BrewDog/Beavertown Brewery Catherine's Pony

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is Catherine's Pony, an imperial smoked porter collaboration between BrewDog (Fraserburgh, Scotland) and Beavertown Brewery (London, UK). It's been over a month since my last review and I was intending to make the introduction to my first post of 2013 witty and engrossing; however, after a few failed attempts I've decided to give up and jump straight into the proceedings. I reviewed this beer with my good friend Jamie "Bidds" Bidwell (who you may remember from the video reviews I've posted in the past), so I've compiled our thoughts and presented them in the trusty capsule review format for maximum coherency. Enjoy, and I'll make sure my next review comes along sooner! Review after the pic....

ABV: 8.8%

Appearance

Jet black with a ruby hue, thick light brown head that settles to a thin film over the surface of the beer.

Aroma

Elliott: Dark fruits (blackcurrant), lactose sugar, coffee, cocoa powder, roasted malt. Smokiness not intense, milk stout quality, fruitiness adds nice tartness to mix, toasty notes.

Bidds: Rich fruits, light smokiness, faint coffee, dark malt

Taste

Elliott: Smoked malt, aftertaste of coffee (piquant, toasty), smokiness has tartness along sides of the mouth. Flavours linger on in the finish but begin to cloy after a while, alcohol not noticeable. Some burnt sugar, light fruits now and again (raisins, blackcurrant), yeast extract, licorice.

Bidds: Smokiness, not as rich as expecting, coffee present as roasted quality (prior to being brewed), long finish, aftertaste of coffee (more powerful than during drinking), quite an intense experience.

Mouthfeel

Elliott: Slightly thick, moderate carbonation, not immensely drinkable due to smokiness but combination does suit flavour profile.

Bidds: Harshness, light alcoholic burn, similarity to Merlot

Verdict

Elliott: Decent beer; slightly one-dimensional with regards to the piquant smokiness, which becomes overpowering on a couple of occasions, but still an interesting offering despite this. Could do with some more balance to let the subdued porter flavours dilute the smoked malt power. Interested in seeing how this develops and mellows over time. Worth trying once, but I'd choose something like Mikkeller's Beer Geek Bacon or De Molen's Bloed, Zweet & Tranen over this as I personally feel the smoked malt needs the sort of powerful counterbalance you'd find in an imperial stout as opposed to a porter. 

Jamie: Would drink again, but not number one choice. Depends on context; good if you want a beer with a strong kick to it.

Until next time....

Beer Advent Calendar Day 22- BrewDog Prototype Challenge 2012 Beers

Good evening all. It's time for another series of capsule reviews, as Door 22 revealed the new Prototype Challenge beers from BrewDog (Fraserburgh, Scotland). Following on from last year's selection are three more unusually named offerings, with the purpose being to sample each and vote for the one you'd like to be brewed during 2013. I reviewed one of the 2011 collection during the inaugural advent calendar, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they've managed to come up with this time round. Reviews after the pic....

Nuns With Guns

Style: Pilsner

ABV: 4.2%

Appearance: Pale golden colour, short-lived white head that settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass.

Aroma: Loads of grapefruit, hints of mango, malty sweetness, some sulfurous notes. Grapefruit smacks the olfactories from the start, has that Helles aroma as opposed to a Pilsner. Has some wet-dog funk to it after the nose has become accustomed to the hops. 

Taste: Biscuit malt, honey sweetness, some light grapefruit in the background during drinking, finish isn't bitter but has some hoppy remnants linger in the aftertaste. Seems like an incomplete lager, too thin and watery and the hops don't offset the sweetness enough.

Mouthfeel: Thin, very light carbonation. Doesn't compliment flavours particularly well.

Verdict: Very imbalanced beer, comes across as a rushed offering. The Imperial Pilsner that made a brief appearance in the bars over the summer was much better, it feels as if they just liquored it back to the appropriate ABV percentage to create this one. Not recommended.

Jack Hammer

Style: IPA

ABV: 7.4%

Appearance: Amber colour, short-lived thick white head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer.

