Brian Connery, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

On Monday, Brian Connery, Senior Brewer at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery talked a little bit about his background and what it’s like to brew at Dogfish Head. Today, Brian talks a little about beer and shares a few recipes for your kitchen.

Know Your Brewer: What’s your favorite beer that you make?

Brian Connery: 90 [Minute IPA]. I love the 90. It’s got an awesome balance between the malt and the hops; the alcohol kinda keeps you nice and warm during the winter, kinda creeps up on you sometimes. But, y’know.. I cook with it. I made a Thanksgiving turkey with it one year where it was basted in honey butter and 90. And we make sautéed mushrooms with the 90 a lot. That’s a big favorite at home. I love the Chicory – and it’s the time of year for the Chicory – so I take the 90 and the Chicory and make Black and Tans with it. That’s a real tasty one.

I’ll drink 60 pretty much all year ‘round. I really like the Palo Santo [Marron]. Summertime is my Festina [Peche] time; I’ll drink Festina from the beginning of summer to the end. I like just about everything we make. Y’know, everyone’s taste buds are a little different. It’s not that I don’t care for some of them, it’s just that I appreciate some things better than others.

KYB: Can you share what someone can expect from the 90 Minute IPA?

BC: Our 90 Minute IPA is a well-balanced malt and hop bomb! It’s dark amber in color, full of spicy hop aroma. It’s sweet, yet balanced with bitterness in flavor, and it has a nice heavy mouth feel that is topped off with a warming alcohol touch. It’s not a beer to be had by the faint at heart. This IPA reminds us that the English made beer big for a reason: to withstand the long journey to India from England and to reward hard-working soldiers. Unfortunately, you would have to have been an officer to taste it at full strength since it was usually cut with water for the rest of the enlisted men.

KYB: 90 is continually hopped, right? Can you give us a rundown of exactly how that works? What does it mean? How is it achieved?

BC: All three of our IPAs – the 60, the 90, and the 120 – are continuously hopped. Our continuously hopped beers are dosed periodically by our hopping device known as “Sofa King Hoppy.” Additions are made to the hopping device based upon normal hopping times, but “Sofa King Hoppy” does all the work for us by shooting a small amount of hops at a time into the kettle. The purpose of continuously hopping is to allow the hops to have a more complex flavor and aroma contribution to the beer.

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Brian was also kind enough to share a couple of recipes that he’s cooked up in his kitchen using 90 Minute IPA as well as Festina Peche.

Poached Festina Salmon with Festina Reduction
Recipe by Brian Connery

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh Salmon- cleaned, deboned and fat cut off
• Sliced fresh peaches
• Salt and pepper (to the taste)
• Chopped green onion or scallion
• 1 bottle of Dogfish Head Festina Peche

In a shallow pan, place the salmon, seasoned with a small amount of salt and pepper. Place the peaches on and around the salmon. Pour one bottle of Festina Peche into the pan. Cover tightly with foil and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until done. Thick cuts of salmon will take longer to cook.

Place it on plate and top with reduction and scallions. Use peaches and mushrooms as side dishes.

Reduction preparation:
Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of Dogfish Head Festina Peche
• 1 cup of brown sugar

In a small pot, bring Festina up to a simmer. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BRING TO RAPID BOIL. IT WILL BOIL OVER. Add brown sugar and simmer until thick texture is achieved. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken. Drizzle over salmon and peaches.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA Mushrooms
Recipe by Brian Connery

Ingredients:

• 1 package of whole button or shiitake mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic (I use a tablespoon because I love garlic!!!)
• 1 tablespoon of chopped onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A few leaves of fresh herbs of your choice- chopped (I like Basil myself!)
• 1 bottle of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Bring bottle of 90 minute IPA up to a simmer. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL. IT WILL BOIL OVER.

Add garlic and onion, salt, pepper and fresh spices, cook until onions are tender. Add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms on low heat until soft. Add to plate with salmon and enjoy!!

Editor’s note: Unfortunately, Festina Peche is a summer seasonal. We successfully cooked this recipe up at home using Midas Touch; we suggest adding some freshly squeezed lemon juice to mimic the tangy sourness of the Festina Peche.