The other day I was in my local bottle shop with a friend of mine. While looking through the coolers he spotted Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA sitting next to Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. Both were extremely close in price, however 90 came in a four pack and 60 came in a six pack. My friend, being a lesser beer enthusiast than myself, asked me what the difference was. I had yet to taste DFH 60 so all I could tell him was that there is a difference in the way they hop the beer resulting in DFH 90 having a higher ABV. I also mentioned that they should taste different based on the alcohol level and hopping technique used, but without trying it for myself I would be speculating. The only logical course of action we could take following that conversation was to purchase both the DFH 60 & 90 to find out for ourselves. For the sake of having a balanced comparison we decided it wise to add a neutral IPA, one not made by the good people at Dogfish Head. Glancing around the coolers I quickly spotted the limited release Russell Brewing IP’eh that I enjoyed so much at Summer Caskival, and chose it due to the fact I felt it was a perfect example of a quality IPA. The results of this comparison is as follows:

A note before the comparison

Let me clarify something before I get into the rankings. All of these are fantastic beers, so much so that it was a hard choice even deciding to rank them. That said I’m not here to be nice. I’m here to break down the differences in these beers in order to advise if one is worth buying over the other when cost is considered.

3 – Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

I could explain what DFH 60 is in detail, however Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery has done so already without much sales spin:

The 60 comes in third due to the fact it is just an above average IPA. That might be a little harsh, but there is nothing here that would make me tell anyone it was more than just a good beer. Its full of hops, and sweet yet bitter. The sweetness doesn’t stand out as much as the bitterness, not that there is anything wrong with that, it’s just I know five or ten other beers that I could say the same thing about.

2 – Russell Brewing IP’eh

This IPA is far from traditional. The ABV is fairly average at 6.5. The brewers used both british malt & pacific northwest hops, with the resulting flavor being extremely balanced like an english IPA, yet containing a distinctly American hop profile. It is a very limited release consisting of 1500 650ml bombers.

I chose this as the second best IPA due to its balance. A strong nose tricks you into thinking this is going to be a hop monster, but then the medium body, balanced flavors, and crisp clean finish leave you ready for more. The drinkability of this beer is the key. It’s not your average IPA in the sense that your moderate beer fan would choose to have one and then take a break with something else. To me the true test of a beer is if you can have more than a couple in one sitting, and the Russell IP’eh is a session beer without question.

1 – Dogfish Head 90 Minute IP’eh

It appears Sam Calagione enjoys doing my work for me. Much like he did with the DFH 60, he has made a video explaining the fine points of the DFH 90:

I make it no secret that DFH 90 is my favorite ‘all around beer’ and wasn’t surprised in the least when it came out on top. What I mean by ‘all around beer’ is that if I were to pick one beer and only one beer to drink for the rest of my life, god forbid, DFH 90 would be it. It has the power of the 60, while maintaining a level of balance that rivals the IP’eh. Unlike the Russell where it tastes like the malt is balancing out the hops, in this beer its almost as if the hops are balancing out the malt. I love it because it’s a big, in your face, high ABV brew, yet there isn’t a situation where I couldn’t picture enjoying one… or six.

The final verdict taking price into account

When talking dollar for dollar the end result changes. At my bottle shop the DFH 60 comes in around $3.00 per bottle, with the Russell coming in at $3.50, and DFH 90 $4.50. Although the DFH 60 is the cheapest of the bunch, it’s still not really a contender due to the fact I don’t find it remarkable in any way; this leaves the Russell IP’eh and the DFH 90 to slug it out for my IPA dollars. In the end for day-to-day drinking I have to go with the Russell, not because of any local bias or because I think they are super close in quality, but simply because cost matters these days. I’m still going to drink the DFH 90, probably on a regular basis, but it will no longer be the first thing I run to when I want some IPA in my belly. That job belongs to the Russell, mostly because it will help me afford the DFH 90, along with many other delicious craft beers.

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