barely bitter. Had some strange creamy but earthy notes too, and also some strange alcohol and hops flavor in the finish. And, a thick and syrupy mouthfeel.

This beer is wide and varied to say the least, I got a sweet bottle I guess.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2003 19:58:51 | More by nomad

dmarch

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The look of this beer doesn't suggest anything more than just a standard IPA. Amber in color with a thin white head. The aroma is grassy with a hint of grapefruit. The taste is very sweet. Even with all the hops in there it's hard to hide the sweetness of 20% alcohol. Actually in my opinion, the incredible amount of hops is necessary, otherwise this would probably just taste like vodka. Instead it just tastes like a beer, but it finishes with the warming sensation you get from a shot of whiskey. This is going to be one of beers where some love it, but some hate it. Well I love it. High alcohol beers seem like a fad right now, but dogfish head is doing it right.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2003 20:39:36 | More by dmarch

beerinator

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Golden amber, with thin white head. Very clear beer.

Aroma: Malty and a little bit citrusy. Wow. This one smells like a barleywine.

Taste: Pretty sweet. Not much in the way of hop presence. The flavors here are slightly meady. Brings to mind the 'Midas Touch' (also a Dogfish Head product). Alcohol warming in the middle of the tongue. Must be pretty high in alcohol. Finish is slightly bitter.

Notes: This beer is supposedly 20%abv. The bottle claims that it's prepared for a couple of decades of aging. I would like to try it again in a few years. This beer is very barleywineish. It's a good beer that should get better.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2003 17:43:42 | More by beerinator

PSUDREW

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Tasty, until the alchohol hits the back of your mouth. The hops and sweetness is what I 1st enoutnered, the the alchohol taste hits on the way down. Nice lace in my super-tulip glass. Nice golden color through and throughStill thick to the last drop. Still a remarkable brew. My god more people need this beer. Sweet, yet enough hop presence to be known at the same time. Ma this stuff is too good for words, find it if you can, cause even my non BA-type freinds love this.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2003 04:37:37 | More by PSUDREW

frank4sail

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wow what a different beer in the bottle. Golden peach color. Fine white head. Grapefruit rind in the nose with lots of malt sweetness. Warm ABV in the sinus. Initial taste of pine and sweet malt then the bitterness of the brew creeps from the tip of the tongue to a larger spread of hop bitterness on the back of the tongue. Very smooth mouth with effervecent bubbles swirling around the tongue. Warmth in the stomach after gulping.Definately a sippin' brew. You can't get away from the pine and grapefruit rind bitterness. Very different looking and tasting from the tap version I had in March 2003. Certainly worth a try... not as bitter and hoppy as you would think. It's drinkability is still there for such a monster...

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2003 01:55:42 | More by frank4sail

IrishRedRock

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hooo weee. I have sought, I have found, and now the day hath arri-ved. This is some serious stuff. Pours in a thick fashion, with a golden body and a thick head that disappears very quickly. Very few bubbles cascading to the top. I expected a potent hoppy aroma, but the aroma is rather subtle for such a big beer. It smells not unlike their other IPA's, hoppy and slightly fruity. However, sugar is much more noticeable in this than in the others.

The flavor did not yield the hop overload I had expected either. The alcohol in this young version seems to be the more dominant flavor. Hops are detectable, but I want more! Brown sugar is also very discernible in the flavor, and this finishes thick with a fairly strong alcoholic presence. Although the alcohol is strong, in a blind tasting I never would have guessed as high as 20%. This is highly drinkable for its alcohol potency, but not something I would drink a lot of in a given sitting. Definitely an interesting beer I am glad I picked up though, especially due to the demand for it. What will be more interesting is to see how the other bottle in the cellar turns out after some aging...stay tuned...

...re-reviewed May 16, 2004...a great way to celebrate my college graduation, with a bottle of 120 that has been in the cellar for almost a year. This brew has smoothed a bit. It's still intensely sweet and alcoholic, however a nicer fruity apple flavor begins to show. When initially poured it showed that it still had some carbonation, but any head was short lived. A random bubble will pop up every now and then, but most traces of carbonation are gone. Although not really hoppy when fresh, it has lost a little more of it's hop flavor, as I would have guessed. Still an enjoyable sipping brew, a tad smoother and easier to drink after nearly a year, and one that should undoubtedly be respected.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2003 23:26:55 | More by IrishRedRock

Jon

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

IPA? No. Super barleywine? Sure. This beer receives much attention, and rightfully so. This brew pours a golden color with a quickly-fading bubbly white head. Leaves no lace in the glass. Smell is not too far from an IPA with some aroma hops present, although the main draw here is an almost overpowering sweetness. Taste is huge, with a monstrously huge sweet malt flavor with hints of caramel and residual sugar. Hops are hard to pinpoint in the flavor department, but they're certianly around. Finish is oily to be sure, with an alcoholic burn as it goes down. Similar to Dogfish's World Wide Stout, this extreme beer is very drinkable for its overly substantial alcohol content (21% abv), although it's not on my list for continual drinking. If you can locate a bottle and have some funds to part with, I would suggest giving this special brew a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2003 17:41:38 | More by Jon

Gavage

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tried this after a 60 Minute IPA. Great looking IPA - beautiful amber color with light head that screams "Drink me!". Strong hop aroma. Much maltier and hoppier than the 60 Minute version, but this was expected. The malt taste lingers long on the tongue, allowing extra time between tastes. This is an IPA to savor the flavors and drink slowly by itself (not for pairing with food). I bought it at $9.99 a four pack, and the price is worth it.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2003 20:31:49 | More by Gavage

purplehops

Maine

3.38/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This ale poured a copper brown color with golden highlights and a tight white head that left some lacing on the glass. The aroma was malty sweet with some notes of citrus and a hint of alcohol. The taste started with a rush of malty sweetness and some honey and molasses flavors along with a good slap of alcohol. This was followed by a mellowing of the alcohol and the coming forward of flavors of passion fruit, plums, raisons, and the first hint of citrus and floral hops. The finish had a bit more hop flavor but not enough to override the sweetness of the malt and the power of the alcohol. The aftertaste was warming with a lingering sweetness and fruitiness along with a feeble last attempt of the hops to assert themselves. The mouthfeel was sticky, not quite heavy enough to be called syrup, with a medium heavy body that had some chewiness to it.
Overall this was far from what I expected. If I didn’t know before hand what this was I would have thought I was drinking a very young barleywine. I would like to lay down a few 750s and try them in a few years to see how this one matures. My hats off to Dogfish for the attempt but I don’t think I would call it an IPA (strong dark ale perhaps?).

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2003 22:24:19 | More by purplehops

avylover

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

I normally won't review from memory but I had this last night and it was pretty memorable so here goes. It poured a very thick & light gold in color, with very little carbonation. Aroma was very sweet , along with taste, which was heavy on the apricots. Suprisingly the alcohol was masked well. It seems like Dogfish head can mask 20% beers well but fail to mask a 9% beer's alcohol...weird. Anyway, the hops really did'nt make much of an impact until after the beer went down, surfacing after the sweetness had receded in the aftertaste.A very nice mega-hoppy finish. I really enjoyed this beer and would try it again, not just as a novelty but because it was actually good.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2003 12:56:06 | More by avylover