Tag Archives: Dogfish Head

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Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPADogfish Head 75 Minute IPA is much more than just a mid-way point between the popular 60 and the 90 Minute IPAs. The Delaware-based brewery does a number of things differently with this limited-release beer to make it a truly special brew. Maple Syrup is added to the beer and it is bottle conditioned (which is another way of saying it is allowed to ferment in the bottle). It is also dry-hopped with cascade hops to give the aroma a little extra hop kick.

The pour gives way to a vibrant orange beer with some moderate haze. This haziness is the by-product of the bottle conditioning. There is a lot of sediment in the bottom of the bottle, so pour with care. My pour yielded several fingers of creamy, off-white head with decent lacing and retention.

Being dry-hopped, this beer has a strong hop nose, but it’s also very complex. There’s definitely some sweetness in the aroma, perhaps from the maple syrup, and the hops give the beer a really great citrus blast. It also has a very earthy undertone, with lots of pine and floral notes.

Up front, the 75 minute IPA is quite sweet, and I can taste a bit of yeast and bread. The piney and floral earthiness in the aroma comes though in the taste as well. There is only a very faint hint of maple syrup in the taste, with is a little disappointing. It’s quite hoppy, but unlike beers that more aggressively hopped (Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, for example), the hops in this beer gradually sneak up on the pallet rather than bombard it, and the bitterness lingers for a while. The hops also impart a wonderful grapefruit and orange flavor to the brew.

This a full-bodied beer with a very creamy mouthfeel and moderate carbonation. The finish is a bit sticky and dry with very little boozy taste.

I really enjoyed this beer. It has a unique flavor profile and a great aroma. This is a limited release specialty brew from Dogfish Head, so you may have trouble finding it. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some, let me know what you think. Cheers!

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Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

I’ve had the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA a few times on tap, but this is my first go-around with the 90 Minute. I was fully expecting it pack a knock-out hops punch to the face, and my expectations were, indeed, met.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is a beautiful bronze color with two fingers of thick, creamy head. Since this beer packed full of hops, the head retention and lacing are fantastic. The huge hops aroma invades your nose first and it is intense. It smells very spicy, but hidden in all the hops, there is a bit of citrus, pine and some bread malt.

As expected, the hops slam the palate right away. The hops bitterness is intense and lasting. There is a bit of malt in the middle with some herbal notes, but this beer is all about the hops. The alcohol really bites at the finish and lingers for a bit with the hops bitterness. It is extremely smooth and actually feels thicker than I would have expected.

If you are at all a fan of IPA’s, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is an absolute must. This is not a beer you’re going to be able to drink 2 or 3 of in one sitting due to its intensity (both in alcohol content and flavor), but it is a very rewarding brew. Cheers!

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Raison D’Etre should be your “raison d’etre.”



Raison D’Etre
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery


Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware is one of the most creative craft brewers around, and Raison D’Etre is no exception to this reputation.  Translated from French, raison d’etre means “reason for existence”, and the name of the beer is a clever play on words.  As Dogfish Head describes the beer on their website, it is “a Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar, raisins, and Belgian-style yeast (Dogfish Head Brewery).”  This interesting combination of ingredients makes for a very complex and enjoyable beer.

Appearance= 4
Raison D’Etre has a beautifully rich mahogany color.  The beer is filtered, so there is no fogginess.  The only reason I can’t give this beer a 5 for appearance is the thin head which dissipates relatively quickly and leaves little lacing on the glass.

Aroma= 3
Hidden in the strong wheat aroma you can smell a bit of the raisins uses to brew the beer.  The aroma isn’t bad by any stretch, but not nearly as complex as the taste, and the alcohol smell is a bit stronger than I would like.

Taste= 4
Raison D’Etre balances the flavors of the malts and hops very well.  The malty flavor is most noticeable at at first, and the beer finishes with a bit of hops bitterness.  You can also detect a bit of the fruity flavor from the raisins  amongst the heavy wheat flavor.  Finally, although Raison D’Etre is incredibly smooth, there is a noticeable alcohol taste, which is to be expected considering the beer is 8% ABV.

Total Score= 3.85
As with all Dogfish Head creations, Raison D’Etre is very creative beer with a very complex flavor.  When poured into a glass, it looks just as delicious as it tastes.  I would have liked to have had a more complex aroma to go with the taste, but I can’t complain about this beer.  Its raison d’etre is to be in my belly!

Verdict= Victory