Dogfish Head has some doozies!

[tavernjef]

Wondering who has tried the 120 minute IPA or the Raison D'Extra, both at 20% ABV!!! WOW!! I have both sitting in the fridge and I'm wondering if they are something I should save for sharing. I'm pretty sure I ain't gonna be drinkin' a whole 750ml bottle of the D'Extra myself so thats a no brainer, but has anyone sat through the entire 12oz of the 120min?
And are they any good?
I've liked everything from DFH I've had but are these just to big?
I enjoyed the World Wide Stout immensely, of course that was shared and actually was quite drinkable for such high ABV, dangerously so...are those in the same realm?

[cr8tive1]

I recently purchased some of the Dogfish ales from my local Trader Joes (I live in Los Angeles) and enjoyed the flavor more than I had anticipated (I had purchased the ales "blind"). I do so enjoy highly-hopped ales, so upon seeing this offering, could not resist the purchase.

Though the "120-minute" was one of my purchases, I had absolutely no idea that the contents were 20% ABV. Even with this, I thoroughly enjoyed this ale and, yes, savored every drop during an evening on my own, though the affect of the 20% ABV did catch me a bit off-guard (not to the point of being a negative, as I had just returned a from England, where I spend a good protion of my time enjoying "real ales").

Perhaps my ingnorance of the actual ABV had something to do with my ability to thoroughly enjoy this ale without "going over the edge," but either way, from what I remember, it was defiintely a "hop-heads" delight.

Cheers!

[brewmonkey]

I knew of the 120 Minutes ABV well before I opened it and I still found it to be a great beer. You would have to look at it from the point that making a beer that damned big is very difficult and they have yet somehow managed to pull it off. Now I would not go grab a 4 pack and drink them all in an evening, but I will be getting some more.

[areitz]

tavernjef - you have got some great beers - I have had both (120 is my favorite) and they are very drinkable - excellent taste - and have a great aroma. It's unfortunate that Dogfish only makes a few barrels of Rasion D'Extra per season, because I think it tastes better than it's sister Rasion D'Etre (8% ABV). I think the 120 is dry-hopped daily for over a month that's why you can almost taste the hops. A true Hophead beer. Enjoy!!

[tavernjef]

Hops!!! Mmmm....can't wait to have that 120minute!!
I have heard thats its even beyond the hop complexity of Dreadnaught?! Wow! :D

[Fast_Eddy]

I haven't had any of the 120 min. but I throughly enjoyed the three bottles of 90 min that I had. Also really enjoyed the bottle of WW Stout. Guess I need to order some 120 min and check it out.

[L.H.H.H.Brown]

Cr8tve1, just wondering which TJ's you bought the 120 at. I've seen the "mellower" DFH beers there but never the "big" ones. I've been dying to try the 120. Had the 90 at a festival. Would be greatly indebted for the info.

[hopjack13]

i was going to ask the same thing myself..
i have a bottle of the 120 in my fridge waiting for you guys, we just need to pick a day.

[BluesHarp]

...kind of late getting in on this, but I love the WorldWide Stout; I had a bottle of the '02 on New Years Eve (after finishing a bottle of '02 Olde School Barleywine)...the WWS was listed at 23%ABV, with the Olde School coming in at 15%. Neither beverage hinted at those high potencies; I have yet to be able to find the 120minute IPA in my area, but the 60 and 90min. are readily available.

My next Dogfish adventure wil be the Midas Touch Golden Elixir...can't wait!

[Caffinehog]

The 120 minute is incredibly smooth. It doesn't really taste like an IPA because it's so sweet, yet the hops are there. The alcohol isn't overwhelming either. It's incredibly balanced, and I could easily drink a whole bottle. IMHO, this is a beer where you buy a six pack, and put five away for special occasions. Their 90 minute is also decent and easier to get ahold of, though it is little more than a preview when compared to the 120.
Dogfish's worldwide stout is more overkill than balance; at least the one at 24% was.

[tavernjef]

Well...I've had them both now, both very nice, I especially liked the D'Extra, here are my notes:
"Smell is complexly boozy with a brandyish sweetness mixing with a dark fruity port. Quite an intoxicating nose, a very warm alcohol steams off with a great rummy raisin and dark toffee sweetness calmly lurks within. Taste is more heavenly darkened fruityness and alcohol warming with a rich creamy fullness thats fantasticly thick and mildly sweet. Very smoothly warming with some brandy-like tones, cognac maybe, and closely port-like. Flavors are dark and sweet with a creamy tone and feel thats not overbearing with raisin/dates and more dark fruits liquified and blended with a great dark toffee malted sweetness thats moderately delicate and easy. The sweetness is close to port-like and very nice, good character with lots of subtlities in the dark fruits and there's hints of alcohol laced breads with rum and brandy and even slight charcoal-like burnt woodyness. A complex cornicopia both in flavor and alcohol, exquisitely smooth with a subdued sharpness and amiable alcoholic kick. Pretty amazing stuff!"

