Thursday, December 8, 2011

Dogfish Head Hellhound On My Ale

Dogfish Head's Hellhound on my Ale - a tribute to the 100th birthday of Robert Johnson, the legendary blues artist.  The Hellhound was created with the Sony Legacy company, much like the Miles Davis Bitches Brew.

Described on the website as a "super-hoppy ale that hits 100 IBUs", they later describe the Hellhound at only 58 IBUs, so I'm a little confused.  The Hellhound pours out an amber-copper color, with tons of carbonation and foam.  The foam is a light, fluffy white, and much deeper than I expected from this 10% abv monster.

The aromas definitely show some hops, but not as intensely as I had expected.  A double IPA from a brewery light Dogfish could definitely be too much for me to handle, but this is more subtle and complex. The nose also shows some nice spices, herbal notes, and maybe even a sugar or caramel?

The mouth reveals much more than I was ready for!  It's really full of hops, with plenty of grapefruity & citrusy hops clinging to my tongue.  The hops are immediately followed by a wave of toasty malts.  The alcohol is significant, but not over-powering.

As much as I claim to not be a hop-head, this "double IPA" might shift my opinions a bit.  The Hellhound is indeed super-hoppy, but also really well balanced with malt, spice, and of course alcohol.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Hellhound On My Ale
TCSH Rating - 8.5/10
Aka - Grab one of these limited bottles while you can!

Eli
Bibo Ergo Sum

1 comment:

  1. Hello, folks. Thanks for giving Hellhound a try. Glad you liked it! To clarify your question about 100 IBUs vs. 58 IBUs ... Hellhound hits 100 IBUs in the brewhouse after, of course, the hops are added. However, the bittering units for all beers drop after that due to fermentation and filtration. Hope that helps. Cheers!

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