Dogfish Head Indian Brown a "Dark IPA"? Since when?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by SudsDoctor, Mar 17, 2017.

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  1. SudsDoctor

    SudsDoctor Pooh-Bah (1,739) Nov 23, 2008 New York
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I was in a bottle shop recently, and while browsing through the DFH display noticed that the new label design for Indian Brown touted it as a "dark IPA" and prominently featured an illustration of hops along the right side, similar to the new labels of the 60 & 90 Minute IPAs. What's the story here? Has the beer been reformulated or is this just a rebranding in order to boost sales by riding the wave of the IPA craze? It's been a while since I had an Indian Brown (3-4 years?), but I remember it fondly and it was nothing like an IPA, dark or otherwise. It certainly wasn't anything like the one Black IPA I've had (just a few weeks ago). Maybe the bottles of IB I had back in the day weren't that fresh and thus more malt-forward, but at most I can imagine a fresh one being like a hoppy porter or stout, not a true Black IPA. I guess I should buy a fresh one to see for myself, but would really like to hear from BAs with more recent experience with the beer.
     
    #1 SudsDoctor, Mar 17, 2017
  2. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    As far as I know (or assumed), they essentially just added "Dark IPA" to the label.
    If it was nothing like an IPA then why was it named "Indian Brown?"

    Old label copy:
    “A clean, well-hopped brown ale brewed with caramelized sugar and hopped liberally and often.”

    New label copy:
    “Our boisterous brown ale meets well-hopped IPA is brewed with aromatic dark malt, organic brown sugar & dry-hopped liberally for your pleasure.”
     
    #2 zid, Mar 17, 2017
  3. SudsDoctor

    SudsDoctor Pooh-Bah (1,739) Nov 23, 2008 New York
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Good question. But if DFH truly intended to make a hybrid IPA/Brown (as Sam Calagione states in a video on their website), and avoid any semantic uncertainty, they should have called it 'India' Brown. :wink:
    Anyway, I'm definitely going to seek out some fresh bottles of the beer, whatever 'style' it is. :rolling_eyes:
     
    #3 SudsDoctor, Mar 17, 2017
  4. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
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    Well, the TTB COLA approval date for the new label was 5/31/16 and this guy bought some in September so somewhere between those two dates.
     
    #4 jesskidden, Mar 17, 2017
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  5. SudsDoctor

    SudsDoctor Pooh-Bah (1,739) Nov 23, 2008 New York
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Dang. The pitfalls of not doing a search for a topic before posting a new thread. :flushed:
    Thanks though. Somehow I missed that thread entirely. :confused:
     
    #5 SudsDoctor, Mar 17, 2017
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  6. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Don't beat yourself up, that would be a difficult thread to find. @jesskidden isn't a normal human. :slight_smile:
     
    #6 zid, Mar 17, 2017
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  7. SudsDoctor

    SudsDoctor Pooh-Bah (1,739) Nov 23, 2008 New York
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    You're not kidding. I've seen voluminous evidence of that. :slight_smile:
     
    #7 SudsDoctor, Mar 17, 2017
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