#36 Dogfish Head Sixty-One

Steppin' up my picture game.

Wine and beer, together. I mean when I first heard about it, I was actually kind of excited. But my first sip of one back in April left me...really goddamned confused. It wasn't my beer, so I didn't get the chance to drink more of it and dissect it. So when I saw the 4 packs beginning to pop up, I was quick to scoop one up, determined to write my first Dogfish Head review about this damn confounding beer.

That kind of "hit & miss" quality is something I've been struggling with a lot lately when it comes to DFH. Theobroma? First bottle I drank, I ended up throwing right back up. Sure, sure, it was probably caused by something else...But still, let me have my moment. Second bottle took me another month or so to drink, and even then it was with extreme caution. And you know what happened? I fucking loved it. It was complicated and complex and everything that frustrates me about DFH, but in the best way possible.

...But I digress.

Sixty-One. Wine and beer. Hops and grapes. Delicious and I want more. To explain a bit more of the beer, before I tell you what I thought of it, I'll let the brewery explain more:

"The name Sixty-One is a reminder that this beer is Dogfish Head’s best-selling 60 Minute IPA plus one new ingredient: syrah grape must from California. The label, painted by Sam, is a twist on a typical watercolor. Rather than using water, Sam mixed the green pigment with beer and the red pigment with wine. And because Sixty-One pairs so well with chocolate, he painted the browns on the label with melted chocolate."                

-Dogfish.com/sixty-one

All well and  nice, right? Let's get down to bidness, and pour this bitch out.

Sixty-One definitely does not look like beer. Save for the carbonation, and the fluffy, pink head, this is all wine. It's a very translucent, dark blush color. Cranberry juice. Wine. Honestly, I would be less worried if I spilled this on my couch, than had it been a glass of Pinot Noir.

My favorite part is how this beer (Weer? Bine? You see what I did there?) smells. Seriously. The nose is all juicy grape and wine. It's an IPA, or so they tell us, but I'm not getting any hops, malt or anything. The grape funk and bite all day, but you can't say it smells like a beer. And if you do, you're a liar.

The taste a whirlwind of grape and malt. Everything wonderful that's happening seems to really hide any hops that might be there. While some might think its a shame, seeing as 60 minute is a really popular IPA, I'd say this beer exceeds because of it. Slightly tart, and very light. The malt comes through just enough, and it just balances so well with the syrah grapes. I love everything about this beer so far. It's certainly thin, but it doesn't sacrifice anything because of it. In my humble opinion, the body is perfect for what it is.

This beer is so good, so different, and so refreshing. I want to drink it outside, until I pass out, and then wake up just to drink more of them. While I'm still leery of DFH, this is one beer that I will never hesitate to pick up.

Oh yeah, and I totally drank it out of my new DFH/Sierra Nevada Spiegelau glass! Which as I write, I think "No shit, they can see in the pictures!"

Website: http://www.dogfish.com/
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Dogfish Head Sixty-One

Smell: 4.5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 4.5/5
Feel: 3.5/5

Overall: 4.125

This beer pairs well with: Del tha Funkee Homosapien - Jaw Gymnastics