Tuesday 17 December 2013

Beer Advent Calendar 2013 Day 15, 16 and 17- BrewDog Santa Paws and Salopian Black Ops

Good evening all. Tonight's post should be a triple bill to cover the recently lapsed days, but criminally I don't actually have any pics or tasting notes for the beers I consumed on Sunday (Sierra Nevada's Brux and Three Floyds/Brouwerij De Molen Zes Zes Zes) so you'll have to be content with the idea that they were very good indeed! The other two have been documented so you can enjoy my musings of BrewDog's Santa Paws and Salopian's Black Ops below. Review after the pic....


Santa Paws (4.5% ABV) pours a ruby colour with a frothy off-white head that maintains itself during drinking. Not a lot going on with the aroma, predominantly roasted malt and a hint of caramelised sweetness but these aren't as powerful as I was hoping for. The taste continues this theme with caramel, a hint of yeast extract and some light hops coming out in the finish. The mouthfeel is quite watery which adds a further downer to the drinking experience. Not their best beer and not one that I'd recommend.


Black Ops (7.4% ABV) pours a pitch-black colour with a thick off-white head that settles to a film over the surface of the beer. Fantastic aroma with grapefruit, mango, caramel, licorice and roasted malt mingling together superbly. Fortunately the taste delivers on all that the aroma promises, with tropical fruits, coffee, licorice and some resinous notes. Juicy mouthfeel and virtually no bitterness in the finish, this is a top beer that I'd happily get again.

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