derryX Dogfish Head Review: 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Early in 2010, at the recommendation of John Jordan, I tried a Dogfish Head 60 Minute India Pale Ale. This came with much reluctance because I have never been a fan of IPA style beer or any beer with a decent bitterness; as a matter of fact, in the past, I got into homebrewing and decreased the intensity of the hops used in almost every recipe that I made.

There was something special about this 60 minute IPA. I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time, but, while out with my friends, I kept ordering Dogfish beers whenever I would see them on the menu. After trying a few different styles of beer by Dogfish Head Brewery, it occurred to me that they put a decent amount of effort into toying with the intrinsic concept of “beer,” and, if you visit the Dogfish Head website, you’ll come across their motto: “Off centered stuff for off centered people.”

As a result of my curiosity, I decided to do the “derryX Dogfish Head Reviews,” and, in doing so, spending a decent amount of money to seek out a number of different style Dogfish beers.

Aside from the descriptions contained herein (all of which were copied from www.dogfish.com), all comments are the opinion of derryX.

derryX Dogfish Head Review: 90 Minute Imperial IPA

Description – From www.dogfish.com:

Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute IPA., “perhaps the best I.P.A. in America.” An Imperial I.P.A. brewed to be savored from a snifter. A big beer with a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate.

90 Minute IPA was our first continually-hopped beer, which is a method of hopping that allows for a pungent, but not crushing hop flavor.

Price – $ 9.99 for a 4 pack of 12 oz bottles (Source: Price Chopper Latham)

Alcohol by volume – 9 %

Nose – You definitely get an intense strong floral aroma from the hops. The malt is also very strong.

First Sip – Perfection. The perfect combination of bitterness, sweetness, and alcohol.

As You Drink – As the beer starts to warm, the bitterness stays just about the same, but the malt flavor intensifies. Since the alcohol is high, you’ll want to sip this slowly and really enjoy every sip.

Last Sip – The last sip was as refreshing as the first with a much more pronounced malt flavor.

Food Pairings – To me, anything. This beer is one of my favorite “all-purpose” beers, and is as close to brewing perfection as Dogfish Head has gotten to BULLSEYE as I’ve tasted.