I saw some crazy shit today.

Driving home from work, daydreaming about my carbonating IPA and what my weekend would entail, I was shocked to see in my rear view mirror a virtual land flotilla of state troopers and city cop cars converging quickly on my position. My eyes darted to my speedometer (I’m a notoriously slow driver). I knew that wasn’t the issue. Nor was the kilo of nose candy duct taped to the underside of my car (what…you thought I was only into beer? Just kidding.). No, Minnesota’s Finest had a different destination in mind, and I would quickly find out what it was.

About a half mile down the road, my car came to a dead stop. I could see off to the left a sea of cherries blinking away. There were about 10 more squad cars, a fire truck and a meat wagon on the shoulder of the two-lane highway, encamped very close to an intersection. I tried to discern what was happening, as a crowd of about 100 onlookers had formed around the area, blocking most of my view to what I could only imagine was a scene from a horror movie. 

I slowly inched closer, and quickly realized that at least two people had a much worse day than mine. Two battered cars lay strewn about the road…one literally ripped in half with its engine block laying 50 yards away from the back end of the car. The other car lay squarely on its roof, its front-end smashed in like an accordion and the shattered safety glass of the windshield conspicuously displaying a very human-sized hole in its driver’s side. A two-foot wide messy red skidmark stretched about 100 feet from the overturned car, like a demented child’s version of sidewalk chalk, ending at a grassy street corner just shy of a metal stop sign pole.

Thank god the EMTs had already cleaned up most of the mess, because obviously, it was dirt nap city for someone. I’d never seen anything like it. And if I didn’t need a beer before, I was definitely in need of one at that moment.

My day was about to get better*. I was anticipating the arrival of a nice little package from one of my east coast trading buddies. And lo and behold, as I pulled into my driveway, a big brown truck pulled up with a well-packed box with my name on it. Score.     
   
After a brief chilling, I couldn’t wait any longer. The Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA needed to be cracked.

From what I can tell, every good IPA must have a fish on its label. And Dogfish is no different. Bell’s Two Hearted is one of my all-time favorites. And like that one, Dogfish definitely does not disappoint.

From the moment I poured it, I sat there mesmerized with my nose buried in the glass for about 20 minutes. God it smells nice. I mean really, really nice. According to the website, they use Warrior, Amarillo and Mystery Hop X…I’m going to guess Centennial (or maybe Simcoe???). There is something tangible with the hop aroma, like you could almost chew the last moment of it as it enters your nose and bombards exuberant electrons at your brain. I can’t really explain it, it’s that unique. All I can say is the interplay between the citrus and slightly woody scent is fantastic. It’s totally unlike any other IPA I’ve ever had. It also looks just like a good IPA should…golden amber coloring with nice carbonation leaving an ample rocky white head. Lest I forget and spend all my time whistfully recounting the aroma, the taste is unbelievable. I love the slightly sweet maltiness, helps balance out the hops very well. 

If there were shades of “goodness” within a particular beer rating grade, I would have to put Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA at about A Level 8, with something like Bell’s Two Hearted at A Level 2. Both damn good, but Dogfish edges it out in my book. It’s really one of the best all-around good beers I’ve ever had. Dogfish Head Brewery…please consider distributing in the Twin Cities area. I would be your best customer.   

Rating: A

* How’s that for an abrupt segue? Blunt force trauma…beer.