I want to start this blog by saying I’m a huge Pearl Jam fan. To a point, I wonder if the previous statement does my fanhood justice. I am one of their many devoted fans that have traveled to various cities across the US and Canada to witness their epic shows live. I’m not ashamed to admit that Pearl Jam Concert T-Shirts take up a large chunk of my wardrobe. And my walls also feature a slew of concert posters and a Yield sign. With my iPod on shuffle it is rare to go more than 5 songs without hearing something Pearl Jam-related. While I am sure you are very impressed with my Pearl Jam obsession you are probably wondering, “what does this have to do with beer?” And I’m just about to get to that.
In 2011, Pearl Jam reached their 20th Anniversary and to celebrate this momentous occasion they released a movie, a book and had a spectacular festival in East Troy, Wisconsin. On top of that, the extremely creative Dogfish Head Craft Brewery released Pearl Jam Twenty Faithfull Ale. Words could not express how excited I was to try this beer. Every few days I would call my local beer specialty stores to see if they had it in stock. When I finally found a 13 dollar bottle I raced home, grabbed my favorite glass and poured the beer I was certain I was going to love. How could I not? It felt like the stars had aligned. It was Pearl Jam inspired craft beer. Everything was going great, until I tried it. What I got was a bland, boring and uninspired beer from a brewery that prides itself on being anything but. Unfortunately what I did not mention earlier was this was not the only 13 dollar bottle I bought, it was one of several. To this day I still have 2 unopened bottles in my closet. Part of me wants to think not opening the bottles makes them more of a collectable, but the truth is I could not stand to drink another bottle of that astonishingly disappointing beer. Since this happened I have not had much of a desire to seek out Dogfish Head products. It’s taken almost 3 years but after enjoying their Palo Santo Marron and Namaste I finally feel like I can put the nightmare of Pearl Jam Faithfull Ale behind me and give this brewery a fair shake.
For this week’s beer I picked up Dogfish Head’s Sixty One. It is an IPA brewed with Syrah Grape Must(freshly pressed grapes). In case you were wondering skins, seeds, stems and juice all make up grape must. I found the addition of this to beer particularly intriguing because if Dogfish Head does one thing right it is IPAs. The 60, 90 and 120 minute IPAs are all each their own unique experience. Before my Faithfull Ale falling out with Dogfish Head, I would recommend their 60 minute IPA to anyone looking to break out of their domestic light beer comfort zone. I felt it is a solid gateway into craft beer because it is a smooth, clean, easy beer drinking experience.
For Sixty One, Dogfish Head attempted to add another dimension to their IPA. And while I admire the attempt, unfortunately the only place this is truly noticeable is in the color. Dogfish Head Sixty One pours a light purple with a white fizzy head. The appearance reminded me of sparkling wine. The aroma is full of the bitter citrus you would expect from an IPA, with a faint hint of grape. Upon tasting, the very subtle flavor of grape could be noticed before the bitter citrus of the IPA dominated the flavor. The light grape flavor reappears in the finish but I truly had to look for it to notice it.
I think the power of suggestion played a big role in me finding the grape must. The grape flavor is so subtle I could have easily missed it if I wasn’t looking for it. Honestly if I was blindfolded, I might have just thought this was just an IPA. The label and the color of the beer played a big role in me finding the grape must in the flavor. With that being said this is still a decent IPA, albeit a forgettable one. And while it may not be anything special, I did not feel I wasted my time and money like I did with Faithfull Ale. This is an easy IPA drinking experience, one that looks really cool in a glass. Unfortunately it just does not come across as clever as the label suggests it does.
Overall I give Dogfish Head Sixty One a 2.75/5. This is a decent albeit forgettable beer. I’d recommend trying almost any Dogfish Head brew before this one. Just not the Pearl Jam Faithful Ale.
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional
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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!
It’s evolution baby!
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