A Dogfish Head Spring Seasonal: ApriHop

A few years ago I tried Dogfish Head's ApriHop, and was less than impressed. It seemed to me like just another fruit beer. Apparently DH rebuilt the recipe in 2010, to make the beer more hoppy and not as sweet. They claim it is the fruit beer for people who hate fruit beers. After watching Brewmasters this past winter, in which DH praised ApriHop like it was one of their best beers, I decided to give it another try. That show really worked on me huh?

At ~$12 per four pack, it is a pricey brew. The label says, "An India Pale Ale brewed with real apricots." It pours with a small head, and has a very strong hoppy aroma, must be pretty strongly dry-hopped.

This beer taste mostly like a very well balanced IPA, I wonder if it is derived from the 60 minute IPA? I don't get too much apricot, the bitterness of the hops mostly drowns it out. There is something subtle and fresh about it though, I could convince myself it is the apricot if I try hard enough. Overall this tastes very fresh and refreshing. It hits the mark for a late winter / early spring seasonal. As you get a little further into the beer the fruitiness of the apricot works its way into your palate quite nicely. This blows away the only other apricot-flavored beer I have tried, Magic Hat's #9. If you are looking for a nice treat to enjoy on the first day it gets nice out, I highly recommend this beer. I give it 7/10 mostly due to the price, it is a great beer but about as expensive as it gets.

Tour de IPA: Victory Hop Devil

6.7%

Pours a medium amber with an understated head. Has a sweeter, maltier body compared to most West Coast IPAs. Ryan thinks it has a nice balance of malt and hops, with a nice sweet lingering aftertaste. Kyle didn't really like the aftertaste.

Ryan: 8

Kyle: 6

Tour de IPA: Ithaca Flower Power

Nice citrusy aroma, with a noticeable fruity sweetness/bitterness smell. Ginger detected hints of mango and pineapple. Yellow color with a nice lacing. Body has a really nice fruity complexity. Kyle thinks the bottle we opened was a bit older and he claims this beer is a lot better fresh and on tap. Ryan felt a little bit of a malt backbone, which felt just a tad out of place but was not overpowering.

Kyle: 8 (claims that it is a 9 on tap)

Ryan: 7

Dad: 6

Tour de IPA: Southern Tier IPA

Very little aroma, very weak. The finished kind of drags off into a syrupy mess. It leaves a bit of a bitter aftertaste though. Kyle says body is not very full and the middle lacks a bit of flavor. Ryan says it has a bit of fruitiness possibly from the yeast. Maybe even a bit of honey.

Ryan: 6

Kyle: 5

Dad: 8

Tour de IPA: Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Almost no aroma compared to the Stone IPA, especially considering that this has been "torpedo hopped". Amber color pours with a nice head. We noticed a little bit of acidity, especially in the aftertaste. Kyle thought it had perfect mouthfeel, and nice long bitterness throughout. Ryan was a bit disappointed in the hop profile. We completely disagreed on where this stands compared to the Stone IPA.

Kyle: 8

Ryan: 6

Dad: 7

Tour de IPA: Stone IPA

Stone IPA 6.9%

Citrus grapefruit, pine aroma. Delicate fruity finish. Tart aftertaste at the back of the tongue. Kyle wanted a little more fullness in the malt character, Ryan thought it was a nice balance and is a great hoppy west coast IPA.

Kyle: 7

Ryan: 9

Dad: 8

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Oregon's Rogue Ales has never been one of my go-to breweries. When trying to figure out why, I thought of this: except for Dead Guy, I can't think of another beer they make that is available in a 6 pack. Since this is what I usually buy, I haven't had too many Rogue brews. That is a real shame, because they consistently put out outstanding ales at a reasonable cost compared to some of the more chic east coast breweries.

When I was searching for a commercial yeast to harvest for an upcoming homebrew, Rogue kept coming up. They use the same yeast in all their beers, a proprietary blend that supposedly is very hearty and produces great beer. I went to Wegmans to see what they had from Rogue, and held some bottles up against the light to see if I could identify some yeast residue at the bottom. I can't imagine what people thought I was doing. ("Mommy what is that man doing?" "Don't look hunny lets go down this aisle with the napkins!")

I ended up picking up the Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout. Rogue is unique in that it lists all of the ingredients in its beer right on the side of the bottle. As a homebrewer I appreciate this gesture, and in a way I feel like it should be required. When you buy wine you know what grapes were used in it, why shouldn't I know what kind of hops are in my favorite beer? I think it might make people more interested in what goes into the beer they drink and they might actually start exploring different kinds of microbrews.

Anyways, onto the beer. I poured out all but the last 2 inches of the 22oz bottle very slowly, so that the yeast sediment remained on the bottom. the beer pours with a giant head, the picture was taken after it fell about half way. Eventually it settles to a nice lacing that remains all the way through.

The smell is very roasty, with a noticeable alcohol aroma. I don't smell oatmeal(not sure what it even smells like), but maybe some milk chocolate and subtle cherry notes. It sits quite heavily on the tongue and has an earthy, almost oakey characteristic. It definitely has some chocolate flavor to it, but it is fairly subtle. It is very light on the smokiness, which I appreciate since I am not a huge fan. This has just the right amount of roastiness and actually has a great hoppy bitter profile as well.

This is a fantastic beer, and is perfect for the start of winter. I think if I let this sit in the basement for a few months the alcohol would probably fade into the background and the malt would come up, but with the hoppiness that is there I wouldn't want to let it sit too long. I highly recommend trying this beer if you are a fan of stouts. I haven't had enough oatmeal stouts to say how it compares to that genre, but as a stout it is one of the better ones I have tried. I will definitely be searching out Rogue bombers next time I look for something new. I give this 8/10 animated yeast cells.