Doing It Doggystyle: Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione
July 02, 2004
Beer aficionado Sam Calagione began now famous Dogfish Head Brewery nine years ago with the aid of three small kegs and the propane burners beneath them. Though difficult to brew in, these twelve-gallon barrels allowed young Dogfish Head to try virtually anything they wanted in regard to styles, recipes, and ingredients. The subjects of these experiments were the suds swilling vacationers of Delaware’s Rehobeth beach. Before long, Sam’s new company’s reputation as a quality brewer spread as fast as the vacationers cars could.
Word of mouth fanned the flames of Dogfish Head’s explosive growth. In nine years of existence Dogfish Head has grown from a restaurant with three kettles to one of the nation’s fasting growing micro-brewers and distilleries. Yes, they make the hard stuff also and in April 2005 look for the ribbon cutting on what is expected to be the largest Brewpub on the east coast.
Explosive growth has in no way deterred Dogfish Head from what got them to where they are now. They continue to experiment and innovate, for example, Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine at 15.5% ABV is the worlds strongest bottle conditioned beer. The instructions on the back ask the purchaser to walk hand-in-neck with bottle into the middle of the woods. Use shovel to dig 2×2 hole three feet deep. Seal bottle in plastic bag. Place in hole and pack with dirt. Memorize location and leave. Return exactly one year later. Dig up bottle, open and enjoy.
Beer veterans recognize Dogfish Head most for their famous 60, 90 and 120 minute IPA’s which of course are fantastic. During the brewing process hops are continually added to the beers for either 60, 90 or 120 minutes giving them very unique hop profiles. The 60 minute IPA is 6% ABV, the 90 minute IPA is 9%ABV and the 120 minute IPA is no not 12% ABV – it’s over 20% ABV!
If telling their customers to bury their beers and producing 20% ABV beers isn’t off the beaten path then Randall seals the deal. Randall “The Enamel Animal” is described on the Dogfish Head website as an Organoleptic Hops Transducer module measuring in at three feet in length. The cylinder portion is packed with a half a pound of whole leafhops that are affixed to the beer line leaving a keg. The 90 Minute IPA is an ideal beer for Randall due to its high alcohol volume. The grabs the oils off the hops in the Randall on the way to the tap faucet inducing the most pungent and glorious fresh hop experience known to man (or woman).
I had to talk with Sam and find out who dreams up this stuff and which direction Dogfish Head would be taking next. What better way to transcribe that chat than with a freshly cracked open vg 60 minute IPA. I suggest you crack one also, sit back, relax, and take a trip with us into the world of Dogfish Head Brewing.
TMR: Sam, the first thing I have to ask you is where do you get the ideas for your beers? I envision a bunch of you sitting at the brewpub bar at midnight with a pitcher of 120 minute IPA or some Olde School Barleywine in front of you as someone says “Dude I wonder what would happen if……”
SC: That is a pretty close interpretation, but we try to get to the brewpub well before midnight. I would say as many of those conversations happened at 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
TMR: So between these Barleywine fueled board meetings at the brewpub what else is going on at Dogfish Head?
SC: We are constantly working on new recipes. I love to go to the brewpub to brew a smaller batch or two when I am feeling creative and have the time these days. We have a great head brewer at the production brewery so I don’t brew there. When I want to try something I will do a 150 gallon batch at the restaurant.
TMR: Creative, that is an understatement for most of your commercially available beers. What can I expect to find on tap when I walk into the brewpub?
SC: You will always find the usual Dogfish Head’s standards: Shelter Pale Ale and 60 minute IPA beers you can find on the store shelves, but the restaurant gives us the chance to really mix it up. You can find one-of-a-kind beers on tap unique only to the brewpub. Right now we have an Urboch that is a limited run beer only available at the restaurant.
TMR: Are there any other cool things going on at the brewpub?
SC: We have Randall Happy Hours on Friday where we pack all kinds of different hops in Randall and pump all kinds of fresh Dogfish Head brew through it.
TMR: What kind of hops do you fill Randall with at the brewpub?
SC: [Laughs] What kind of hops haven’t we put in Randall? I can’t count the things we have put in Randall and run beer through it. As far as hops go lately it has been Amarillo’s, Cascades and Chinook in all kinds of different combinations and quantities.
TMR: I wonder if I could use Randall to save an otherwise bland beer?
SC: I will sell you one for cost and you can put anything in it you want. We don’t care what people send through Randall. Our main goal is to educate people about hops and what they do for beer.
TMR: I’m envisioning your Olde School infused with Amarillo hops – I can almost taste it. My mouth is watering. Speaking of Olde School have you ever followed your own directions and buried a bottle for a year before drinking it?
SC: We have received letters and emails from people who have buried Olde School. They have all had favorable experiences the beer really mellows out after spending a year underground. I have never buried a bottle of Olde School but I am so bad when it comes to holding on beers. I think the longest I have been able to hold on to an Olde School without drinking it has been about 3 months. I don’t even think about trying to bury a bottle. I would be in the backyard digging it up a couple of months later.
TMR: I haven’t tried burying any myself for the same reason. The last thing I need to be doing is digging up the frozen New Hampshire tundra on an icy December afternoon because I ran out of beer in the middle of the Pats/Dolphins game. So the Olde School ages well as we all know but are there any other Dogfish Head beers we should have aging down in our cellars?
