

120 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head Brewery

120 Minute IPA120 Minute IPA

Displayed for educational use only; do not reuse.

5,089 Ratings

(view ratings)
Ratings: 5089
Reviews: 1925
rAvg: 4.06
pDev: 16.5%

Brewed by:
Dogfish Head Brewery visit their website
Delaware, United States

Style | ABV
American Double / Imperial IPA |  18.00% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes/Commercial Description:

120 IBU
ABV varies from 15-20%.

(Beer added by: frank4sail on 03-24-2003)
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Photo of CHickman

New York

3.24/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Bottled in 2011: Pours a slightly hazy amber color with chunks floating in it and a 1 finger tan head that was full of bubbles and faded after a few minutes, leaving minimal spotty lacing.

Smells was not as hoppy as I expected, in fact it had no hop aroma and smelled more like booze or a barleywine than an IPA. Rich malt, caramel, dark rum, dark fruit, pine cone, brown sugar and alcohol make up the nose with very little hop essence coming through; the age must have really turned everything to sugar as it smells very sweet and boozy.

Taste is also more like booze or a barleywine than an IPA. There are more hops present in the flavor, but this is still almost cloyingly sweet and not the massive hop attack I expected. It is very complex with a mix of dark fruits soaking in rum or starting to rot, malt, caramel, syrup, dark rum, pine cone, brown sugar, herbs or some light spices, warm orange juice (with the pulp in it) and alcohol. There is no hiding or denying the alcohol, it comes at you like a gorilla pounding it’s chest to state it’s there. After each sip there is the alcohol burn with mild warming heat that’s not abrasive, leading to other flavors like the yeast/penny taste, honey, lightly toasted grains and some more booze soaked fruit.

Mouthfeel is thick, chewy and heavy, with a dense body, very mild carbonation and only a slightly bitter aftertaste that was just as malty and boozy as it was sweet.

I remember it being better in the past, so perhaps I’ll have to get a fresh bottle and try it as this was way too sweet and syrupy, and devoid of the massive hops used to make it. Strong ale or barleywine would be a better classification for what I just drank as there were not any IPA characteristics in the brew I just consumed. Overall it was OK, but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2014 03:57:06 | More by CHickman
Photo of kaufmaal


4.58/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

This one was a gift, and much appreciated. Pours a hazy orange, like watered-down, golden orange soda. Very minimal head - just a thin rim around the glass. Very tiny bubbles on the bottom gradually expand on their trip to the top; it's like watching an out-take from the closing moments of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Deep, woodsy caramel aroma. Some pine, some dark rum. I let this one warm a bit, and the alcohol smell is more pronounced, really the only negative.

It's a very pleasing initial taste: Very sweet, slightly bitter, and intensely hoppy. Then a ton of ripe fruit: plums, bananas. Some gumball flavors, brown sugar, more rum. The alcohol really is present in the vapors, and I'm not tasting an alcohol burn or even a liquor-type burn. This tastes like a beer.

This is one that is a pleasure to sip and savor. It's an IPA, a heavy one, but the carbonation is perfect in that is creates a lightness where its needed and allows the flavors to breathe, expand, and work.

I'm a happy camper. Too bad it is not in Alabama.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2014 02:34:29 | More by kaufmaal
Photo of bryanbullock

District of Columbia

4.83/5  rDev +19%

*This review is intended to both instill anecdotal worship and fear*

I must start my review to stating that after an long arduous day at work I knew that the 120 minute in the fridge was going to be the right option to take the edge off. I must first state that I went into my drink with awe inspiring fear based off a previous experience.

To understand the sense of trepidation I am compelled to explain, at the fledging stages of my craft beer educational a few years ago in a far away land called Delaware and decided nothing would be better than a trip to the Dogfishead Brewery, the brewery was awesome. We did some tasting and tried some new things and upon departure, a white light shined from the heavens and drew me towards the golden pyramid of 120 minute IPA. At junction I had only ever had 60 minute IPA so my logic dictated that if 60 minute IPA was awesome then 120 had to be twice as awesome. So the beer gods guided my hand the register and back home to the hot tub never stopping to read a review or consider the alcohol content could be different.

I cracked open the first 120 around 5pm and before 6pm they were all, gone. I do not recall much of my thoughts on my first tasking but judging by the speed they were extinguished I can safely assume I thoroughly enjoyed them. Shortly after I can only tell you what my companions told me as I do not recall the rest of the events of the evening. Apparently I cooked a steak and some tuna, but unable to tell the difference I added sesame seeds to my steak and A1 to my tuna. Then proceeded to play Jenga was but astonished that the game was obviously rigged as I could not get one block out without the tower toppling to the floor.

