On Saturday, June 25th, I attended the Dogfish Head Analog-A-Go-Go festival at the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton, Delaware. The event featured a number of different attractions including a vinyl record swap, goods for sale from a variety of local Delaware artisans, some fantastic barbecue food, and, of course, rare and exceptionally good cask-conditioned craft beer from the host brewery and their friends at Yards Brewing in Philadelphia. Only four hundred tickets were made available for the event, so I was hopeful that it would not be a hectic or crazy scene as I would be attending with my wife Heather and son Timmy. Fortunately, the crowd never seemed too large nor did it ever get out of hand.
I was looking forward to the event truly for two reasons only: the opportunity at long last to sample Dogfish Head's 75 Minute IPA and, with any luck, to procure this illustrious brew pictured at right. The aforementioned 75 Minute IPA is available
only in cask form and its release is intermittent throughout the year. The lack of bottling coupled with the random release schedule made this difficult-to-obtain brew something I desired highly to add to my list. When I saw that the 75 Minute IPA would be included as one of the featured beers, I bought the tickets to the Analog-A-Go-Go immediately. Shortly thereafter, Dogfish Head announced that they had successfully brewed their coveted 120 Minute IPA
AND that it would be going on sale at the brewery and brewpub on June 24th. Knowing that I would be there only a day later gave me butterflies;
this, after years of waiting and searching, would finally be my opportunity to obtain a bottle (or more, if I was lucky) of the renowned Imperial / Double American India Pale Ale.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brewing process of Dogfish's numbered IPAs, each beer's moniker refers to the amount of time that it is both boiled and continuously hopped. The 60 Minute IPA--a phenomenal introduction to American India Pale Ales--is boiled for sixty minutes. Throughout this hour-long period, it is hopped continuously, meaning that hops are added at a steady rate over the course of the boil (in the case of the 60 minute, more than sixty additions). The resulting ABV (alcohol by volume, or just alcohol content for our purposes) and IBU (International Bittering Units, or the scale for determining how bitter a beer is (more IBUs mean a more bitter/hoppy beer)) correspond to the amount of time the beer was spent boiling and being hopped. The 60 Minute, therefore, registers at 6.00% ABV and has an IBU of 60. The 75 Minute IPA is a hybrid blend of the 60 and 90 Minute IPAs, which is then cask conditioned. The 120 Minute IPA...now we're talking something special! This gargantuanly hopped brew is boiled for a full two hours, being continuously hopped the entire time (I'd hate to be the guy who has to stand there dumping hops in for two straight hours...unless of course I get some free samples!). It is then dry-hopped daily (meaning fresh hops are added while the beer is still in the fermenter. The purpose of this is to imbue the beer with the hop aromas without imparting any of the flavor or bitterness.) and then aged for an additional month on even more hops. The result is simply mind-blowing: an ABV that fluctuates between 15 and 20% (depending upon the batch) and an IBU of 120!!! In other words: this beer packs both an alcoholic AND a hop-heavy wallop!
(The 120 Minute IPA is Dogfish Head's money-maker, selling out quicker than it can reach stores despite a hefty $30+ price tag for a four-pack. Needless to say, I knew that I would have to be on my game if I wanted to score some of this rarity for myself and for my fellow Beer Whisperer, Nicole!)
The event was slated to begin at eleven in the morning but I wanted to get there a little earlier so that we could find parking...and so that I might increase my chances of getting my hands on the 120. The gift shop would open at eleven and, assuming that
all of the beer hadn't been sold on the previous day (something I both dreaded and expected), if I could be among the first to get in, I might have a shot of making my purchase.
As we entered the parking lot, I saw that most of the artisans had set up their stands and that there were a few people waiting on a line, presumably to check in to the event. I directed my wife (who was kind enough to drive both to the event and everywhere thereafter!) to a spot and then headed back towards the brewery's entrance as quickly as I could without looking like an over-eager lunatic. This muted power-walk lasted until I was near the corner and I spotted two different groups of people carrying white four-packs of beer. I saw the green bottle cap and recognized it as the same one used on Dogfish's most special and alcoholic brews; I
knew that had to be the 120.
Now, I am a grown man and, as such, I have a certain stock set of societal customs and norms that I must follow and uphold. Despite this, I will say without an ounce of embarrassment that, right after I saw the four-packs, I began running. I can only
imagine what I must've looked like bolting along the sidewalk and then across the lawn towards the brewery entrance. I felt like a kid seeing Cinderella's Castle and knowing that Disney World was
right there!
I bounded into the gift shop, saw a few people online (all of whom had the requisite one-per-customer four-pack in their hands), spotted the display of 120, and grabbed a pack and a bottle of the newest Dogfish Head-Sony collaboration honoring the release of Robert Johnson's complete recordings on vinyl and compact disc (Hellhound On My Ale is the name of the beer for anyone who is curious). After making my purchase, I headed outside, brought the beer back to the car and asked my wife to head in to pick up another pack. By now, the crowd was beginning to build up and, by the time I had gotten on line and checked in for the event, Heather was
still waiting to make her purchase. She convinced me to grab a t-shirt that they would be selling only during the event and then completed the transaction netting us another four-pack.