SC: Most of our beers age incredibly well. The one in the forefront of my mind is the 120 minute IPA. It really needs 6 months to a year in the basement to be at it’s best. It really mellows out nicely. The World Wide Stout and the 90 amongst others are great with a little time added to them also.
TMR: So what is the next big thing at Dogfish Head?
SC: We are building what will hopefully be the most state-of-the-art Brewpub Sportsbar on the east coast in Milford, Delaware. We are going to have brewing going on 5. a.m to midnight therefore anyone that comes into the Brewpub can watch the brewing process. There will be two levels of beer tours Beer 101 and Beer 201. The brewpub will also have a state-of-the-art game room and an amphitheater for watching sporting events. Oh yeah and plenty of Dogfish Head beer.
TMR: What can you tell us about Dogfish Head that most people don’t know?
SC: Our beers are incredibly fresh. Right now we are going through growing pains and we struggle to keep up with the orders. As soon as we get our beers on the shelves they are gone. If you see any of our beers in a store they haven’t been there very long.
TMR: So now I have to hit you with the question that every interviewer on our staff asks of every interviewee. Do you have a ManRoom in your house and if so, what does it look like?
SC: Yeah I do. I just built a new house and I finally have my ManRoom. I don’t have a TV in there but I do have my computer and my I-Pod along with an antique roll top desk. I also have and area with my paints where I like to design ads. The crowning glory of my ManRoom is a Prohibition Era mural that I have hanging on the wall.
TMR: Um, Sam you don’t have any beer in your ManRoom?
SC: I had a tap system built into the kitchen so I have to take 10 steps outside of my ManRoom to get a cold draft. Right now I have 60 minute IPA on tap.
TMR: I am incredibly jealous right now – that sounds so cool. This does bring us to a good time when I do my beer picks. We know what you like to keep in the house, but which Dogfish Head beers should my reader’s start off with?
SC: I would suggest they definitely try the 60 minute IPA, The 90 minute IPA and the 120 minute IPA along with the Shelter Pale Ale and the Raison D’Etre.
TMR: Those are all great beers which I’ll mention along with a couple of my favorites as well. Thanks for dropping by TheManRoom. We hope to see you here again real soon.
After talking to Sam I imagined Dogfish Head Brewing as a place where the most commonly spoken sentences were: “Do you think we could make a beer that …..Do you think we could make a beer with….?” Dogfish Head’s culture of mixing the science of brewing with trial and error has produced some of the worlds most renowned and interesting beers. So without further ado, here are this weeks Dogfish Head beer picks:
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout
Once again Dogfish Head throws me a curve ball. I was expecting World Wide Stout’s little brother but this is a totally different style of stout. I feel in love with this beer. It is as dark as a blackhole, has a great palette, and the aroma is malty with a touch of hops, not to mention killer coffee and chicory flavors. This has to be one of the best stouts on the market.
Commercial description
Dark beer made with a touch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John’s Wort, and licorice root. Brewed with whole-leaf Cascade and Fuggles hops, the grains include pale, wheat, roasted and oatmeal. We buy the coffee used in our Chicory Stout from the Oby Lee Coffee Roastery in Lewes. 5.2% ABV 22 IBU available year round, 12 ounce bottles & draft We are proud to let you know the Chicory Stout won 2 gold medals at Chicago’s Real Ale Festival in 1998! Descriptors: Creamy, roasty, peppery, dry & chocolatey
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
This beer pours a perfect orange brownish hue with a generous white head. The aroma is all about grapefruit and pine. The palette is full with a great tongue which coats with malt. The finish is all about hops. This is Dogfish so it comes as no surprise. As the beer warms the malt starts to take over once again but the hops are still ever-present. Having a great price point and being fairly low in alcohol for a Dogfish offering, this is a great beer to pick up in a six pack. Definitely in my top 5 for standard IPA’s.
Commercial description
Our fastet-growing beer! A session I.P.A. brewed with Warrior, Amarillo and Mystery Hop X. A powerful East Coast I.P.A. with a lot of citrusy hop character.THE session beer for beer geeks like us! Bottle-conditioned bottles and draft available. 6% ABV 60 IBU available year round, 12-ounce bottles & draft Descriptors: Citrus, cedar, pine and candied-orange flavors, floral
Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine
Perfection in a bottle. It pours a medium brown with a small light brown head and big chunks of yeast swimming around. Beautiful bready, yeasty dusty aroma with hints of plum and raisins. Ultra smooth palette with lively carbonation and no overbearing alcohol aroma that is surprising for a 15.5% beer.
Commecial description
The world’s strongest bottle-conditioned beer, fermented with dates and figs. January 15, 2004 release. (limited availability) Bottled in 12 ounce bottles 15.04 % ABV”Sweet aromas with hints of orange; orange-amber color. A liquid hop-bomb, but smooth, rich and well balanced. A delightfully long, lingering finish
My number one Dogfish Head pick is:
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
The 90 is perfectly balanced, very hoppy and smooth on the palette. It has that great grapefruit citrus aroma that Amarillo hops tend to add to a beer but the flavoring is not all about Amarillo and Cascade. Truly one of the best beers I ever had.
Commercial Description
An Imperial I.P.A. brewed to be savored from a snifter. A big beer with a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate. 9% ABV 90 IBU available year round, 12 ounce/4-pack bottles & draft Esquire Magazine writes that this is “perhaps the best IPA in America” Descriptors: Brandied fuitcake, raisiny, citrusy.”