Actually had that with friends on New Years so it was enjoyed by more then just me. Plus who would drink the whole 750ml of that?

The 120 minute was also very good and interesting...here are my notes:
"Not much aroma wise, mostly some very soft butterscotch-like warmth in alcohol, seemingly malty sweet mostly with light touches of waxy fresh hops. Taste is quite warm, moderate malty sweetness mostly, a bit complex yet mild, subdued fruityness of melons and a few darkened qualities with yellow raisin and fig. Some toffee and butterscotch meld together with a schnapps-like boozy warmth. Ends with a little extra kick of warmth, somewhat port-like and/or even vinous in character. Feel is well rounded, smooth, clean, and pretty full with a little burn of booze nearer the end and has some nice lingering sweetened mixtures that come through late in the finish...ah yes more malts...and more warmth. This is a major sipper and a great warmer-upper. I can see how some would be put off by its unusual presense and unexpected character, I went in with an open mind not trying to judge it from what I knew about the long hopping process this brew has. I was either expecting something overly hoppy or heavy malted, its the later, more like a sweeter aged barleywine then anything. Quite nice."

So with those under my belt I still think the World Wide Stout 2002 that I had back for Thanksgiving was by far my favorite of the extreme big brews by Dogfish.

Cheers all.

Thanks for all the feedback and comments. :cool:

[TheBeerSnob]

Although I'm being totally out of turn as I've yet to have a Dogfish-anything, given the high ABV, I'd favor stashing a few away for 5, 10 or more years.

Nothing like reviewing a loaded cellar and spying that one label that stands out. C'mon, admit it! You've been there:
Hey, yeah, you! I'm the one! Yep, me! Yeah, that's it...come and get me!


Oh yeah, baby, that's what I'm talkin' about!

[Caffinehog]

Just so you guys know... if you want the two big ones from dogfish, you can grab them at www.liquidsolutions.biz

They have 120 minute IPA.
They have Worldwide Stout.
They have 408 varieties of beer in stock, and
They deliver.

[frspinale]

I actually had my first Dogfish head beers last night at the Beer Summit winter jubilee in Boston. ( all beers were 7% or greater)
They were pouring worldwide stout (very tasty) and 90 minute IPA also very good and Au Currant (also very good) All in all I enjoyed all of their beers a lot.

Sam Adams was there too pouring Utopias 25%abv and their 3 weiss men (wheat and belgian cross) and 95 triple bock and double IPA and double bock. It was nice to try the utopias because at $150 a bottle there is no way I was going to buy it. It was very good and tated like a smooth scotch.

There must have been 50 different beers from a dozen or so breweries. Cant wait till next year.

[skahtboi]

Originally posted by Caffinehog
Just so you guys know... if you want the two big ones from dogfish, you can grab them at www.liquidsolutions.biz

They have 120 minute IPA.
They have Worldwide Stout.
They have 408 varieties of beer in stock, and
They deliver.

My big problem with liquidsolutions is that, judging from their prices, they seem awfully proud of their stock!

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by frspinale
I actually had my first Dogfish head beers last night at the Beer Summit winter jubilee in Boston. ( all beers were 7% or greater)
They were pouring worldwide stout (very tasty) and 90 minute IPA also very good and Au Currant (also very good) All in all I enjoyed all of their beers a lot.

Sam Adams was there too pouring Utopias 25%abv and their 3 weiss men (wheat and belgian cross) and 95 triple bock and double IPA and double bock. It was nice to try the utopias because at $150 a bottle there is no way I was going to buy it. It was very good and tated like a smooth scotch.

There must have been 50 different beers from a dozen or so breweries. Cant wait till next year.


How was the 95 Triplebock? I have lots of the 94 & 95 and I have 3 bottles of Utopias in my cellar. I may open a Triplebock soon as I have plenty.