So at this point, I had achieved one half of my goals for the day. I saw the sign for the 75 Minute IPA as the brewers prepared the kegs...but no keg or cask above it. Nervous, I headed over to see the list of brews that would be on hand. The 75 Minute IPA had been listed on the website along with a few others with more then yet-to-be-named. My heart simultaneously leapt and sank as I saw that the 75 Minute was
not on the list but 120 Minute
was. I was thrilled because this meant that I would get to sample it without having to open one of my beloved newly purchased bottles.
Not all of the brews were ready when they opened the lines so I grabbed the Indian Brown Ale since it had been aged on the surfboard cedar (much like another beer that had been featured on Brewmasters during its short run on the Discovery Channel). By the time I had finished it, Heather was just getting in front registering and picking up her souvenir sampling glass. I overheard a few guys talking about the 120 Minute IPA and I realized that it was ready. I asked the pourer if the 120 was cask conditioned as well and he said that it was.
This wasn't just 120 Minute IPA...it was
SUPER 120 Minute!
I asked for a sample and saw my glass truly half-filled (given the wicked 18% abv, I understood why they were handing our short pours). I brought the glass to my lips...and it was a revelation. It was undeniably an IPA but it was more complex, rich, and just
great tasting than any other beer I have ever had; it was
that good. There was no alcoholic kick (as there is with their World Wide Stout or other strong beers) nor was there any lingering bad aftertaste or mouthfeel; in a word, the beer was
perfect.
To backtrack a moment, while my wife was on line, she pointed out that Sam Calagione (the founder of Dogfish Head) was in attendance. We had met him once before on our first trip to the brewery and he was just as personable and humble now as he was then. He graciously smiled in photographs and doled out autographs for everyone who approached him. Having met him previously and seeing the sheer quantity of people desiring his audience, I decided not to approach him; he was quite a busy man, checking on the beers, making signs, and, on top of all of this, balancing time with his family (I saw his wife and two children when they had come in--what a pair of well-mannered, good-looking kids!)
Snapping back to where we were, after I finished my sample of the 120, Heather was ready for her first brew so we got on line together. While we were waiting, Sam asked for everyone's attention and thanked the crowd for coming, announced the winner of the vinyl edition of the Robert Johnson collection (ironically, his neighbor in Lewes, Delaware won--Sam immediately cried out there there had been no collusion), and implored everyone to take part in the day's events and to support the local artisans who had brought their wares.
 |
My wife and son outside of the Steampunk Treehouse
during a visit earlier this year |
As Heather waited on line for another beer, I headed outside and saw that the gate to the Steampunk Treehouse was open and a Dogfish employee was standing next to it. Now, for me, the 75 Minute and 120 Minute were the two things I was most looking forward to having at the event. For my wife, though, it was the opportunity to visit the treehouse, which we had first seen on an episode of Brewmasters where its reconstruction was filmed and aired. We were able to see it and photograph it during our last two visits but it is rarely open to the public and thus we were unable to go inside. On this day, however, a tour was available and I was the first on line to enjoy one. An older couple had come next to me and we bantered with the Dogfish intern about the treehouse, the brewery, and her position within the company
. She said that Sam had said to take groups of around ten up for tours and
, just, as that number was being reached, Heather and Timmy came outside and were able to join us on the tour. Going up the spiral staircase having just had two beer samples was quite the experience but one that was well worth it! Once inside, I was impressed with the sheer size of the space as well as the awesome array of miscellany that adorned the floors and walls. Unfortunately, none of my pictures came out particularly well save for one of my son looking up at me in bewilderment.
After we had our fill of the treehouse, we headed back inside the brewery for our next sample. What ensued was essentially me grabbing a glass of the 120 and Heather getting something different (she really is a trooper) over the course of the next four or five beer runs. I was stunned when we got on line for that first post-treehouse beer as the gift shop had become PACKED--so much so that it was difficult to identify where the line for the cask conditioned ales ended/began. I was grateful to have made my purchase and was amazed (though not surprised) by the sheer quantity of people waiting on line to buy things from the gift shop (most of whom had a certain white four-pack in hand!)
While we were on line for the beers, we struck up a conversation with the couple who had stood next to me as we waited to enter the treehouse. We wound up spending the next hour or so sitting with them outside or waiting with them on line for beer, discussing a variety of topics many of which included Delaware or New York breweries. I appreciated their conversation and was grateful to have spent the better part of our time there hanging out with them, so, if you're reading this Tim and Andrea, thanks again!
