Review of Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA
Posted By Ken Wednesday, 24 February 2010 21:54
So this weekend a local bad-ass wine, liquor, and beer store here in Indy was having a sale on pretty much everything in the store. Beer was 15% off, and as I was perusing the beer coolers, I thought what a perfect time to try some Dogfish 90 Minute? After all, higher-priced beer means a higher discount, right? Okay, that logic doesn't really work, but after trying and reviewing the 60 Minute, and being told this was much better I decided I wanted to give it a shot. Read on and see if I agreed with those assessments, or if I was glad I at least got it at a discount.
Ken's Review
Taste: A Two words here: holy shit! Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA made a huge run towards my favorite IPA of all time, in a race with Breckenridge 471. The taste is really amazing, as you get a little something on the initial touching of your tongue, then it just sort of mushroom clouds into this wild mix of hops and citrus. Then it settles on your tastebuds with a smooth after taste like a blanket that has been laid out for a picnic on a soft grassy lawn. Yes, that is my analogy.
Packaging: A- The thing I love most about the packaging of this stuff is the description on the label: "What you have here is an Imperial India Pale Ale featuring a single, constant 90-minute hop addition. It's balanced by (my favorite part here) a ridiculous amount of English Two-row Barley. Then we dry hop it in every tank." Ridiculous? This is a kind of ridiculousness I love!
Value: B+ Dogfish 90-Minute comes in 4-pack bottles for around $11.99. A little bit pricey on the per-bottle average, but well worth the cost for what you get in taste and alcohol content. This isn't one I would buy real frequently, given the cost, but that makes having it when you do all the more worthwhile.
Drunkeness: A 90-Minute doesn't fuck around here. At 9% alcohol content, it will definitely get you going into a buzzed state with little effort. I started with this on Saturday afternoon, and was feeling really damn good after one. I was going to a movie after that, so that's why I didn't chance another one beforehand.
Overall: A- Like I said, 90-Minute is running up there really close to Breckenridge 471 in my own personal battle of IPA favorites. I won't declare a winner between the two. I currently have 2 bottles left out of the 4-pack and it is really hard not to crack them open and take them down, this stuff is just so damn good. At the same time it is a battle trying to hold on to ensure I drink it at a time when I can fully enjoy it. If you have not had 90-Minute, what the hell are you waiting for?