Aroma: Grapefruit, pine, mango, malty sweetness in the background. Grapefruit very powerful at first, dies down a little bit once the nose has become accustomed to allow the pine to come through. Sweetness very much supportive. Some hints of orange become noticeable after a while.

Taste: Most of the flavour is almost overpowered by the bitterness, this certainly drinks towards those 200 theoretical IBUs! Pine manages to push through everything quite nicely, sense of alcohol (acetone, esters), biscuit malt, hints of tropical fruits but nothing significantly distinguishable. Finish is quite tart and contains some light grapefruit notes. 

Mouthfeel: Thick, decent amount of carbonation, compliments the amplified bitterness.

Verdict: Pretty intense IPA; flavours on the palette need to be more balanced as bitterness virtually eradicates any subtleties except for the resinous characteristics of the hops. Certainly a contender for general release, but it might be wise to dial down the IBUs slightly to allow for a more interesting and varied drinking experience.

Cocoa Psycho

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.0%

Appearance: Jet black, thick dark brown head that settles to patchy covering over surface of beer.

Aroma: Cocoa powder, chocolate sauce, freshly roasted coffee, vanilla custard, banana, no sense of the alcohol. Very rich and chocolatey (Rogue Double Chocolate Stout immediately springs to mind), seemingly out-of-place banana smell is very similar to those pick and mix banana sweets, mixes well with the vanilla. Very interesting stuff, smells like a pudding/dessert.

Taste: Coffee, chocolate, caramel, custard, tartness during drinking that continues on into the finish, which is quite dry and has some toasty notes from the malt. Yeast extract, coffee, burnt sugar and slight oak flavour discernible through retro-olfaction, flavours aren't as intense or varied as the aromas. Aftertaste is primarily roasted malt and light grapefruit. Drinks very easily, although potential for the flavours to cloy means it's definitely worth sipping. 

Mouthfeel: Thick, moderate carbonation, works well with the richer flavours.

Verdict: Not so sure about this one; aroma showed a lot of promise but on the palette it can be quite unbalanced, and drinks more like a flavoured milk stout than an imperial stout. Has the potential to be a great beer, but the taste needs to deliver what the aroma suggests!

Overall winner- Jack Hammer- it's got the best combination of a sensible ABV percentage and a decent flavour profile, but it needs to be dialled down slightly to make it worth spending money on in a bar. BrewDog are definitely still capable of making very drinkable IPAs, as evidenced with the Hoppy Christmas that I had last night, so they should probably forego the mindset of trying to brew unnecessarily bitter beers and just create something palatable. Last year's Prototypes were all about reasoned, plausible beers (so much so that the majority were repackaged and sold throughout 2012), but this year's series smacks of excess and one-upmanship, and none were particularly impressive in the end. What a difference a year makes!

Until next time....

Beer Advent Calendar Day 10- BrewDog Tokyo Rising Sun Highland Edition

Good evening all. I'm fairly exhausted tonight after a day of jamming and composing, so it's taken a fair bit of effort to get myself interested in day 10's offering; quite a shame really when you consider what I found behind the cardboard door. It's Tokyo Rising Sun Highland Edition, an Imperial Stout from BrewDog (Fraserburgh, Scotland). This beer was brewed back in 2008 and then aged in whisky casks (either Lowland or, in this case, Highland) for 4 years. Considering that most barrel-aged Imperial Stouts spend between 6 and 12 months in casks before being bottled, this has all the potential to be pretty epic. Review after the pics....