The next morning during quite refection and the sound of bongs beating internally in my head I decided to look at the abv to see what happened, 20 percent! yow! I then decided beer math was in order, yikes I drank the equivalent of 20 miller lites in less than an hour. From this moment 120 minute IPA became my great white whale.

Years later I decided the moment had come for Ahab to conquer Moby Dick, and this moment was yesterday evening. With the eurphoria of a kid at Christmas overtaking the underlying sense of fear I dove in.

The color was a milky golden hue indicating a think and robust beer. The aroma had a mild smell of alcohol but was far less than one would assume for such a strong abv. The malt and caramel smells did an amazing job of hiding the strong alcohol content, and the thick frothy head maintained that solid aroma from start to finish. The mouthfeel was smooth as silky and the taste was a balanced melding of sweet malt backbone what strong hops and mild caramel and fruit undertones. The beer was balanced from start to finish, and left you wanting more.

BUT, proceed with caution, this beer is so easy to drink that you may feel "a few more won't hurt" , but this beer will "Cure what ALES ya" and then some!

A must drink!

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2014 17:43:22 | More by bryanbullock
Photo of Everything_Belgium


5/5  rDev +23.2%

This beer is perfect.

Obviously it's strong. It's 20% abv!!

Weak hearted please stay away.

I don't need to say anything about the taste. If you're drinking it you can figure it out!

My all time fav beer. Always. I wish it was available all year.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2014 00:56:23 | More by Everything_Belgium
Photo of TaylorMade2014


2.95/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25

Waited a long time to score a couple bottles of the Dogfish Head 120 (I LOVE the 90 minute).

I obviously knew it would be strong but wow. This one just isn't for me. Way too much alcohol. Couldn't finish it unfortunately.

The appearance was nice but beyond that it wasn't what I look for in a beer. Will gladly trade off my second bottle someday...

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2014 18:17:38 | More by TaylorMade2014
Photo of LimpHarness


4.46/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

This is borderline not even a beer...not sure what it is really. BUT, it is awesome. It's cloudy as hell and strong as hell. Almost no carbonation and extremely boozy. It really seems like more of a novelty to drink it as this point, which is probably due to it's limited release.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2014 01:02:17 | More by LimpHarness
Photo of ColeAnthony


4.55/5  rDev +12.1%

12 oz bottle from 2012

A- Deep dark gold/red color with little lacing.
S- malt city! also hop and booze but lot a malt.
T- sweet malt in middle and hop happens in the back with booze. pine and apple in the front?
M- Sticky and heavy with little carbonation.
O- fantastic beer. I've been wanting to try this for awhile and I would say it lives up to my expectation. I'm excited to try 2014 whenever it comes out. I will surely age a couple like this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2014 02:40:20 | More by ColeAnthony
Photo of topharry123


4.9/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer has a lot of hype about it, and it sure does live up to it ! As the thick aroma hits your nose, you know you are in for a treat. It is bold, has a lot of character and you can certainly taste the alcohol. However, unlike most beers, the strong alcohol flavor takes nothing away from the taste. If anything, it adds to it. This is a beer that you want to sip on and if possible, condition if for a while as it ages very well. Overall, this is one of the best beers around. My only complaint is the appearance is very plain. However, we all know that it doesn't make a bit of difference to the taste which is why this beer gets a perfect overall score in my book.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2014 03:14:19 | More by topharry123
Photo of a0lbudman


3.94/5  rDev -3%

A-hazy dark gold color with a small head that faded quickly and leaves very little lace
S-malt, strong malt and strong hop
T-you get a strong sugar taste that goes to a strong hop aftertaste, but the sweet taste is mixed with it along with an alcohol warming
M-full body and low carbonation
O-Bottled on 7-8-2008, so it was aged and do not know if it had changed. I am looking forward to trying a fresher one

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2014 00:48:59 | More by a0lbudman
Photo of BeerandWhiskeyHQ


3.66/5  rDev -9.9%

Dark gold, clear, no head, not much lacing to speak of
Light-moderate Malt scents and citrusy hops come through along with the strong presence of alcohol. By smelling this, you know it’s going to be a big one.
Strong malt and hop presence, quite the kick of flavors. It sure has a “wow” factor. There was a really strong alcohol presence in the finish.
I had to pick this up when I saw it for the first time. I wasn’t sure what I would think of it but it was Dogfish’s fabled 120 minute so I had to buy it... For $20.00 for one 12oz bottle. It was good, but something more novelty than anything, I had a 1000 IBU beer off tap for $20.00 a glass once that was way more intense of an experience


Serving type: bottle

02-03-2014 17:30:30 | More by BeerandWhiskeyHQ
Photo of ricknelson


4.75/5  rDev +17%

Among the 12 brews tasted was; 120 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head. The 120 Minute IPA received
our 2nd highest average score of the 12 brews tasted at 4.69. At 18% this was a very smooth beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2014 17:11:05 | More by ricknelson
Photo of argock


3.53/5  rDev -13.1%

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a clear glass snifter. Bottled on 07/22/11 on the bottleneck. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA).

