(Milton, DE) – Another beery ode to the blues coming this spring…

[3/3 Update: Label attached above for a 750ml bottle. Description: “Hellhound is a super-hoppy ale that hits 100 IBUs in the brewhouse, Alc. 10% by vol., 10 SRM in color, and dry-hopped with 100% centennial hops at a rate of 100 kilos per 100 barrel brew-length. To accentuate and magnify the citrusy notes of the centennial hops (and as a shout out to Robert Johnson’s mentor Blind Lemon Jefferson) we add dried lemon peel and flesh to the whirlpool. To read more about Robert Johnson, go to www.robertjohnsonhellhoundale.com.” < Site not yet up...] [3/2 Update: Fixed the Youtube link below (it’s worth listening to this guy jam). Also, Kyle reminded us in the comments of a Dogfish blog post featuring a new lemony beer that the brewery expects to release in big bottles in May (full distribution). Looks like this is the one though it’s unconfirmed. ]



Robert Johnson may not exactly be a household name like Miles Davis, the subject of Sony Legacy and Dogfish Head‘s Bitches Brew collaboration beer, but he influenced a number of musicians who grew to stardom. From Sony Legacy’s website:

May 8, 2011, marks the 100th birthday of Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson, who, according to legend, sold his soul down at the crossroads of Highway 61 and Highway 49 in a midnight bargain that has haunted the music world for three-quarters of a century. The ‘deal’ brought forth Johnson’s incandescent guitar technique and a run of 10-inch 78 rpm singles for the Vocalion, Oriole, Conqueror and Perfect labels recorded in San Antonio in 1936 and Dallas in 1937. Those songs have become a cornerstone of Columbia Records’ identity, and will be celebrated on two CENTENNIAL releases from Columbia/Legacy.

In mid-January, Sony Music Entertainment filed a trademark application for Robert Johnson’s Hellhound on my Ale. The name is a play on words from one of Johnson’s songs, Hellhound on my Trail, shown below. This week, Dogfish got TTB approval for a keg collar. The only description available is that it’s brewed with lemons. Look for the beer to appear at SAVOR.