Dogfish Head to sell 'hoppiest beer ever'

Scott Goss | The News Journal

How hoppy can an IPA get?

That’s a hotly debated topic among beer aficionados.

But Dogfish Head Brewery claims to have created “the hoppiest beer ever documented through scientific analysis” with its newest brew: Hoo Lawd.

Formulated with help from "The State" alumni Ken Marino and Joe Lo Truglio (that’s Victor Pulak from Netflix’s “Wet Hot American Summer” and Charles Boyle from Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine"), the Hoo Lawd comes from the sensation that comes from the first sip.

“It’s abnormally intense enough that it immediately leads to the abnormal spelling of words as in, ‘Hoo Lawd I can’t seem to stop myself from taking another sip even though this is DEFCON-5 hoppy,’” Dogfish founder and president Sam Calagione said in a statement.

Hoo Lawd is brewed with Simcoe, Warrior and Amarillo hops, along with an experimental hop called Alpha Beast, all mixed in a CO2 extract, thanks to help from global hops supplier Yakima Chief Hopunion.

Dogfish claims Hoo Lawd received documentation from two independent labs – including California’s White Labs Inc. Pure Yeast and Fermentation – certifying that Hoo Lawd hits 658 on the International Bittering Units, or IBU scale.

Most India Pale Ales rank somewhere between 40 and 60 on the IBU scale, the industry standard for measuring bitterness.

Some microbrews claim absurdly high ratings of 1,000 or more, although most of those are generally considered to be theoretical at best and pure marketing hype at worst.

That’s because the human palate can only taste differences up to about 110 IBUs.

IBUs also only measure the parts per million of isohumulone – the acid found in hops. For that reason, they fail to take into account a variety of factors that can affect a beer’s bitter taste.

Still, the IBU scale is often used as a measuring stick for beer drinkers looking to outdo their friends or set a high water mark for themselves.

Hoo Lawd promises to do just that, if you’re lucky enough to score pint.

Dogfish Head’s newest flavor will be available on tap at its Rehoboth Beach brew during a 5 p.m. happy hour on Wednesday, featuring the Alstrom Brothers of BeerAdvocate fame.

During the event, Calagione also will hand paint and sign 36 growlers of Hoo Lawd available for sale on a first-come, first-served basis.

After that, curiosity seekers’ only other option will be to travel to Extreme Beer Fest in Boston next spring.

Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.