As time rolls on, craft beer fans, advocates, brewers, investors, and anyone else on the long list of stakeholders delve further into and continuously support the craft beer industry through creativity and innovation.
You can’t discuss craft beer innovation without mentioning India pale ales, as the style has earned its spot as America's most popular beer style.
These days, IPAs can be considered more of an overarching style, one that branches into a web of substyles, be it Cold, Hazy, New England, American, or West Coast; there’s no denying that the IPA is at the helm of craft beer.
The success of this particular style comes from its unique hoppy taste and bountiful flavors. Breweries have since capitalized on these charming characteristics by continuously innovating–or, if you’re one brewery in Delaware, continuously hopping–IPAs.
Long before the mid-2010s boom in craft beer, Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware, was cooking up something special. Its continuously-hopped 60 and 90 Minute IPAs were the foundation for a ground-breaking beer. Introducing: 120 Minute IPA.
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA was originally brewed in 2003 and, back by popular demand, was distributed first to a handful of states in 2017. Since then, craft beer fans and hopheads on either coast, including us at Bridge City, have yearned for its timely releases.
What is 120 Minute IPA?
120 Minute IPA is coined “The Imperial IPA” by Dogfish Head. And, perhaps, rightfully so.
120 Minute IPA is an imperial IPA with 17% ABV brewed by Dogfish Head in Milton, Delaware. It uses the brewery’s signature continuous hopping method, where the beer boils for two hours while incremental and equal hop additions heighten and enhance hop flavor and bitterness.
Dogfish Head first brewed this particular beer in 2003 but brought it back because of the vast, increasing appeal of high-ABV IPAs.
Now, it’s available in select regions nationwide, including Western Pennsylvania at Bridge City.
What does 120 Minute IPA taste like?
120 Minute is a unique beer. It has the ultimate hop flavor and aroma with sky-high bitterness. The 17% ABV is certainly noticeable, too.
120 Minute has a hoppy taste with high bitterness. Honey, caramel, sweet malt, alcohol, and subtle stone fruit or citrus flavors are present in this beer. Aging it for 1-2 years promotes sweet marmalade flavors and aromas.
120 Minute is one of those must-try beers if you like IPAs. It’s an innovative and creative beer that pushes the limits of today's most popular beer style.
Can you age 120 Minute IPA?
Good news; 120 Minute IPA gets better with age! Once you buy a four-pack or a few singles, drink one and stow away the others for a couple of years.
You can age 120 Minute IPA for 1-3 years in a dark space with a controlled temperature of 50-55℉. Keep the bottle upright and away from light, temperature changes, and heat to prevent adverse effects like oxidation or off flavors.
120 Minute IPA comes in bottles, so be careful not to put them anywhere where they could break.
You can find 120 Minute Imperial IPA at Bridge City for a limited time while supplies last.