Dogfish Head- Method to the madness

Other than folks been putting fruits juice in beer forever? Nothing is new my friend. nada, its all been done.

 

If they didn't find weird ingredients and stick them into their beers, other breweries may never have thought to push the envelope either, for they may not have ever realized there was an envelope to push. I may have it a bit wrong, but I remember the first time Hardywood Park accidentally used the wrong type of yeast on a batch of IPA, and yet the result was delicious. Without the craft world accepting of experimentation, something that Dogfish Head had laid part of the foundation for USA breweries to follow, it would be likely that the entire batch that day may have been a drainpour.

That being said, it's also true that some of their experiments don't always turn out good. Last time I went to Rehoboth, I couldn't find one decent test brew - they were all kinda watery and off-flavored in my mind, not representative of any type of style they were generally aiming for. And for that, as Sam has always said, is that those of us who test those brews out will vote with out wallets; and ultimately will make the decision to scale up or not - and I have not seen any one of those beers in a packaged version.

 

I loved sixty one so lets start with that. Dogfish Head is doing an historical service to beer by trying to recreate the "ancient ales." Who else is doing that. When we complain that tradition is lost we can look to dogfish head to try and reproduce it. They have a minus in their column in the descriptions on the beers in the store. Lager brewed with pear juice? I don't want that. Or at least I think I don't until I try it and like it - or not. That's the fifty -fifty nature of the game that dogfish head is playing. Do you need a beer brewed with moon rocks - no. Are you gonna try it yes and perhaps only once. Again a gamble. They have the highest prices for their big bottles of anyone around and I always think twice before I "invest" in one because that's how it feels . . . like an investment that comes with a risk. I can live without any of their beers.

 

Jesse, I really enjoyed reading your post!

I have a 4-pack of Piercing Pils in my basement that I picked up a few days ago. I haven’t tried it yet but I am looking forward to drinking these beers.

Dogfish Head is not one of my favorite craft breweries. I do not drink the historical stuff they make but I do enjoy a number of their regular beers.

I think that Punkin’ Ale is one of the best Pumpkin beers made. I always drink some when they come out.

I really like the Indian Brown Ale. That beer is a tasty combination of hop and malt flavors. I have never heard anybody comment about the pioneering nature of this beer; it was a dark IPA before the recent onslaught of Black IPAs that have been coming out.

I really like ApriHop. That beer has a tasty combination of hop and apricot flavors. I wonder if ApriHop was an inspiration for Piercing Pils?

I used to be a big fan of 60 minute but the last few 6-packs I purchased were not too appealing to me. Either they have switched something up or my palate has changed towards this beer.

Cheers!

 

Maria, do you like ApriHop?

Cheers!

 

I did not get any this year Jack but next year it is first on my list of "gotta have it." =)

 

Jack- I had the Piercing Pils last night, and I think you will really appreciate it. The base beer is fantastic, and the pear comes across in the slightly fruity finish. I couldn't help but think that it proves that they could make a top notch straight Pilsner if they really wanted to- but, then again, they've never really flown that way and I don't see any reason why they should start now.

 

That's pretty much how I saw it, too. If I wasn't told it was pear I don't think I would have guessed what it was, although the finish is decidedly fruity.

 

I read this thread with a lot of interest because my wife and I lived in Delaware for many years. This was before the craft brew scene was exploding as it is today and dogfish was just in its infancy. These guys marketed themselves well and are the macro-micro brewery it's apparently cool to hate...I'd compare their perception much akin to NewBelgium. I really do like many of their brews including 90 minute IPA, 60 minute IPA, Burton Baton, as well as Bitches Brew. For what it's worth, I hated 61 minute but why hate on a brewery for pushing the envelope a bit. I did try the piercing Pilsner recently and really thought it was quite refreshing, CAN THAT STUFF FOR SUMMER! For a coastal community brewery, I'm frankly surprised they aren't canning their goodies for the Dewey/Rehobeth/Ocean City scene.

 

I feel DFH has become victims of their own success, much like Rogue. I blame the next-big-thing, I like what nobody else does, hipster mentality that is so pervasive in this community. Seems like if it's brewed in a batch larger than 5bbl and not aged in wooly mammoth skulls, then it's not good.

Rarity uber alles.

 

“ …they could make a top notch straight Pilsner if they really wanted to…”

“If I wasn't told it was pear I don't think I would have guessed what it was, although the finish is decidedly fruity.”

