Dogfish Head: What to try, what to avoid?

Try the Indian Brown and ONLY the Indian Brown. DFH produces a shit ton of mediocre beer with a shit ton of shitty ingredients just to be shittily different. I don't want any human semen or cat-piss in my beer, sir.

 

I think I just found the name of my next homebrew!

 

Dogfish Head is very love or hate so everyone will be different.

My tops are
Red & White
Immort Ale
60,61,75,90
American Beauty
Burton Baton
Palo Santo
Midas Touch

My avoids
Festina Peche (not a peach fan)
Aprihop
Black & Blue

Then there are a lot that are definitely worth a try at least once just for the experience. All the Ancient ales are very interesting just because of what they are. You just have to try their stuff and make your own list.

 

Chicory Stout was disappointing and so was the Pumpkin Ale. Everything else I've had has been amazing, especially 60 and 90 minutes, Palo Santo, and Indian Brown.

 

Palo Santo Marron is amazing, but be careful! It's my favorite by DFH.

 

Their site says 75 makes it to Ohio...Anywhere you see their larger format bottles, I would ask about 75 minute.

 

I see 75 minute all the time. Is it really that good?

 

That's not a bad way to go........Very few, if any, of the bombers seem worth it unless your a very big dogfish head diehard.

I like 75 minute, and Bitches brew is well liked...but yea......keep safe and stick to the 12 oz bottles! It will save you a lot of money per oz

I like most of their brew, but hate chicory stout with a passion. That stuff just tasted like heavily over-steeped tea, and it felt like it drained the water out of my mouth. But some like it...soo...ehh....be wary of it.....

 

Palo Santo is amazing

 

try (in order my favorites):

Palo Santo Maron
Burton Baton
60 min
Bitches Brew
90 min
120 min
World Wide Stout

 

What part of Ohio do you live in? It's around all the time in NE Ohio.

 

It is a very good beer. If you like Aprihops (which I do) you will like 75 minute. I just don't like the format or the pricing. Would buy this more regularly if it was in 6 or 4 packs.

To the OP, you will really need to sample all of them. DFH is all over the board with no distinct beer drink profile that allows compartmentalization or for you to easily say, "since I like A, I'll like B from DFH."

My favorites of what I've had:

Aprihops
75 Minute
World Wide Stout (with age, and by age we are talking at least a year if not 2)
Indian Brown

Having said that, there have been quite a few I haven't enjoyed and several I haven't tried yet.

 

I'm avoiding all of them.

 

Try the palo santo maron and the 90minute.

 

They get a lot of flak on here because they are so across the board, but I love them for that. I went through their catalog because while I was hunting for ciders, I found Fort last year for $3, which I only bought because I recognized the label art from Tara McPherson. Then, was rekindled with Midas Touch due to the nature of its crafting. I wasn't a fan and my parents thought it was a wine when I let them have it. Their stuff is definitely hit or miss for most people, but I think they are worth a try for their uniqueness. However, some are more popular than others.

So, try 90, 75, and Hellhound (for IPAs). I wasn't a fan of Palo Santo fresh, but it is a popular one and is supposed to be great aged. Out of the bombers, I would start with Black & Blue, Sah'tea, and Theobroma. I enjoyed My Antonia with a year on it (hard to find fresh). Then, while you are trying those age some WWS, Olde School, 120 (an anomalous 'IPA' barleywine that varies widely over time) Raison D'Extra (returning this year) and Fort (if you cand find some). Piercing Pils is a great new one from them. Also, they are ceasing distribution of: Raison D'etre, Immort, Chateau Jiahu, My Antonia, Chicory Stout and Black & Blue (so, if you want to try them all then pick some of those up first).

 

the only beer they made that I recall really disliking was Tweason. Fort is an alcohol bomb

 

Okay...as you can see there are differing opinions here, so it is up to your personal taste. The best advice is this.

Try- everything you can and judge for yourself

Avoid-listening to other people trying to tell you what is good and what is not.

This may sound less helpful, but I mean it. Many here have said 120 is garbage, and I think it is a world class beer. You need to form your own opinions...thats part of the fun.

 

In my experience the booziness will mellow and the fig/date/raisin notes alongside hong of caramel/vanilla will become a bit more pronounced. This year's batch didn't hit me as the booze bomb it usually has been in the past when fresh. 2011 & 2012 bottles were not as sweet when fresh compared to 2013 bottles from my recollection. I'm not sure how the 2013 will evolve, but Olde School has always been different (perceived as better for me) after a year.

BA classifies this as an "american style" barleywine, but I'd say it has blurred the line between american/english style for as long as I've been drinking it, especially as it ages.

 

In general I agree…think for yourself and question authority.

But it's DFH man.

They have a gazillion brews, many in large format, that can be expensive compared to other options.
I can understand wanting to prioritize a handful of brews that get the consensus approval and begin experimenting there.

If I had allowed any number of DFH brews be my first DFH brew, I probably would not have ever bought another DFH brew. I don't frequently use the word abomination to describe beer, but DFH has earned that descriptor more than a few times in my personal experience.