“Our latest release is a big milestone for us, being our 100th unique beer we’ve brewed since Black Hops existed. To celebrate, our latest limited release, #100 is a continuously hopped American IPA crafted in the tradition of Dogfish Head’s famous 90 minute IPA. 100 minutes of continual hopping in the boil by the whole Black Hops crew, delivers a classic IPA with all American hop complexity.”
Glassware: IPA glass.
Appearance: Bold amber with excellent clarity. It builds a healthy two finger head which holds up pretty well and makes a total mess of the glass.
Aroma: Not getting a great deal off it to be quite honest. We’re picking up indistinct berries and dark fruits with a more obvious prominence on caramelised sweetness, toffee, malts, subtle toast and honeysuckle. We can see where they’re going with this…the beer is based on the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA and it’s not a bad overall attempt.
Flavour: Almost sweet enough to call it a red or amber IPA. Then again they would need a huge malt bill to counteract 100 minutes of continual hopping. Caramel, toffee, honey and mild roast balance a deep and pithy hop bitterness, pine and sappy resins. Maybe some burnt orange developing late. Raw and bitter finish really endures.
Mouthfeel: Somewhat sticky and gelatinous. The hefty 100 IBU flexes it’s muscles while the 7.7% ABV adds a certain warmth to it. Medium body and CO2.
Overall: Well, it’s no 90 minute but it’s a fairly unique IPA and we must say we like it. It’s well balanced yet punchy and full flavoured. It took us a bit to come round but we did in the end!