Beer Review: Dogfish Head ApriHop Milton, DE, US By: George Zhen May 7, 2005

(Milton, DE) - When I first heard about ApriHop beer from the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, I was a bit skeptical. Not that I am prejudiced against that particular fruit, but it didn't seem like a marriage of flavors that would work out. It was at that point that my ignorance was exposed by a friend of mine that informed me that the use of apricots raisons and other fruits is not only common, but the signal of seasonal craft that distinguishes simple breweries from those of dedicated sophistication.

Being the intrepid explorers we are, the decision was made to augment our Dogfish Head powered flight from Milton to Montreal by grabbing a 4-pack of ApriHop Brew. This brew would be consumed in addition to the Raison D'être that we had already committed to reviewing. For this reason, it is really impossible to give a fair review, since the consumption of this brew came in quick succession to the downing of said Raison D'être We decided that we'd submit a review anyway, leaving out the score card for the sake of objectivity (we'll count the beers, though).

With a cleared palate (and an admittedly foggy mind), this brew revealed itself as a true Dogfish standard bearer. It has many of the same magnificent qualities that the Raison does: balanced head, rich color, and an interestingly amazing flavor. There is a mild fruit taste which finds its way into the recesses of the mouth without distraction. A very balanced brew, indeed.

I couldn't fairly judge the effect of this brew, since the experience was already underway. It wouldn't take much imagination to conclude that it has the same staggering power of other Dogfish Head brews with it's 7% ABV. As mentioned in the Raison D'être review, the following morning was relatively painless, which is an amazing thing considering the spell that these brews cast.

One of our goals when starting this project was to learn more about beers. We have traveled less than 1500 nautical miles and we're already smarter than we were when we took off from Lauderdale. Not a bad way to learn that apricots are cool, even in an IPA. Thank you, DFH.

For more information on the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, visit their website at www.dogfish.com