Brewologist | Dogfish Head hybrid mingles mango, apricot, hops

• A fruity, hoppy, balanced India pale ale from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
• Along with the usual beer stuff, ingredients include apricot, mango and ginger
• 7.2 percent alcohol by volume, 40 International Bitterness Units
• Seasonal release, so don't hesitate if it sounds good to you

Is it an India pale ale? Is it a fruit beer? Do I care?

No, I don't care. It's a really nice change of pace, and sometimes defying categorization is the way to go.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in the state of Delaware is good at breaking rules and mixing things up. If it has flavor and can be consumed, Dogfish brewers have probably given brewing with it a stab.

The inspiring ingredients in the brewery's Romantic Chemistry aren't particularly weird. There's mango. There's apricot. There's ginger. In combination with a hoppy India pale ale, they result in a hybrid brew that stands out from the crowd.

The beer pours a golden amber, with a nice head. Aromas of hops and fruit mingle, with neither dominating. If you tend to find fruity beers cloying, the nose on this one promises otherwise thanks to the balancing hops. If you tend to find IPAs too bitter, the fruit notes are there to reassure you that Romantic Chemistry will not twist your face up in knots.

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The flavor is as balanced as the aroma. It starts out with a strong, almost juicy fruit vibe that lasts for a second or two, then the beer thing kicks in and hands it all over to the hops for a nice finish. The mango-apricot-ginger flavors never really go away, and the hops never really come in and rough up the joint. It is all about balance, while producing something new. I imagine the brewers all smiled big-time when they cracked open the test batch on this one.

Romantic Chemistry is 7.2 percent alcohol by volume, but the booze is not particularly evident in the taste, so don't fool yourself into rushing through a few of these. Take your time. The nice, lingering finish is reason enough to do that anyway.

The beer is just 40 International Bitterness Units, way down on the scale compared to many american IPAs that clock in at 80, 100 or more. If you've tried Dogfish's 90 Minute IPA, at 90 IBUs, or if you are lucky enough to have grabbed some of the 120 Minute IPA at a whopping 120 IBUs, you might have come to expect extreme hoppiness from this brewery. Romantic Chemistry demonstrates that Dogfish can do a very good India pale ale on the lower end of the scale, too, and that more brewers should perhaps follow suit. Variety is the spice of good beer.

I usually suggest food pairings with beers, and I think this one would be terrific with anything you grill and serve on the patio, but this brew is at its best on its own, in my opinion. It has a lot of complex stuff going on, and piling other flavors on top of that might get in the way

If the artwork on the label looks familiar, you may have seen similar stuff on album covers by bands like Foo Fighters and Phish. The artist is Drew Millward, and even if you don't like beer you might want to pick up a bottle in the store and just admire the artwork. Of course, if you you don't like beer and read this column I sort of have to question your priorities.

If this beer sounds interesting to you, make it a priority to grab some of this spring seasonal release before it is all gone. There is a Fish Finder spot on the brewery's website, Dogfish.com, to help you do that.

Other news of note

Stone Brewing Company is celebrating its 20th anniversary in a big way. I keep seeing special releases at an astounding rate, and there is simply no way I can review them all. Heck, I can barely keep up with Stone on Twitter and Untappd. Many of these are encore editions of past anniversary brews, so if there is a beloved Stone product from your past, keep your eyes peeled.

The latest is the Sixth Anniversary Porter, a delicious black beauty full of smoke and coffee notes, Sold in 22-ounce bottles, its a no-brainer grab for those who like big porters and stouts. It is 8 percent alcohol by volume and 80 IBUs, and suitable for cellaring for a few years if you are so inclined. Whenever you open yours, drink it at cellar temperature so as to not diminish the flavors.

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Steve Goble writes Brewologist, a weekly craft beer column, for Media Network of Central Ohio. Email him at sgoble@gannett,com. You can find Brewologist on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.