Review #14 - Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Apr. 26, 2011

We’re rolling right along here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights and today we review the most reviewed DIPA on The List, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.  As of this writing it has 3,028 reviews and as far as I can tell, it also happens to be the most reviewed beer on all of Beer Advocate.  Here are some stats for you:

ABV: 9%

IBUs: 90

Brewery Location: Milton, Delaware

Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale

Average Beer Advocate Rating: A-/4.25 – Excellent

My Beer Advocate Rating: B-/3.48 – Worthy

Current Number of Reviews/Rank in the Top 20 on Beer Advocate: 3,029/1^st

Brewery Description: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Bottled On: NA

From PintLog

APPEARANCE:  (5 out of 5) Not too many beers earn a 5 in the looks department, especially Double IPAs given that their lacing and head retention tend to be less than stellar, however, the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is an exception.  It pours a bright, exceptionally brilliant orange-copper color with a nice, foamy, but thin head.  This beer is a real looker.  The head retention is excellent and the lacing is very interesting.  Towards the top of the glass it developed with the typical left/right pattern that I have mentioned in many a previous DIPA review.  About ¼ of the way down, however, it began to have a very, very nice and thick cathedral-like lacing on the back side of the glass while the left-right pattern remained the whole way down. (FYI: The picture to the left came from a great beer blog called PintLog.  Take a minute to check out some of Chris's reviews)

SMELL:  (2 out of 5) For being such a good-looking beer, the 90 Minute was a huge let down to the nose.  Floral and hoppy notes are barely detectable, but not strong.  In fact, there is almost nothing there to smell. 

TASTE:  (3.5 out of 5) Fortunately there is more flavor than there is aroma in this Dogfish Head creation.  Caramel is the most noticeable flavor with some floral and piney flavors lurking in the background.  Despite the floral notes, though, the hops do not provide much bitterness, this is a sweet beer.  The sweetness does tale off a bit towards the finish, but the 90 Minute IPA is malt and caramel all the way. 

MOUTHFEEL:  (4.5 out of 5) The 90 Minute is a very light and tingly beer.  The sweetness also gives it a mouthcoating sensation, but not as much as one might suspect given the how sweet it is.  This is a solid feeling beer. 

OVERALL:  (3.5 out of 5) Again, now that we are getting into some of the more easily obtainable beers on this list, the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is a strong go-to beer when, as it often will be, it is the only DIPA available.  It would also make a nice gift or 4-pack to share as well given that the seasoned beer geeks will still find it to be an acceptable option and the caramel sweetness keep this beer accessible to the masses, at least as much as a Double IPA can be.  Ultimately though, there are better beers on the list.

DRAWBACKS:  The Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA is sweeter than what I typically look for, even in a DIPA, and the nose was a real let down.  It looked so good and I really wanted to take a big whiff of flowers, hops and malt to whet my palate even further before taking the first sip, but none of it was there unfortunately.  Good beer, but does not live up to all the hype.