Tokyo Rising Sun Highland Edition (13.2% ABV) pours a ruby-tinged black colour with a thick brown head that quickly settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass. The aroma is pretty intense, with plenty of whisky, yeast extract, caramel and some light coffee and chocolate in the background. The whisky and accompanying woody notes hit the olfactories immediately, and quite surprisingly manage to maintain this power over the course of the beer. The caramelised sweetness is rich and compliments the barrel-ageing nicely, and there are some dark fruits (mainly blackcurrant) that combine with the other predominant aromas fairly readily, creating a fortified wine smell. The taste capitalises on these aromas very well, with whisky, chocolate, caramel, yeast extract, a fruity tartness and some oily smokiness in the background. Because the alcohol power is predominantly in the taste as opposed to the volatility, the palette isn't cleansed as regularly as with more vapour-prone barrel-aged offerings, so the sweetness does start to cloy after a few sips. The whisky and fruity tartness work well together and help to offset each other to some extent, but the power of these flavours means the subtleties of the roasted malt are only partially discernible. Now and again the whisky seems to take on a smoky, almost peaty Islay character- particularly Laphroaig with the iodine-heavy palate- which lingers on in the slightly-dry finish with some yeast extract. The alcohol content might be high, but it's disguised very well and it never feels like you're drinking something this titanic. The mouthfeel is thin and the beer is lightly carbonated, which is perfect for a beer of this magnitude (both in terms of flavour and alcohol content). Overall, a great offering from BrewDog that combines the usual full-bodied sweetness of Tokyo with the power of the whisky cask remarkably well; the barrel-ageing hasn't created a better beer, but it has crafted a unique entity that's definitely worth trying if you can still find a bottle. A bit overpriced by most, if not all standards, but I have no regrets when the outcome is as good as this.

Until next time....

Beer Advent Calendar Day 6- BrewDog AB:11

Good evening all. Behind tonight's cardboard door is AB:11, a Barleywine from BrewDog (Fraserburgh, Scotland). This is part of BrewDog's ongoing Abstrakt series, and has been brewed with ginger, brambles and chipotle peppers. At the time of writing it's raining like a beast and it's been consistently cold throughout the day, so I'm looking forward to the warming qualities of this quite a bit! Review after the pics....

AB:11 (12.8% ABV) pours a dark brown colour, verging on black, with a thick beige head that gradually settles to a light coating over the surface of the beer. The aroma is light and characteristically sweet, with caramel, brambles, grapefruit, coffee and some lingering alcohol in the background that slightly stings the nostrils when inhaled deeply. The usual barleywine sweetness and hoppiness is somewhat subdued, allowing the brambles to come through relatively unimpeded, but there's still enough caramel and tropical fruits to keep things interesting. The chipotle and ginger don't make much of an impression on the olfactories, and there's a distinct aroma of roasted malt that brings with it some coffee and licorice notes. So far it's nice, but not as stellar as I was expecting when considering the track record of the Abstrakt series. Fortunately the taste delivers more power, with ginger, brambles, booze, fortified wine and some light grapefruit in the finish. The ginger is noticeable through retro-olfaction and delivers some satisfying spice notes during drinking, which compliments the tartness of the brambles nicely. Some light bitterness and an alcoholic burn swiftly follows, leading to the finish which has some fruity hop remnants and a medley of flavours (fortified wine, roasted malt, burnt sugar sweetness) popping up. Towards the end of drinking the flavours coalesce and the beer resembles a Belgian Quad but without the usual yeast-driven spice and phenols. The alcohol sneaks up on you during drinking, and this is definitely one to sip slowly over a couple of hours if you hadn't guessed already. The mouthfeel is on the thin side and the beer is lightly carbonated, which definitely compliments the higher alcohol content of this bad boy. Overall, this is an interesting adaptation of the barleywine style; the usual sweetness and hop impact are more subtle than I would've liked, but the ginger and brambles add enough to just about compensate for this and the darker malt seems to round out the overall experience. Not my favourite Abstrakt offering or barleywine by far, but it's still worth trying at least once.

Until next time....

BrewDog Ghost Deer

Good evening all. Cast your minds back to last week, and my announcement that I was going on hiatus to preserve what little beer I had left for this year's Beer Advent Calendar. Well, it seems that BrewDog didn't read that post and decided to finally release a bottled version of Ghost Deer, their massively barrel aged Belgian blonde ale that was brought out in the bars last year and served through the mouth of a taxidermied deer's head; as you do. Weighing in at a titanic 28.0% ABV, it's one of the strongest naturally fermented beers ever made, and has been aged in whisky, bourbon, rum and sherry barrels for 12 months. I couldn't resist putting in an order for this beer as I missed its initial run, so I'll happily break my enforced silence to provide my musings on this bad boy. I also tagged on a bottle of AB:11, so expect another review soon before I truly shut up for the remainder of November. Review after the pic....