A: Hazy bordering on cloudy amber with a pretty decent oatmeal colored 1-finger head on the pour which fades quickly and leaves no lace.

S: The aroma is of an American barleywine with heavy caramel malt sweetness and a somewhat passive floral and citrus hoppiness.

T: The flavor is also of an American barleywine, and a pretty middle of the road one. A good caramel malt kick with toffee and raisin/date flavors mixed with light grapefruit citrus and floral hopping. Alcohol is pretty warming although I have to give DFH some credit on keeping the alcohol presence for a 15+% beer pretty well in the background.

M: Sticky and tacky, a little syrupy but what do you expect at this ABV?

O: OK I admit that i did not have the balls to try this fresh mainly because solventy alcohol booze is not my thing -- I will drink hard alcohol if that was what I was looking for. I might try this again at one year old and see -- this one is 2.5 years old and already is firmly in the American barleywine camp. A pretty big letdown but I might give it another try if I can find a younger bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2014 04:24:38 | More by argock
Photo of Omnium


3.56/5  rDev -12.3%

Ohh boy, finally get to review this one...
On tap at House of 1000 Beers on 12-21-13

A - Clear gold no head, no lacing.
S - Pine, tart grape, pineapple, sweet candy malt
T - Huge massive sweet alcohol, very little hop bite or presence, mildly tart, some banana, grape, grapefruit
M - Overwhelming sweetness.
O - This beer is sheerly overhyped for no good reason, its just a massive alcohol bomb. Its just a stupid beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2014 02:37:55 | More by Omnium
Photo of fire34fighter


4.75/5  rDev +17%

One of my favorite beers. Hides the alcohol bite pretty well. Very sweet with a strong vanilla note. Currently aging a few bottles to do a side by side. Not as "hoppy as most IPA's surprisingly. The 90 is also very good, and a lot easier to find. This is more of a rare find/special occasion beer for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2014 00:27:34 | More by fire34fighter
Photo of TTAmod


3.63/5  rDev -10.6%

7/02/13 bottle poured into pint glass.

A: Pours a cloudy medium-amber color. Very little white head on top. Starts at about one finger and dissipates to just a thin ring.

S: Smells yields obscenely strong pine hop smells. There's a bit of citrus, as well. There's also intense malt flavors coming off of the nose, as well. Not really any alcohol, surprisingly.

T: The slightly older bottle has really balanced this out from the last time I've had it. Still have really strong, raw hop flavors upfront, but it's not overpowering. Pine, slight bit of citrus, even a hint of darker fruit. Grass, marijuana, and herbal notes, as well. There's a bit of alcohol after that. Lots of sweet, strong malt supports the hops. The fresher bottles don't really showcase this aspect. Finishes slightly alcoholic and bitter.

M: Honestly, the body is pretty big here, and it doesn't go down too easy, but it's to be expected for this strength. Yes, it drinks like a beer, but it's not very well carbonated, and it's pretty sweet, resulting in a thicker consistency.

O: This is a novelty DIPA. It's good for what it tries to be. It's not supposed to be balanced or conventional in any way. Therefore, it's really, really hard to grade this one. This is a must try for any beer person...it's a right of passage into beer geek-dom.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2014 03:19:24 | More by TTAmod
Photo of BeerDawgs


4.65/5  rDev +14.5%

Bottle dated 2012.

A - Cloudy orange. A touch of head and a small amount of lace. Lots of sediment flow

S - HOPS and BOOZE! Potent. Warning...flammable!

T - Sweet and malty. Hops are up front and are huge in the aftertaste. The sweetness is up front, and the booze is potent from the 1st taste all the way down the gullet. Definitely warms you up quick!

M - Full bodied, oily and slick. Coats your mouth like syrup before it releases its hop bomb!

O - A sipper for sure, but an amazing one at that. Well done. Think of it like buying a nice bottle of wine. It costs the same and is definitely a sipper

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2013 02:42:51 | More by BeerDawgs
Photo of neophilus


4.65/5  rDev +14.5%

Copper colored body, thin white head. Somewhat cloudy but not opaque.

