Sixty-One, Dogfish Head‘s first new core beer since 2007, was born at the crossroads of serendipity, experimentation and brotherhood.
Whenever Dogfish Head President Sam Calagione and his neighborhood friends gather for drinks, they give each other a big ol’ man-hug and order a round of 60 Minute IPA. A few years ago, Sam also ordered a glass of his favorite red wine and poured a little into each pint of 60 Minute. They all dug the combination of fruity complexity and pungent hoppiness, and the blend became a beloved tradition.
Sixty-One captures that tradition in a bottle and marries two Dogfish Head innovations: beer/wine hybrids — which Dogfish has focused on for well over a decade with beers like Midas Touch and Raison D’├¬tre — and continually-hopped IPAs.
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.
To celebrate the launch of Sixty-One, Dogfish Head and Will Oldham, who performs as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, are releasing a limited-edition record. Bonnie “Prince” Billy has performed many times at Dogfish Head’s coastal Delaware brewpub and has become a good friend, the kind of friend you’d give a big ol’ man-hug to. He wrote an original song called Sixty-One that was inspired by this beer’s origins, and on the flip-side of the record is a rollicking Bonnie “Prince” Billy version of the innuendo-filled Dominoes classic “Sixty-Minute Man.” The record will be available only at Dogfish Head’s Delaware brewery and brewpub, where you’ll get a four-pack of Sixty-One, the record and a big, ol’ hug from a Dogfish Head co-worker.
Sixty-One, which clocks in at 6.5% ABV, will debut in March. Four-packs will be available four times a year throughout Dogfish Head’s 27-state distribution network. Suggested price is $8.99-$9.99.