Ghost Deer (28.0% ABV) pours a rich amber colour with, unsurprisingly, no head or carbonation. The alcohol content is high enough for there to be evaporation on the sides of the glass, but aside from that there's not much else to report regarding the appearance. The aroma is pretty intense, with plenty of alcohol, some brown sugar and various traces of the barrel ageing popping up at random moments. The first inhale brings up a lot of the sherry, with subsequent ones gradually adding the rum and some vanilla-style bourbon to the proceedings. The brown sugar is noticeable mainly through agitating the beer, and there's no sense of any Belgian characteristics breaking through the impact of the barrel ageing. The taste is complex yet surprisingly subtle, with caramel, fortified wine, phenols, marzipan, volatile alcohol and a range of very light notes lingering on in the finish and aftertaste (yeast extract, dessert wine, dark fruits, butter). The caramelised sugar sweetness hits almost immediately and offsets the power of the alcohol as it becomes more prevalent, before fluctuating as the fortified wine flavours take over. The Belgian base is more apparent through tasting, and when combined with the sweetness produces flavours reminiscent of a Tripel. The alcohol imparts a satisfying burn and effectively cleanses the palette, so there's no risk of cloying during drinking. Some light spice remains on the tongue towards the end, whilst the finish is smooth with some buttery notes and a light fortified wine flavour lingering on in the background. It's almost impossible to describe the mouthfeel of this beer in traditional terms, but it's very similar to drinking port. Overall, this is a very impressive beer that manages to balance muscular barrel ageing with understated Belgian flavours, creating something quite unique that should definitely be experienced at least once. Highly recommended, if only the serving size was slightly larger!

Until next time....

BrewDog Hello My Name Is Beastie

Good evening all. You might remember that during August last year, BrewDog released an unusually named beer called "Hello My Name Is Ingrid", a DIPA brewed with cloudberries and the usual hop suspects (Citra, Nelson Sauvin, etc). Previously brewed only for the Swedish market, it was given an all-encompassing release a few months later and quickly became a personal favourite of mine. Over a year later and another DIPA with a weird name, this time with the addition of brambles. It's called Hello My Name Is Beastie, and naturally I've got high hopes based on how fantastic the previous version was. Review after the pic....

Hello My Name Is Beastie (8.2% ABV) pours an amber colour with a thick white head that dissipates relatively quickly to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. The aroma is pretty standard for a DIPA, with resinous pine, mango, grapefruit and some honey in the background. Surprisingly there are some hints of malt every so often which I wouldn't normally expect with a DIPA, and the hop-derived aromas aren't as intense as they possibly could be considering the beer style. This does seem to be a trend with BrewDog's recent Imperial IPA offerings, e.g. Anarchist/Alchemist which, despite the high alcohol content and massive dry hopping regime, was quite reserved in both aroma and taste. The brambles are noticeable yet faint and there are also some notes of orange towards the end of the beer. So far, a myriad of different aromas presented with startling subtlety- let's see if the taste delivers a bit more power. Similar flavours are on show, with malt, pine, peach, mango, grapefruit and some honey sweetness. The hops don't provide much bitterness, but the brambles appear to have imparted a light tartness that compliments the other flavours well. The alcohol is dangerously hidden and the subtleties of the flavours mean there is no cloying, allowing for frequent sips. As with the aroma the flavours aren't particularly robust, but they're balanced and varied enough so that it doesn't seem to matter in this context. The mouthfeel is light and the beer is moderately carbonated- personally a bit more carbonation would've worked better but this doesn't hinder the experience too much. Overall, the inclusion of brambles in this beer is a nice twist on the DIPA style, and I could certainly see myself having this offering again. However, it pales in comparison to Hello My Name Is Ingrid, which is unfortunate as I my expectations were high considering its illustrious company. Definitely worth trying, but if you somehow have the opportunity to get some Ingrid then take it over this one.

Until next time....

