Dogfish Head Hellhound on my Ale

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Milton, DE
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: B+

Up for review today is Dogfish Head's tribute to late guitarist and bluesman Robert Johnson. Hellhound on my Ale is heavily-hopped IPA with additions of dried lemon. It pours up a clear, golden amber with a faint haze and a foamy, off-white head. The nose is loaded with citrus hops, with notes of both grapefruit and lemonade.

The palate is slammed right off the bat with a big bite of resiny hops up front, which move to some piny and herbal hops notes. Citrus undertones then start to shine through. There is a big bitter bite here like very sharp cheese. Hints of oak and woody spice are tucked in the background as well. The Hellhound on my Ale has a medium-heavy body with mouthcoating resin and astringency. The finish has long, lingering piny hops notes along with hop resin and tannic herbal notes akin to a very strong black tea.

The Hellhound on my Ale hits 100 IBU's, making this beer about as bitter as they come. This is a real treat for the big hopheads out there. The only downside is that any potential complexity is completely inundated under massive hoppiness. Nonetheless, this beer is yet another fantastic showing from Dogfish Head and is well worth a try if you like your beer to bite back.