Sam

Utopias Barrel-Aged 120 Minute IPA

My goodness this beer is a behemoth. Already packed full of flavor, the Utopia barrels added another layer of complexity. This beer had what felt like 17 layers of flavor. One for every percentage point of the ABV. Great 2023 offering of this brew.

All Day West Coast

I think all of these craft breweries are slowly starting to condition us to like Westies again because they are tired of brewing Hazebois. It might be working. Maybe pool side is the best side to drink this beer on but it was pretty darn tasty.

All Day Crimson Sky

This offering from the Founders All Day pack is definitely the worst of the bunch. Some may like it, but brewing a really tasty Red IPA is tough stuff and Founders definitely missed on this one. It’s consumable, but not that enjoyable.

All Day Haze

This doesn’t taste all that different from the regular All Day. If it’s there, I’ll drink one, but I’m not going to seek it out. Wouldn’t bother me though if I never had another. I’m over this trend of breweries turning their flagships into hazies.

Mandarin & Mango Crush

Honestly a pretty poor excuse for a beer. While somewhat refreshing, the body on this one is incredibly thin and the mango flavor is subtle at best. I would expect more from this self-proclaimed summer crusher brew from DFH.

Bottle Shop Series Highball Drifter

I didn’t know what to expect here, but man was I pleasantly surprised. The Founders barrel-aged series always delivers though. The double aging in both a Foeder and bourbon barrels adds multiple layers of complexity that keep you coming back for more.

Nordic Spring

Craft beer enthusiasts need to have someone blindly pour this beer for them. Otherwise factors such as price point and 12oz cans could impact their rating. I was shocked at how tasty this was. Definitey the best widely distributed craft beer of 2023.

120 Minute IPA (2018)

The first of four 120 minute tastings. 2018 was a solid start. The oldest of the brews, this one came in with a malty sweetness and finished with a boozy aftertaste. Big notes of caramel and ripe plum.

120 Minute IPA (2019)

Next up is the 2019 version. This was a fantastic year for 120 minute. Whether it was the recipe, brewing process, or perhaps the cellar aging, this brew tasted a lot less boozy and a lot more smooth. Also had a nice hop bitterness on the backend.

120 Minute IPA (2020)

Next up is 2020 and honestly it seems that Dogfish had a lot of carryover from 2019 in terms of how the beer was brewed. This one tasted similar and was a very smooth and enjoyable beer. Big notes of plums again along with some sweet toffee as well.

120 Minute Ipa (2022)

Skip 2021 since they apparently didn’t produce the beer last year and we arrive at 2022. You could tell that this beer was by far the freshest (as it should be) and didn’t have some of those cellar-aging notes found in the previous iterations.

Bottle Shop Series Nemesis

This is an interesting beer and this review is from someone that isn’t big on Barleywine. This actually has some great flavor up front. A nice balance of malty sweetness and hops. However, the backend is one of the most bitter things I’ve tasted.

Utopias Barrel - Aged World Wide Stout (2021)

Where to begin…🤔 This beer is an absolute behemoth of crazy flavor. At 17.3%, this smacks your pallet with a big, boozy, bourbon flavor and then coats the throat on the way down. It’s definitely the craziest iteration of the WWS I have had to date.

Panther Cub

This beer is fantastic. Up there with the best the Founders barrel aged series has to offer. Big notes of bourbon and vanilla soak into your pallet causing wonderful lingering flavor. Subtle maple syrup wraps up every sip. So good!

KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge

This is dynamite. The complexity of this beer is not something you run into often. It’s thick and dark with big coffee and fudge flavors. Mix that with a bourbon barrel backend and you have a beer that hits all the right notes. Absolutely outstanding!

Marvelroast

This is good. Tastes just like one of those Starbucks iced coffee drinks that you buy when standing in a line 15 people deep at Giant Eagle because they only have 3 registers open on a Sunday afternoon. + vanilla and milk sugar