[frspinale]

the 95 triple bock is very very good more flavorful and smoother than last years tasting...IMO. This was the first beer i sampled this night so my pallate was still somewhat in tact at this point. I was talking with one of the guys from the brewery and he was telling me that the reason they were pouring the 95 over the 94's was that the 94's were starting to turn a little for the worse. He felt they peaked last year and that 95's are aging better than the 94's at the same age. I too have several bottles in my cellar, mostly 95 and a couple 94's & 97's. I think I'll be drinking the 94's this year and holding on to the others a little longer. by the way, the 2003 utopia's are nice too. Kind of taste like a sliky smooth scotch.

[chazwicke]

Well that is good to know. I may start drinking some of the 94s. You never know exactly when these cellared beers will peak. So it is great that they had them and had that recommendation as well. I have one bottle of 94 that has been in the fridge all that time and so the aging should not be as far along. Maybe I'll do a side by side tasting of one from the cellar and that one from my fridge. Anyway, Thanks for the helpful info.

[areitz]

I was at Beer Summit and Extreme Fest the week before - I also had the Utopius, but I thought it was very "alcoholicie." Shocking to the palate. Of course, I'm not a big fan of Scotch either so that could be a reason as well.

[frspinale]

at 25% abv it is very "alcoholicie" however i should note that i do enjoy scotch. And I enjoyed this beer in the same way that i would enjoy a glass of scotch (sipped straight-up.) Athough Utopia is made of only malt,hops,yeast and water, it is a far cry from the average beer.
By the way, which was your favorite beer at the beer summit? I didn't go to the extreme beer event the week before.

[TheBeerSnob]

As I noted in another thread in this Extreme beers section, I realized that I did have a taste of the 120 at the Anchorage Beer and Barley Wine Fest. a couple weeks ago. I didn't care for it as it left me with a syrupy, fuelish taste.

I would, though, be very interested in sampling the other varietals of Dogfish. They sound incredibly unique--as if the 120 is plainJane--and I'm into that. Hopefully we'll see more here in Anchortown soon.

On a separate note, I had the Jim Beam Porter at Glacier BrewHouse tonight and it was pourin' excellent. Marvelous cherry-vanilla-oakish-beamish characters dancing on a pushing-the-edge full body Porter: very tastey.

And for desert, three of us split a Big Woody Barley Wine, the gold winner at the above mentioned festival. Damn good "Whoa" factor. Smooth, more English-style and aged in oak. Spicy, vanilla, full bodied and warm. Whoa. Yeah...

But that's just me...

=TBS

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by TheBeerSnob

On a separate note, I had the Jim Beam Porter at Glacier BrewHouse tonight and it was pourin' excellent. Marvelous cherry-vanilla-oakish-beamish characters dancing on a pushing-the-edge full body Porter: very tastey.



But that's just me...

=TBS [/B]

I sampled a bottle of Harviestoun (sp) Engine Oil last night. It is aged in single malt casks. In you description you mentioned cherry as one of the flavors that you got. I found the same in the Engine Oil along with chocolate. It was my intention to write some tasting notes on it but I got sidetracked watching the NH returns. Anyway, It was delicious and I have another bottle so I will do the notes when I sample it.

[areitz]

To frspinal:
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. The one beer that surprisingly stood out for me at BeerSummit was Deja Vu's Double Trouble. I had it last year, but this year they switched up the ingredients and added a honey barley to it. At least, I think that's what they told me. It added a different taste to it.

[TheBeerSnob]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I sampled a bottle of Harviestoun (sp) Engine Oil last night. ...Anyway, It was delicious and I have another bottle so I will do the notes when I sample it.

Chazwicke,
Give us the good skinny on the HEO. Haven't seen a Harv around here but will keep my eyes open.

-TBS

[chazwicke]

I will when I open the next bottle. Maybe Sunday evening :) I wish I had picked up a few more bottles.

[Stodbrew]

Just had a 120 Minute IPA with Tweek the other day. Honestly, didn't overly care for it. While it had a very slight hop aroma, I found the flavor cloyingly sweet. Just not my cup of tea, I guess. I would love to try the 60 and 90 Minute IPA's though.

[Beaver]

I haven't tried any of them, but from what I've read, it sounds like the 120 may be a little too over the top.

[brewmonkey]

Originally posted by skahtboi
My big problem with liquidsolutions is that, judging from their prices, they seem awfully proud of their stock!

No kidding, and then the shipping will really kill you. I do not mind paying for beer, but some of their stuff is $7+ for a 12oz bottle. Pretty steep for some of the labels that they are charging it for too.

[Caffinehog]

Yeah, but it's a lot cheaper than a drive to Delaware!

[Beaver]

The store by me has 12 oz of World Wide Stout and 120 Minute IPA for $8.49 each. Expensive stuff..but I'll probably splurge sometime.