Dogfish Head Brewery - "Romantic Chemistry" IPA

Here we have another fancy spring seasonal from Dogfish Head. It's their "Romantic Chemistry", a 7.2% ABV IPA made with mango, apricot, and ginger. Kudos to Dogfish Head's graphic designers, who always come up with really attractive labels and box art.

It pours a nice deep honey color in the glass, generating an eggshell-colored head and looks burnt orange color when candled. It also throws some heavy citrus aromas. Interesting!

It's kind of as I expected - light, tart, bright and citric. However, the hops flavors are very subtle, which is a welcome surprise. I like the levity of this beer - the fruit makes it bright and summery, and it's very refreshing. The finish is soft and smooth, with little aftertaste, and no detectable ginger notes throughout the beer...which doesn't surprise me. In this regard, today's beer reminds me of a Foley Brothers beer I reviewed last year. And just like that beer, the ginger was a bit oversold. I'm sure it was in there, but the flavors weren't readily detectable. It's a little disappointing, since ginger is a good ingredient in beer and some, like Heritage's "American Expedition", do a good job of it.

Romantic Chemistry is readily available at supermarkets like Whole Foods or Harris Teeter, and also at specialty stores. I paid $12 for a 4-pack (Dogfish Head generally releases 4-packs, unfortunately) so the price-per-beer is higher than many other 12oz offerings. And while this beer is fresh, fruity and tasty, it's still kind of expensive for what you get in my opinion.