BrewDog/Ballast Point San Diego Scotch Ale

Good evening all. I'm writing this review in front of the US Open final, so it's probably going to take me a while as every sentence I write will be followed up by a quick glance at the TV to spectate another long rally. Tonight's beer is San Diego Scotch Ale, a Scotch Ale from BrewDog (Fraserburgh, Scotland). This beer was produced through a collaboration with Ballast Point Brewing Company, who provided the Californian raisins soaked in their own rum that were added to whisky casks housing the beer for close to a year. Sounds like pretty epic stuff, so let's see what it's all about after the pic....

San Diego Scotch Ale (11.9% ABV) pours a dark brown colour with a thick beige head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. The aroma is very rich, with yeast extract, caramelised sugar, dark fruits and a noticeable hit of rum in the background. The Scotch Ale base delivers plenty of malty sweetness which acts as a good platform for the raisins to come through, adding to the sweetness themselves in the process. The rum coalesces with the raisins to create a tart raspberry aroma, whilst the yeast extract is powerful at first but becomes more of a sideline aroma as the olfactories become accustomed to it. Great stuff so far, with enough of the Scotch Ale qualities coming through so that the rum and raisin additions can compliment and add their own unique notes. The taste is remarkably subdued in comparison, with raspberries, rum, caramel, dark fruits, bourbon and a decent malt presence in the background. Despite the high ABV percentage the alcohol isn't always noticeable, with the rum/whisky barrel ageing creating a burn along the sides of the mouth during drinking that gradually subsides to leave the fruity tartness and sweetness in the finish, accompanied by some roasted malt-style dry notes. The first sip seemed to deliver all of the flavours in waves, starting with the Scotch Ale caramelised sweetness, transitioning to the alcoholic power of the rum and then finally bringing the raisins in during the finish. Once the palette gets used to these flavours, the Scotch Ale base and the rum intensity overlap but still allow the dark fruits to come out towards the end, along with an increased perception of the dryness. It's also worth mentioning how dangerously drinkable this beer is, so exercising some restraint might be a wise suggestion (although I certainly didn't!). The mouthfeel is thick and the beer is moderately carbonated, which compliments the drinking experience perfectly. Overall, this is another excellent collaboration beer from the BrewDog lot, with the barrel ageing adding a great dimension and the rum-raisin combo sealing the deal. Definitely recommended- I'm looking to forward to seeing how this develops with a bit of age behind it. 

Until next time....

BrewDog Dead Pony Club

Good evening all. A sojourn in Nottingham was the reason behind my most recent absence, but after receiving a couple of outstanding BrewDog orders over the last couple of days I knew I had to get back into the swing of things with a recent offering from the Fraserburgh scamps. The subject of this post is Dead Pony Club, a 3.8% ABV American Pale Ale that has been brewed with sack-loads of Simcoe, HBC and Citra hops, making it an unusual departure from the full-bodied, alcoholic beers that BrewDog have become renowned for. Their intention with this offering was to create a session beer that doesn't compromise on flavour, so let's see if they've managed to achieve that. Review after the pic....

Dead Pony Club (3.8% ABV) pours a cloudy orange hue with a thick white head that retains itself well on the surface of the beer. It's sightly darker in comparison to the standard straw-coloured pale ales, but it still looks great. The aroma is more intense than I was expecting, and you can definitely tell there's Citra and Simcoe in there. This was even discernible during the taking of the above photo, when my nose hadn't even come close to the beer! Plenty of citrus fruits, some herbal mustiness, grapes and an underlying malty sweetness reminiscent of honey. At first the fruits come bursting out of the glass with grapefruit and kiwi, but as the nose becomes more accustomed to this the herbal qualities soon take over. The sweetness from the malt is not particularly apparent, but this is understandable when considering the ABV percentage and the quantity of malt used. Tasting the beer seems to do away with any citrus fruits, instead focusing on the earthy, herbal aspects of the hops used. The bitterness from the hops masks any significant flavour during tasting, with the finish revealing grapes, kiwi fruit and some biscuit malt. No cloying or bitterness residing in the finish though, which makes it immensely drinkable. The mouthfeel is moderately thick and the beer is well carbonated, which works well with the lighter hop flavours. Overall, this is an incredibly sessionable beer with a generous hop kick and a smooth, almost bitter-free finish. My first impression of this beer was that it was very citric and more in line with American IPAs, but gradually this perception was eroded and I'm now left with the impression that it tastes an awful lot like the current incarnation of Punk IPA. As most will know, BrewDog's flagship beer has undergone various changes since it was first brewed, but it seems that now it has turned into more of a herbal, floral beer as opposed to the sightly resinous, citrus-filled beer that it used to be when it was first brought out at the new ABV percentage. Personally, I would rather have this beer (Dead Pony Club) remain the same and have a return to the more amplified flavours/aromas that made Punk IPA so great in the first place. Dead Pony Club is certainly an interesting beer and I would happily get it again- although I would rather drink it in the bars than at home- but it's an unfortunate and stark reminder of how much BrewDog have let the beers that built them decrease in quality over a relatively short period of time. Hopefully the new brewery will allow them to continue their experiments whilst maintaining their core range.

