Dogfish Head- Method to the madness

Eh, I don't know about this. I see a lot more threads on here about people just venturing into better beer who are looking for something that's not too hoppy, not too dark, not too strong, not too bitter etc.; i.e., the proverbial "gateway" beer. I'm sure a few folks are drawn to the more extreme beers first, but I think those are usually younger people who lack the maturity or wisdom to truly appreciate good beer for the right reasons anyway (my reasons, naturally, being the "right" reasons in this scenario). So of course their opinion is moot.

It seems to me the typical trajectory for most people tends to be macro / gateway / mainstream / extreme / then back to mainstream (and of course, somewhere in there dabbling in the world of wales). But that's pure conjecture on my part.

 

The only problem with that logic is its the Specific Ingredients that make it taste the way it does. Cheers

 

I found the pear aspect of Piercing Pils to be extremely subtle. If somebody handed me this beer with no mention that there was pear used to make this beer the words "pear flavor" would not even come to mind.

I am fully confident that Dogfish Head could make a high quality Czech Pilsner without the need to add pears.

Cheers!

 

What really chaps my ass about this conversation is not whether DFH is good or not, is the people complaining about the prices of craft beer and then make disparaging remarks about a brewery over it , I have never complained about the prize of a craft beer even if I did not like it after I bought it , in my opinion most craft breweries are not worth what Anheuser-Busch is worth and they have to stay a float hence their prices for a better product.There is plenty of BMC beer you can buy at a affordable price ...

 

Glad to hear that about Jester King. They just started distributing here a few weeks ago. Picked up Das Wunderkind and will crack it sometime soon. Introducing it to family in Colorado who can't get it there.

 

I'll say this of DFH, there is no brewery that takes more chances with their brews. One result of such risk taking is that they "fail" more often. Another result is that they blow our collective socks off with a really super brew once in awhile that make a person easily forget about the failures.

 

I find most of their crazy experiment beers seem to have an industry unique flavor profile unlike anything else yet still maintaining some relative ease to drink.

 

I heard somewhere that pumpkin was their first beer and Dogfish Head was founded after it won a gold medal at a food competition somewhere? Can anyone clarify if this is fact or fiction?

 

DFH took me to the next level. My only problem is the price. Not that I think overpriced. Just wish I could afford to drink their beers as often as I would like to. Guess that could be a good thing. I utilize cheaper priced beers for my everyday enjoyment, and DFH on occasion. I visit the brewpub at least once a summer. Knowing it's there makes the 3 hour trip to the beach fly by. Only true problem is I recall having any seat in the place, now having to wait or stand!

 

It was sort of like that- the story was featured on an episode of Brew Masters. Before founding DFH, Sam brought his beer to the Punkin' Chunkin' competition (i.e. pumpkin catapults), which also features other pumpkin related events (including a food competition). His beer won first place and provided the inspiration for him to venture into professional brewing. I don't know what the first DFH beers were, though, or if Punkin was among them.

 

There was a brief period of about a year where DFH beers got shipped to my part of the state. In that time, I got to try some of their "standards:" 60 Min, which I had before when I lived in the East over a decade ago, 90 Min, India Brown, Aprihop, and Midas Touch. I know I liked both IPAs. My recollection of India brown is that it was tasty. I miss these beers and wish they would be distributed to my corner of the universe. My main point about these beers that I like is that they are somewhat more mainstream than the other two of tried and many DFH beers I have read about.

I couldn't recall my thought on Midas and had to look up my review. Turns out I found it forgetable for a reason. As a homebrewer, how to make the beer that I describe in that review sounds like it could be challenging. However, my opinion of that beer was not very high, which is also consistent with most of my own "think outside the box" concoctions. Having said that, I thought the Aprihop was pretty damn good. It stands out in my mind as maybe the best non-sour fruit beer I've ever had. Which helps me get to the "lessons learned."

I think that "outside of the box" is destined to limit your consumer base, and if you do it a lot, you will have a consumer base that does not like most of your beers. They will bitch and moan about how the beers are always so over the top, that they don't taste like beer anymore, etc. However some or maybe even most members in that group will still find one or two of these oddballs that they enjoy, like I enjoyed Aprihop. And thus, Mr. Caligione, has made his point by illustrating to this consumer to keep my mind open and look beyond the mainstream for those occasional gems.

Given my fondness for Aprihop, a Piercing Pils sounds intriguing.

 

Calm down

 

I'm a big Dogfish Head fan. Do I love every beer they make? Absolutely not. Visiting the brewery and brewpub, talking with Sam has all made me a bigger fan than I already was. I love that they experiment and I enjoy a large portion of what they put out. I'll always be a supporter of these guys.

 

Not sure how any craft beer enthusiast wouldn't have an appreciation for Dogfish. Sure, they push the envelope with enough release to make your head spin, but you don't have to like them all to appreciate what they are doing.
Dogfish is a classic brewery, and Sam Calagione is a true innovator .
I enjoy their beers. I enjoy visiting their brewery and brewpub annually. Like them or not, they are what most small craft breweries aspire to be....oh, and the 120 minute is the ultimate treat in my opinion, and there aren't many beers I would rather drink on a hot day at the beach than a 60 minute.

 

I see what most people do that are generally excited about trying new beer styles from them. I personally like what they do and I say to hell with all of their haters. They're an extremely innovative brewing company and founder Sam, is a good guy. So I applaud his success and I hope they keep doing what they do. I think this way because I know the importance of tradition, I just enjoy bending the rules at all costs.

 

When was the last time that happened?

I'm pretty sure Shelter Pale was the very first Dogfish beer. It was definitely one of the first along with 60 Min and Chicory Stout. Also, World Wide Stout was created within the first few years of the brewpub's existence. To any fan of Dogfish, I recommend reading Sam's book Brewing Up a Business. It has some great stories in it and offers some insight to Sam's humble beginnings when he was trying to get the brand off the ground.

 

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/punkin-ale.htm

click on the "Quick Sip Clip"--Sam's tells the story. He says it was one of the first brews they made in 1995.

Cheers

 

I posted in this thread before that I've had a lot of bad beers from them and, on the whole, they're in my lower tier for breweries. But I have to eat a little crow on this one, I just had the Piercing Pils and it's their best release in a LONG time. It's a smidge cloying on the back end, but overall it's a pretty damn good beer.

 

I like that they try new things rather than staying safe with tried and true styles. That being said they have some homerun beers(90 minute, bitches, burton baton) and some not so good ones.(the Midas Touch in my fridge)

I still need to finish trying all of their beers because of the huge difference in the way they make their beers. There are so many left to try!