Aroma is a great pairing of thick, sweet malt body and aggressive hopping. Hop resins float above a stew of sweet bread scents. Hops are leaning on the piney resin side of American hop profiles.

Bitter hop flavor up front immediately washing through thick sweet maltiness. Swirling flavors of pine resin, toffee, caramel and rich doughy fresh baked bread.

Thick mouthfeel sticks to the roof of your mouth and coats the tongue with lucious flavor. Somewhat chewy. Hop resin flavors flow throughout the aftertaste mingling with warming alcohol heat to create a stiff but inviting bitter finish.

A monster of a beer that responds well to some warmth and sips like a good cognac. I suppose I should share with a friend... but I won't. It's all mine.

Serving type: on-tap

12-25-2013 18:58:10 | More by neophilus
Photo of Premo88


3.14/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottled poured into tulip
(7/26/13 bottled on date)

L: hazy orange, closing in on 100% opaque after the pour; light does pass through and it's clearing up some; smallish head, maybe 1/4-inch of white foam, and it does stick and lace a little; I could've poured a bit harder and gotten a bigger head ... you can see it REALLY percolates off the pour

S: full-on caramel/mango sweet ... I now know it as the DIPA smell, and it's full blast; so sweet bubblegum is coming to mind

T: follows the nose with a covered-up but still very much there BIG bitter bite. it's underneath all the crazy caramel (now vanilla) sweetness, but there is surely a bitter hop taste to go with the rest of the sweet

F: syrup. took thick for me, but it does hold on to enough carbonation to make it drinkable. considering the American over-the-type style which it resides in, this makes sense

O: it's a bit of a workout ... the massive sweetness, the super-thick syrupy mouthfeel, the slight alcohol burn -- I could see even an avid DIPA fan not going for this. at the same time, this brew is coming off like pretty much every other DIPA I've tried in that huge caramel/mango/vanilla sweetness both in the nose and taste, and while I can feel and detect the at-least 15% ABV, it's actually hiding it pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2013 23:47:19 | More by Premo88
Photo of TheosTheories


3.64/5  rDev -10.3%

2012 bottle

A- cloudy deep orange color, very little carbonation, very very little head

S- very sweet, big caramel toffee hits me first, alcohol, little vanilla, and some sort of oakiness also. I'm really not getting any hops.

T- again big sweet caramel malts, toffee, vanilla, alcohol, finishes a little dry, some earthy hop notes hidden aswell.

M- big sticky and thick with no carbonation.

O- overall it was okay, I enjoyed it a lot when it was fresh. But the hops really died out. Its almost not even an IPA anymore in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2013 20:49:43 | More by TheosTheories
Photo of MCain04


3.39/5  rDev -16.5%

12 oz bottle, '11 vintage, poured into a DFH IPA glass. I've had this fresh on tap before and really enjoyed it, 4.5/5. I aged this bottle for 2 years to compare.

Pours a murky brown-orange with some sediment which settles to the bottom of the glass. Small head of off-white color which dissipates quickly with minimal lacing.

Smell is sweet caramal, toffee, and vanilla. Strong alcohol aroma. Dark fruits and fig are present. Perhaps some dark chocolate. Very little hops. If blind I would have guessed the style to barrel-aged barleywine to be sure.

Taste is along the nose, with a sweet cloying caramel and toffee flavor accented by vanilla notes and dark fruits and chocolate. Again very little hop flavor, and little bitterness to balance the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is full, smooth, syrupy, low carbonation, cloying.

Overall, I can see how one who isn't a fan of ultra-hopped beers would prefer this brew aged to tone down the alcohol and bitter hoppy nature. However, 2 years on this has essentially turned this into an over-the-top barleywine. I'll take the fresh version every day of the week, this was a drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2013 14:16:53 | More by MCain04
Photo of Jhschappe

District of Columbia

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%

As a hophead, this is my perfect pallet wrecking brew. The hops punch you in the face the moment this huge beer passes your lips. Be careful because the 18+ ABV will kick you in the face faster than a pissed off mule. Grab a few if you can drink half and store the rest. This year beer much better than your ex.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2013 14:16:46 | More by Jhschappe
Photo of MattyBones

New York

4.14/5  rDev +2%

When I first got into Craft beer I was obsessed with Dogfish Head beers so needless to say when I saw this sitting on the shelf I had to have it. I bought 6 of them for about 12 bucks a pop believing it really would be the Holy Grail of beer lol. It was good, but not to sure it was worth the price.

Appearance: Pores a rich coppery color with a very thin white head. As I pored it into the glass I could see the syrupy thickness.

Smell: Extremely pleasing to the nose, a mixture of tropical fruits and hints of the alcohol.

