Dogfish Head 120

After trying it on tap I plan to age my bottles for at least a year. I'm hoping the grain alcohol flavor mellows out a bit.

 

At 5 years it tastes like a port wine.

Read the reviews you can age it for several years.

 

agree, it tastes like caramel candy at five years. lucky to try it, and i am not a fan of fresh.

 

Even a single year changes it drastically. The heat dissapates noticeably. Much easier to approach than fresh.

 

Recently had a 2008, still have one more, it was outstanding. I like it either super fresh or super aged, no inbetween for me.

 

I put a few aside for fun. Haven't tried any aged bottles, but in a couple years, I will report back....It was easy enough to find, though a little on the pricier side for an experiment, I figured why not, I heard on the tour that Sam has some set aside for his kids from their birth year when they turn 21....so who knows what it will be like then, hoping to try it at like the 3,5,8, 10 year mark maybe.

 

Have a bottle of 2006; not sure if I want to keep for the novelty of having it or crack it open and see how it is...

 

I say hold onto it for 2 more years so you have an even 10 on it.

 

I was thinking about that as well. May as well!

I have a 2006, a 2007, a few 2008, a few 2009, no 2010 (no batches due to problems), a bunch of 2011, a bunch of 2012, as bunch of 2013 and two 2014.

 

Good lord! You've amassed quite the vertical.

 

Lol, thanks. I did have one of the old corked & caged orginals from 2003, but that was consumed in 2010 during the "shortage"!

 

would love to hear your opinion if you crack it open

 

I was of the "120 is better fresh" camp for a while, but I had a 2012 in the cellar that we cracked on NYE this year and I thought it was great.

So far with DFH ageables, I've found 16 months is good for 120 and <three years is great for WWS (the 2010's are pouring amazingly).

 

Hundreds of people have. Note the reviews.

 

When I tried it on tap in Portland, I loved it. I tried a year old bottle and thought is was massively hot/paint thinner like. The Portland experience could have been due to drinking all day, but I thought fresh was lovely.

 

I have similar feelings. I greatly enjoy fresh 120 on tap, particularly at the DFH brewpub. However, the bottled version is WAY too hot for the first few years. When the heat finally calms down, the hops have faded to a gross vegetal note that is decidedly unpleasant. However, give those bad boys 6-7 years, and the hops disappear completely, leaving a fantastically complex and interesting beer that drinks FAR below its 18% ABV.

 

I had a 2009 bottle in mid 2013 and absolutely loved it. Yes, age it.

Note: This comes from a guy who has a DFH brewpub in his backyard and has had the beer a hundred times.

 

Picked up two bottles recently; from those with experience aging this brew, for long-term storage do you suggest aging this in the fridge or a basement closet (humidity controlled)? Thanks!

 

I thought you weren't supposed to cellar IPAs due to the breakdown of hop oils. I have one pliny the elder in my fridge that I have left from a case I acquired in November of 2013. I know RR specifically states on the bottle not to age, but I wonder if it would develop a similar flavor profile?