Brewery: Dogfish Head (DE)
Style: IPA
ABV: 6%
Grade: B+

It's hard to remember back to the dark days before I loved good beer, but Dogfish Head was undoubtedly one of the major influences on my journey. (In fact, their Punkin' Ale, in retrospect, was probably the beer that snagged me.) So I have a ton of respect for the brewery, and Dogfish 60 Minute IPA is indisputably one of the pivotal beers in the craft beer movement. Following Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, 60 Minute is one of the pioneers that educated the American public as to what hops even are.

Despite blazing the trail, 60 Minute doesn't resemble most newer IPAs as much as I remembered, or would've thought. (I had it before this review, many times, but it's been at least a year since the last time I drank it.) It pushes a hop combo that's distinct from most American IPAs, with both spicy hops and a citrus character balanced not by other fruity notes, but dank hops and some pine. The pine is more of a crisp, dry, vegetable flavor, followed by a taste that might be what people mean when they call a beer "catty." There's maybe a hint of something oniony or garlicky holding all those hop flavors together, but it's not a flaw. 60 Minute has an interestingly spicy finish that continues its unique stay in your mouth.

Though it's come to stand out as one of the defining beers in the American IPA revival, 60 Minute has some lingering hints of its English predecessors with its focus on spicy hops as much as fruity aromas. It's not my favorite IPA, but it's an interesting and enjoyable one that every beer drinker should get the chance to try.

Availability: Should be an easy beer to find anywhere where Dogfish distributes. 12 oz bottles in sixpacks.