The New Randall by Dogfish Head Really Puts the “Hop” in Hop-Head

Here is another amazing example of why I love Dogfish Head and its founder, Sam Calagione. Back in the early 2000’s at some beer festivals you may have seen Dogfish head pumping some of their IPAs through a vertical tube of fresh hops then poured directly into your glass. Most notably the 120 IBU (International Bitter Unit) 120 Minute IPA was being fed through what Sam named Randall, producing a wildly fresh, enamel eating, hoppy beer. This was a fun and unique experiment for Dogfish, and also a way for Sam to prove to the West Coast Brewers that the East Coast knows how to hop it up too.

Now though, Sam has introduced Randall the second, a much more refined and engineered version of the original makeshift Randall. This version installs onto a tap line, and has two chambers allowing Dogfish to filter beer though the ingredient of their choice in one, and the second to reduce foaming. Guess what they have been doing with it…

It starts with the IPAs fed through fresh Cascade and Willamette hops. But then the Palo Santo Marron gets filtered through coffee beans. And the Punkin gets a dosage of cinnamon sticks and fresh roasted pumpkin seeds. Or how about the Olde School Barleywine served via prunes soaked in the 1997 J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale. The options are really endless. I hope I get to enjoy some Dogfish Poured through Randall, and if you see it, be sure to try some.