I haven’t drank my Piercing Pils beers yet but based upon the above it seems to me that Dogfish Head came pretty darn close to making a top notch straight Pilsner.

I try to not get too waded up about the specifics of the ingredients in a given beer. To me it is all about how the beer tastes.

Cheers to Dogfish Head!

 

I love DFH and everything they do, there are quite a few beers from them that I wasn't keen on but I still appreciate the fact that they are doing it (ex Kvasir). I really don't understand the hate for 61 I freaking love that beer, one of my favorites actually but different strokes for different folks.

 

"I can live without any of their beers."

I hadn't thought of it that way, but it's a good point, and I have to agree. I really can't think of any one beer that I can't live without. Well, maybe.....

However, is there a craft brewery that carries the torch for creative and adventurous craft beers better than DFH? (Not meant rhetorically.)

 

I've enjoyed a lot of the posts on this thread. I'm a big fan of DFH, to the point of having our summer vacation in Rehoboth every year. Their brewpub has great food, I dig the vibe, and they always have experimental or new stuff on tap.

I agree wih others who love their regular stuff and love to try their big bottle experiments. I don't always come back for seconds of those, but I do enjoy trying them out.

Just tried the Piercing Pils. Definitely a solid pils. Not much pear, which is probably for the best.

 

There's no question that DFH is a very good brewery that has the skill and knowledge to make any kind of beer they want. I think the reason they're so polarizing might be because of two combined facts: (1) they're so experimental and (2) they're so widely distributed. I think more than most other breweries, DFH is widely viewed as "what craft beer is," and where it's going. So when they put out something like Midas Touch or Raison D'Etre (two of my least favorite DFH brews), maybe they're seen, rightly or wrongly, as representing what craft beer can and should be.

I think there's definitely a place for pushing the envelope and trying new things, but they occupy a unique place in the market. People who are new to craft beer might not be ready for a lot of what DFH puts out; hell, I'm not ready for some of it. But at the same time, they're told that if they want to try some good craft beer, they should grab some DFH. So I think people might dislike DFH specifically because they don't make too many "noob-friendly" beers, and in that sense they might be seen as potentially hurting the growth of craft beer.

I don't know, maybe that's not it at all. Just my gut reaction to the topic.

 

Agreed with the OP. I did not like beer until a friend handed me a Dogfish Head 60 minute in college.

Another reason some may not like them is Sam's obsession with exploring the boundaries between beer and wines/spirits; Noble Rot, 61, and their ancient ales are all good examples of that. Regardless, there aren't too many breweries that are capable of putting out such a large and varied lineup of year-round, seasonal and specialty beers--with both experiments and established favorites.

 

I like the experimentation, but I feel like they go a little too far out there nowadays. To me, good experimentation is when you combine flavors that compliment or contrast each other well. Their earlier experiments make a lot more sense to me than the newer ones. An apricot IPA, a chicory root stout, a hoppy brown ale, a double brown ale aged on Palo Santo wood? Sign me up. Great ideas. Same with Noble Rot, Theobroma, and their wits brewed with fruit. Those beers took flavors that haven't been combined before but compliment and contrast each other nicely. All their other IPAs and stouts and barleywines are great as well.

A beer made with moon rocks, a hot beer brewed with carrots, a red wine IPA, and a bunch of interpretations of beers found in archaeological sites? A kvass? A sahti? Too out there for me. 61 didn't make sense at all, Ta Henket was bad, Kvasir was bad, Sah'tea was forgettable. I'll try the pear pils if I can find it, but it sounded weird at first. I haven't had Hellhound or 75 Minute yet, but those sound like more palatable experiments that I will buy as soon as I can.

 

While I have always been a fan of their core beers I get somewhat tired of the "pushing the envelope" edge to them. Even the brats they sell at the brewery have beer in them. Much of the menu at the pub has beer in it. A lot of their experimental stuff does nothing for me. HOWEVER-I tend to think this is more my problem than theirs. Someone has to/is going to keep going in this direction of beer here, beer there, beer everywhere, ancient ales, beer hotel, etc might as well be them. Can only benefit the industry as a whole. The more I have 60 Minute the more I like it and appreciate it-was never a fan from the get go......90 Minute another story. Raison?-could not buy enough of that or the Indian Brown from day 1.

 

funny thing is, if any brewery were to brew a wooly mammoth skull beer it would be dogfish