Taylor: Over the last month or so I have developed quite a smattering of random beers in my fridge, most of which were picked up out of state (Vermont and Missouri, specifically). Before getting through tasting and reviewing all these interesting brews, I wanted to enjoy something more familiar. Luckily, there was a single bottle of Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA in the back. Yes.
According to Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head’s 90-minute IPA is the brewery’s first continually-hopped beer. Also, it’s the best-selling Imperial IPA in the country “nay … the world.” It takes over a month to make, and Dogfish uses their “Me So Hoppy” dry-hopping system during conditioning. I’ve always loved Dogfish craft beer, and was excited about trying this 90-minute IPA, which was pretty much the grandfather of all their other continuously-hopped beers: 60-minute, 120-minute, and even a 75-minute version.
Poured into a classic Dogfish pint glass, this beer was a nice reddish-brown and developed an excellent off-white head thick with tiny bubbles. Calagione’s note that one achievement of this beer is its “pungent hop flavor” and aroma … extremely citrusy and a little piney but not overpoweringly so due to the malt backbone. The nose of this 90-minute was full of wonderful citrus aromas, as well as some nice malty sweetness. I immediately knew this was going to be deep in flavor and finish.
I was right. The continuous hopping process and malt balance make this beer a taste explosion. Dogfish have walked the line between “bitter” and “pungent” with not-so-surprising ease here. All those hops will rock your palate, but the malts will bring you back to reality. Surprise! One sip is almost like taking a sip of two different beers back to back: big hoppy front, and malty finish. ABV is 9.0% … this isn’t one to just knock back. It’s more of a sipper in my opinion.
Either way, if you enjoy IPAs, this is a must-try not only for its historical significance, but of course for its solid taste. Once again, there’s really nothing negative I can say about the 90-minute IPA. It achieves what it sets out to achieve. It’s got integrity. Grade: A
Tom: I prefer this beer over 60-Minute for a few reasons. 1) With a longer boil comes with it more hops. 2) I feel the higher abv gives it some strength, muscle and body. 3) The malt profile carries a deep fig, apricot, plum quality. However, based on the darker malts used, this is not my go-to imperial/double IPA. While I do find the sweeter caramel notes to be welcomed in this beer, I prefer the use of lighter malts. Regardless of how I feel about my IPAs, this beer is quality time over. The color alone gave me cause to sit back and just take it in. The nice Bourbon color beer delivers a smack of pungent and resinous hops on top of a rather boozy quality. A moderate carbonation helps to lift the multifaceted hop profile and caramel sugars off the palate. Herbal, dank, and floral comprised the hops. This is definitely not as citrus as 60-minute. The finish is dry (I would argue more so than 60) due to the higher abv. However, a sweeter aftertaste that only has a touch of biscuit malt. A very solid beer. Grade: B+