As we finished what we thought would be our final samples, Heather and I decided to head inside for one more (at the behest of our new acquaintances)...and boy was I glad that we did! I saw immediately from my vantage point on the line that a previously empty space had been filled; the 75 Minute IPA had arrived! After grabbing a sample of the Hellhound (Sony Collaboration) Ale from the regular bar, I grabbed the 75 Minute and was thus fulfilled. I had achieved everything I had hoped to and MORE and our afternoon was barely halfway through!
As Heather took Timmy to the car, I decided to browse through the artisan stands. Many had interesting items but only one caught my eye: a collector of all-things-beer had two tables with a variety of goods for sale as well as a box of all-you-can-take freebies that requested only a small donation to a nature conservation effort that Sam Calagione was supporting. I saw a few pint glasses that I thought would be nice additions to my collection as well as (what I believe is) a porcelain Guinness tap handle. As I browsed through the freebies, I saw a few cool looking miniature plastic beer mugs, a metal Sierra Nevada bottle opener, and
tons of coasters. As I am collecting pint glasses, coasters, and bottle caps, I was quite the happy camper. The proprietor struck up a conversation with me and, before I knew it, I was being given suggestion after suggestion for breweries and brewpubs to visit when we go to New England later this summer. It was great also to get to talk to the man about his coaster collection from the position of a fellow collector.
All said, it was a PHENOMENAL event and was grossly (but appreciably!) underpriced at a mere $10 per person. I drank probably
ten times the value in 120 Minute IPA
alone! The opportunity to sample some rare and amazing beers, browse the wares of genuinely talented and interesting Delawarians, and interact with many fellow beer lovers was priceless. Should Sam decide to hold another such event, I wouldn't just recommend it highly--I would say that you'd be crazy NOT to make the trip down there!
As a post-script, I should note that our next stop after leaving the festival was the Dogfish Head brewpub in Rehoboth Beach. About halfway there I realized that we had tried ALL of the cask ales except for ONE. Being the anal "collector" that I am, I knew that it would drive me nuts to have missed only
one beer out of an impressive list that spanned two breweries (the Yards contributions, though, good, really paled in comparison with Dogfish's offerings; I found Yards' own brews at their Philadelphia brewery to be much more palatable) and so we decided to go back after having lunch. Of course, the brewpub offers a few exclusive beers that will never be bottled or released anywhere else, so I grabbed a sampler of their Coco Loco (one of the best blonde ales I've ever had--DELICIOUS!), Zeno, Red & Black (an AMAZING stout that had a strong mint flavor), Sah'Tea (an ancient Finnish recipe that Heather and I had had on New Year's Eve last year), and the 120 Minute IPA. The latter was NOT cask conditioned and was noticeably less smooth than its aged counterpart. It was still great but it made me appreciate the awesomeness of the cask version even more.
During lunch, the beer finally caught up to me and I felt like I needed a nap (or would fall asleep involuntarily). I managed to finish most of the sampler but had to leave some on the table (a painful admission) knowing that doing so would enable me to get that final sample from the brewery down without an issue. After we left the brewpub, we headed back to the brewery, and I ran inside with my fingers crossed that I would be able to sample the Raison D'Etre cask ale. They had it, I sampled it, and I marveled at the unchanged length of the gift shop line. I did one final perusal of the store and saw that ALL of the 120 Minute IPA had been sold out.
Needless to say, we were fortunate to have gotten there when we did! Great beer, great food, great people, and great Dogfish Head experiences all day?
You couldn't ask for more!
--Beer Whisperer Matt
I was looking forward to the event truly for two reasons only: the opportunity at long last to sample Dogfish Head's 75 Minute IPA and, with any luck, to procure this illustrious brew pictured at right. The aforementioned 75 Minute IPA is available only in cask form and its release is intermittent throughout the year. The lack of bottling coupled with the random release schedule made this difficult-to-obtain brew something I desired highly to add to my list. When I saw that the 75 Minute IPA would be included as one of the featured beers, I bought the tickets to the Analog-A-Go-Go immediately. Shortly thereafter, Dogfish Head announced that they had successfully brewed their coveted 120 Minute IPA AND that it would be going on sale at the brewery and brewpub on June 24th. Knowing that I would be there only a day later gave me butterflies; this, after years of waiting and searching, would finally be my opportunity to obtain a bottle (or more, if I was lucky) of the renowned Imperial / Double American India Pale Ale.
So at this point, I had achieved one half of my goals for the day. I saw the sign for the 75 Minute IPA as the brewers prepared the kegs...but no keg or cask above it. Nervous, I headed over to see the list of brews that would be on hand. The 75 Minute IPA had been listed on the website along with a few others with more then yet-to-be-named. My heart simultaneously leapt and sank as I saw that the 75 Minute was not on the list but 120 Minute was. I was thrilled because this meant that I would get to sample it without having to open one of my beloved newly purchased bottles.
