First Time Trying Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

I was very new into craft beer. My girlfriend (now wife) at the time got me a bunch of bottles of beer for my birthday (I think I was 24 or 25 at the time) and 120 minute was in the mix. Like I said I was new and just trying whatever I could, I wasn't even a BA member yet. I had a night off and had already had a few brews. Bad decision on my part, I was thinking "I want something hoppy" and thought to myself "120 Minute IPA, it's gotta be hoppy." I started drinking it like I would any other IPA, and started to think it was a bad idea when I had about 1/4 of a glass left. I remember having a Boston Lager later in the evening and it tasted like a coors light after having a 120 minute. I didn't know the official ABV until the next day.

Whoops....

 

There is no such thing as 500 IBU. AA utilization in beer maxes out at around 130 IBU, and even that is under perfect conditions. Anyone claiming that a beer has 500 IBUs is either selling something, or ignorant about the brewing process. All you do when adding enough hops to calculate to 500 IBU is waste a shitload of hops.

 

Anybody out there mix it with another beer?

 

True...

 

you beat me to it.

 

Wws. Drank 2 and that was way too much.

 

As in 2 of each? I'd say so.

 

I thought IBUs could keep going up, but you really can't tell bitterness after 120 or so.

 

4 bottles, 2 people.

 

Does it age really well or should I only seek a fresh bottle?

 

Do both.

 

You've used more words than most and probably hit the nail on the head for a lot of craft drinkers. It's a real eye-opening beer. I can't really categorize it up there with what I consider are the best IPA/IIPA beers tho (whatever Ba's category of it is). It's a different type of beer, in a different class, different category. In some ways it's in the same category of one other beer I can think of, DFH WWS. They're both almost elixir-like, a liquer / dessert of their particular genre.

Despite the cost, I find myself picking up a bottle every 6 months or so. It's worth it, as long as it remains a treat and not an everyday beer. Heck, if this is your everyday beer, you're lighting your Cuban cigars with hundred dollar bills.

EF porter is good stuff too.

I shall take a sip of my APA IPA homebrew* in your honor, Sir.

*a beer advocate homebrew forumites / Vikeman creation

 

The best answer to a question like this is usually to purchase 2, 1 to drink immediately and 1 to drink later on. I, personally, wouldn't ever purchase a beer with the sole purpose to age it as I like to have a baseline for what it tastes like fresh.

I personally liked it better fresh, but I bet BA is split on whether they enjoy it fresh or with age.

 

I've had it over four years old, and fresh. Do both. It's great either way. The aged stuff had more and darker sediment and a slightly different character, but really I can't pick which one I like better.

 

I get my 1 or 2 every year and drink them both within a couple months of purchase. Always good.

 

I haven't had it in years, but I remember it being pretty vile. I bought four bottles in a case that had for 60s, 90s, and 120s in it. The last one got tossed in as an extra. My best friend thinks DFH 120 is what Mr Clean would taste like. Can't say I disagree with him.
Recently I was chatting with a friend(who is not all that familiar with craft beer) and she was drinking some at a bar. This bar normally has a few(four?) craft beers on tap, but they don't specialize in it. The bar was doing 10oz pours of it but not informing its customers of the alcohol content. She had four glasses and got home wondering why she felt completely shitfaced off of four beers. A minute of googling led her to the answer.

 

Now I'm gonna have to crack one soon

 

I mixed it with their WWS. It was decent, but I wish they had more age on them (I can't remember which year went with which, but one was 2010 and the other was 2011). I had read about someone doing it online, so I tried it since I couldn't finish either of them. 120 is quite nice fresh on tap at the brewery, but in a bottle it needs many years on it and it is not a DIPA, it is a BW. I had Bigfoot later on and that is an IPA when it is had fresh.

p.s. 120 makes an excellent beer bread.

 

I have a fellow BA beer friend locally. Months age I told him one evening I was having a really bad, long day. He said drink that 120 you have. I had never had one. He said that would be perfect for this type of day. He was right. What an amazing beer that took my mind off of things. Like everyone says, drinks like a barleywine. Love that stuff.

 

120 is a damn good beer. It is interesting to see how it changes over the years, but I would agree with the majority and cast it more as a barleywine once it's hit the 2 year mark- a very hoppy resinous barleywine at that.