Taste: ALCOHOL!!! I get all types of tropical fruits mixed in like mango, some pineapple and maybe guava, not sure. Decent amount of bitterness all followed up by the slow burn of alcohol. To me the alcohol outshines the rest of the flavors a bit.

Mouthfeel: Like drinking syrup. :) A thick, syrupy feel that coats the mouth and hangs onto your palate for quite some time.

Overall: Solid and I probably would have enjoyed it more if the alcohol was a little more well hidden. I'm curious as to how this tastes with some age behind it. Every time I tried it the longest it sat was a month.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2013 15:47:09 | More by MattyBones
Photo of coldy


4.73/5  rDev +16.5%


I first had this beer about 5 years ago from a bottle, and have had it several times since. I recently had this on tap at the Dogfish brewpub.

This is an unbelievably tasty, strong beer. I really enjoy trying the strong beers out there, and the 120 continues to be the benchmark in my opinion.

Interestingly enough, the 120 actually has less hop characteristics than the 90, and even 60. My understanding is that is due mainly to the high alcohol content.

The 120 has just the right amount of strong alcohol notes, carbonation and complexity to make it an outstanding beer that is just right for sipping and enjoying in a snifter or wine glass.

I am a huge Dogfish fan, and I know they love to experiment and create new beers constantly, but this is one that hopefully remains in limited production and unchanged.


Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2013 18:01:37 | More by coldy
Photo of SPThirtyThree


4.21/5  rDev +3.7%

This bottle is 4 years and 1 month old, to the day, making this the oldest DFH120 I've ever tried. The bottle advertises that it ages well, and I'm curious to see how it compares to fresher versions.

A: Murky copper with apricot edges. I let a lot of sediment into my goblet towards the end of the pour, peppering flecks that cling to the curved sides of the goblet, huddling towards the bottom. A half-finger head of yellowed creme quickly falls to a small blob of fine bubbles in the middle from the etching, and then the head further recedes to a thin collar of tan.

S: The nose is really interesting on this because I remember it being hop-heavy, but this one is a sweet, complex, plum fruitcake. It's chewy and a little hot, and the fruits are both dark and citrus-laden.

T: Tangy pineapple. This beer is sweet and resinous. Hot alcohols yield to sticky sweetness, touched off by the fruity notes of the west-coast hops. There's a lemon tang, and a slight metallic flavor, but both could just be features of the heat behind the flavor.

At 4 years, I notice DFH120 has a huge Belgian-candy spicy sweetness, and the finish tastes of fusels, but not enough to spoil the flavor. I also think I'm getting some acetaldehyde from start to finish, but it's masked by some of the heavier flavors and heat. There's a slight toasty breadiness malt also buried in there somewhere, but the theme is spice and heat.

As it warms, some vanilla, cocoa, bourbon, and nutty flavors become more pronounced, and this beer starts to have an aftertaste and mouthfeel like drinking a Scotch on the rocks. Since it's 3X the strength of a standard craft beer, I feel the effects of the alcohol only halfway through. The sweetness remains through the full session, keeping the heat in check.

M: Hot, astringent, and thin, but not unpalatable. It feels oily from the viscousness of the alcohol, and carbonation seems very low. It's very prickly on the tongue, with various spicy, hot, and astringent sensations happening and different times on different parts of the tongue. The finish is very interesting with many different elements to focus on, like a distinct stickiness in the center of the tongue.

This beer is a nice sipper, a winter warmer. It's a blend of harsh flavors, and the hope is that they balance harmoniously. The 18% alcohol is impossible to mask, but DFH120 is very smooth given it's strength. However, it's heat, metallicity, and green-apple flavors detract from it's overall palatibility. I'm not sure if two of those words are actually words, but either way, DFH120 is obviously a famed, huge beer, and it's delicious despite some unpleasant flavors.

Overall, there are so many different sensations to focus on while drinking 120 minute, that this beer stays interesting through every sip, and for every bad flavor it seems like there are two delicious ones, so it's not fair to knock this beer for some of its harshness.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2013 19:53:58 | More by SPThirtyThree
Photo of mverity


2.36/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle from 11-26-08. Poured a deep orange with some whitish head. Very little lacing. Aroma was mostly boozey nail polish. Taste was about the same; really boozey, some citrus, some vanilla, some medium malt sweetness. Ended up drain pouring this. Sad, because this beer is great fresh, and great with 2-3 years on it. I'll be cracking the rest of my old bottles soon to see how they're holding up.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2013 18:03:19 | More by mverity
120 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head Brewery
91 out of 100 based on 5,089 ratings.