Until next time....

BrewDog AB:09

Good afternoon all. I received a nice little order from BrewDog yesterday that included the new offering in their ever-growing Abstrakt series- AB:09, an Imperial Stout modeled on cranachan, the popular Scottish dessert containing oatmeal, heather honey, whisky and raspberries. As a result of consuming this and a number of other libations last night I'm definitely not functioning as well as I should be, but my desire to express how I feel about this beer is too great so I'm pushing on regardless. Well, that and I have some coursework to do later and this should be a good warm-up. Review after the pic....

AB:09 (17.1% ABV) pours a jet black colour with a light head formed during pouring that dissipates to a very thin halo around the inside of the glass, as can be expected based on the elevated alcohol content. Looks like a standard high-ABV stout, nothing new to report there! The aroma is amazing, with yeast extract, raspberries, roasted malt, coffee, licorice, chocolate and a significant amount of alcoholic character from the whisky. At first there was a slight funkiness from the fruit additions, but this went away shortly after the first inhale. The whisky barrel ageing imparts a significant boozy aspect to the beer, with plenty of characteristic whisky aromas evaporating readily into the nose even from a distance. The roasted malt imparts subtle aromas of coffee and chocolate, but this is quite hard to determine at first behind the significant alcohol burst. The scotch and fruit aromas coalesce to provide a caramelised sweetness that is very reminiscent of a barley wine, with similarities to candy sugar and fruity hops. A lot to comprehend, but it really blows you away with how composed yet volatile it is. Tasting the beer is just as interesting, bringing whisky, dark fruits, licorice, chocolate and a candy sugar sweetness. The finish is quite dry and piquant, with bread and toasty notes in the aftertaste accompanied by a significant amount of yeast extract. The flavours are very much the same as what you would find in port, and it also reminded me of Tactical Nuclear Penguin but with a diminished alcohol kick. The roasted malt flavours come out more during tasting, particularly the coffee. The whisky imparts a distinct and pronounced warming effect on the body, and the characteristic flavours are present despite the additional competing flavours. The fruits are dark and sweet, and occasionally create a licorice flavour when combined with the sweetness. The mouthfeel is not overly thick and the beer is barely carbonated, with agitation producing short-lived clusters of foam but nothing substantial. Overall, this is a truly fantastic offering from BrewDog that amplifies the usual qualities of an imperial stout (dark fruits, roasted malt) and then takes it further with the whisky barrel ageing to create a powerful yet incredibly drinkable beer. All of these things might have been done before with beers (particularly imperial stouts), but when they're done this well you almost feel like you're experiencing something totally unique. Highly recommended, get a bottle to have now and a few for the cellar, you'll want to have it again in the future!

Until next time....

Cooking With Beer- Steak, Cheese and BrewDog Rip Tide Pie

Good evening all. Today's post marks the first in a new and potentially ongoing series regarding cooking with beer. Now we've all read plenty of posts extolling the virtues of food and beer pairings, but sometimes it's necessary to integrate our favourite beverage into the food we eat, particularly when a recipe calls for alcohol and it just won't suffice to use adjunct-laden liquid cardboard. Last night I took a wild, boyish fling at, well, cooking, and dug up a recipe from the venerable oracle of school dinner advocacy, Jamie Oliver. The recipe, which you can find here, called for Guinness, but in true craft beer fashion (and because I didn't have any cans to hand) I opted to use a bottle of Rip Tide, BrewDog's 8.0% ABV Imperial Stout. I'll discuss the outcome and how the beer contributed to the recipe after the obligatory preparation pics below....

