What to Drink This Weekend: An Insanely Delicious Beer Brewed With Maple Syrup
One of the most popular and widely available beers in the craft world is Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA. It’s a perfect example of the east coast’s take on the style, with its abundant floral, earthy hops supported by a substantial, bready malt backbone. Similarly, their 90 Minute has become the standard bearer for the east coast’s take on the Double IPA. Coming in at 9% ABV, it has a similar flavor profile to that of the 6% ABV 60 Minute, but with a thicker mouthfeel and a more pronounced sweetness.
Right there in between the two is Dogfish Head’s 75 Minute IPA, which would risk being seen as a sort of pointless middle ground, with not enough differences in either direction, were it not for the few entirely new things it brings to the table. Most notably, it’s brewed with maple syrup, but it’s also dry-hopped with whole-leaf cascade hops and then bottle-conditioned (re-fermented and naturally carbonated by yeast placed directly into the glass bottle).
Released just a few times a year, and only in 750ml bottles (with a really awesome label designed by Jon Langford of The Mekons), 75 Minute is far and away my favorite of Dogfish Head’s IPA lineup. The bottle-conditioning gives it an insanely smooth, almost creamy texture and this huge head of thick, rocky foam that sticks around forever and leaves tons of lacing all over the glass. The hop profile is a little brighter, more citrusy, than the 60 or the 90, imparting slightly more of a west coast vibe. And the maple syrup, though subtle, stands out in both the aroma and the taste, providing a type of sweetness that’s just a little bit different than what you normally find in beer. I don’t know if it’s just me or what, but the maple syrup actually seemed a bit more pronounced on this newly released batch than it did on the one that came out earlier in the year. I’m certainly not complaining, and I don’t imagine you will either.
Dogfish Head 75 Minute is available for $11.99 at American Beer Distributors at 256 Court Street in Cobble Hill.
