Dogfish Head Craft Brewery | Hellhound On My Ale | “Ale Brewed With Lemons” These days, I make annual pilgrimages to Rehoboth Beach, or at least the alehouses if I’m in the D.C. area, to get my fill of the Dogfish Head experience. I love everything about the brewpub, and I’d have to, to make a six-hours-driving day trip. I get a little crazed the beginning of every September waiting for Punkin Ale to finally drop. It is the only beer I buy by the case even if I don’t have to. (I may add Troegs Nugget Nectar to this list this year.) My introduction to Dogfish Head was Raison D’Etre of all things. It was probably 2002, and I wasn’t ready. It’s hard for me to believe in fact that I’ve been a Dogfish devotee only since 2007, when I finally got it at the tasting table at the inaugural Philly Craft Beer Festival. I’m not a pure dittohead though. As much as I love 90-Minute and Squall and Burton Baton is as indifferent as I feel toward Festina Peche, Aprihop, Midas Touch, Palo Santo Marron, Sah’Tea and Namaste. Asked to pick Bell’s Two Hearted Ale or the 60-Minute IPA, I’d probably go with the Bell’s. Some of the wine bottle beers - Red and White, Black and Blue, Fort … I’m not even sure I’ve tried at all. But I’m still a big fan. Even if I don’t end up liking a new DFH beer, I’m almost always interested in trying it. So it was with Hellhound On My Ale, billed as an Ale Brewed With Lemons. It probably took me about 10 visits to 8 or 9 stores before I found a bottle, but fortunately, I’ve had good luck with the quality of the beers I’ve bought there, and had reason to believe even though it had been on the shelf awhile, it would taste fairly close to what the brewers intended. The flavor is familiar. If you’ve had 90-Minute IPA, Squall or Burton Baton, you’re not in for any big surprises. And the lemon is evident. With hops so ready to provide a citrus burst in every big IPA, it seems a bit gratuitous to throw some lemons in there, so even though there is a story behind it - which you can read about at www.dogfish.com - I’m not sure that’s a reason to do it. The tartness the lemons added, for me, brought the beer down a notch. I think you have to be very careful with lemon flavor. What you want lemon to do is make something lighter and more refreshing. If lemon should start to overpower a concoction, one starts to think of dishwashing liquid. And if your brain does go down that path, even for a moment, it’s tough to see any detours from there. It’s a fine beer. You can trust Dogfish Head as always. But for a big IPA, I’ll stick with the 90-Minute or Burton Baton.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery | Hellhound On My Ale | “Ale Brewed With Lemons”

These days, I make annual pilgrimages to Rehoboth Beach, or at least the alehouses if I’m in the D.C. area, to get my fill of the Dogfish Head experience. I love everything about the brewpub, and I’d have to, to make a six-hours-driving day trip. I get a little crazed the beginning of every September waiting for Punkin Ale to finally drop. It is the only beer I buy by the case even if I don’t have to. (I may add Troegs Nugget Nectar to this list this year.)

My introduction to Dogfish Head was Raison D’Etre of all things. It was probably 2002, and I wasn’t ready. It’s hard for me to believe in fact that I’ve been a Dogfish devotee only since 2007, when I finally got it at the tasting table at the inaugural Philly Craft Beer Festival.

I’m not a pure dittohead though. As much as I love 90-Minute and Squall and Burton Baton is as indifferent as I feel toward Festina Peche, Aprihop, Midas Touch, Palo Santo Marron, Sah’Tea and Namaste. Asked to pick Bell’s Two Hearted Ale or the 60-Minute IPA, I’d probably go with the Bell’s. Some of the wine bottle beers - Red and White, Black and Blue, Fort … I’m not even sure I’ve tried at all.

But I’m still a big fan. Even if I don’t end up liking a new DFH beer, I’m almost always interested in trying it. So it was with Hellhound On My Ale, billed as an Ale Brewed With Lemons. It probably took me about 10 visits to 8 or 9 stores before I found a bottle, but fortunately, I’ve had good luck with the quality of the beers I’ve bought there, and had reason to believe even though it had been on the shelf awhile, it would taste fairly close to what the brewers intended.

The flavor is familiar. If you’ve had 90-Minute IPA, Squall or Burton Baton, you’re not in for any big surprises. And the lemon is evident. With hops so ready to provide a citrus burst in every big IPA, it seems a bit gratuitous to throw some lemons in there, so even though there is a story behind it - which you can read about at www.dogfish.com - I’m not sure that’s a reason to do it.

The tartness the lemons added, for me, brought the beer down a notch. I think you have to be very careful with lemon flavor. What you want lemon to do is make something lighter and more refreshing. If lemon should start to overpower a concoction, one starts to think of dishwashing liquid. And if your brain does go down that path, even for a moment, it’s tough to see any detours from there.

It’s a fine beer. You can trust Dogfish Head as always. But for a big IPA, I’ll stick with the 90-Minute or Burton Baton.