The star of the show, patiently awaiting sacrifice

Starting the proceedings, sans stout

In the oven, hard part over!

The final product (it wasn't just for me by the way)

The pie didn't look as picturesque or impressive as it probably could have, but as they say the proof is always in the tasting, and it tasted very good if I say so myself. So what did the Rip Tide add to the overall experience? Well, it gave the meat a richness and darkness that worked really well with the buttery flavours from the pastry, and the sauce/gravy was certainly thicker and more robust than similar pies I've had that utilised more ubiquitous stouts. I didn't get any characteristic stout flavours from the pie, just the sense that the concept of richer, amplified flavours had been imparted onto the constituent ingredients of the pie, which isn't a bad thing really as I don't think coffee and chocolate works too well with rustic cooking. This exercise has certainly compelled me to think about cooking with beer more in the future, so expect more food-related posts in the coming months.

Until next time....

BrewDog Anarchist/Alchemist

Good evening all. I've had a couple of inactive days on the blog due to dissertation work, but fear not as I've got plenty of interesting beers lined up over the next couple of weeks, and if that's not enough to entice you I might just do another video review so you can see me stammer on a couch whilst drinking. What more could you ask for? Don't answer that, let's just get onto the beer that I had a couple of nights ago- Anarchist/Alchemist, a triple IPA from BrewDog. Sounds like another typically gratuitous offering from the Fraserburgh scamps, so let's get straight in and see what it's all about. Review after the pic....

Anarchist/Alchemist (14.0% ABV) pours a very dark amber colour with a thick white head that dissipates relatively quickly to a thin halo around the inside of the glass. I wasn't expecting a lot of head considering the ABV percentage, so I was initially quite surprised when I poured what you see in the picture, but I had the feeling it wasn't going to last long. The aroma is surprisingly subtle considering the nature of the beer, with a subdued resinous quality, citrus fruits, peaches and a light sweetness. It's definitely not an oily hop bomb as I was expecting and the alcohol is barely even noticeable at this stage. The piney hops and citrus fruits come through in waves, there's a slight ethanol/acetone aroma in the background, and every so often there's an ester-like quality and also some apple aromas. Still quite complex, just not as heavy as I was expecting- this beer is constantly full of surprises! The taste is composed of apples, biscuit malt, grapes, peaches, citrus fruits and some piney flavour, with a distinct alcoholic burn to the finish accompanied by a slight bitterness from the hops. Tasting it immediately reminded me of my first impression of Canadian Club whisky- restrained flavours and a fair hit from the alcohol present during tasting and in the finish. Despite this it's still very drinkable, and I wouldn't have guessed the ABV percentage was that high if I wasn't aware of it. There's also a candy floss sweetness/caramelised sugar flavour to the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is very light and the beer is barely carbonated. Considering the alcohol content this isn't all that surprising, and with the subtleties of the beer it's certainly not a negative thing. Overall, this beer is an unexpected exercise in subtlety, which is quite odd when you consider it's a 14.0% ABV triple IPA from by a brewery with a notorious penchant for taxidermy-related drinks dispensing and outrageous public displays of beer proliferation. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course! I wouldn't get it again but it was certainly an interesting offering that provided a rather subtle array of characterstic IPA flavours with a healthy dose of alcohol to liven up the proceedings. Worth trying at least once.

Until next time....

Collaboration Video Reviews- BrewDog IPA Is Dead Range

Good evening all. In my last review I alluded to a special blog post that had been taking up a fair bit of my reviewing time, and now the moment has come to unveil the contents of that post to you lucky readers. On Tuesday last week I decided to do a series of video reviews with a good friend by the name of Jamie "Bidds" Bidwell, author of the increasingly popular film blog Talk Films (http://talkfilms.blogspot.co.uk/). Over the course of one evening (and the early morning of the following day!), myself and Bidds worked our way through the entire IPA Is Dead range from BrewDog, recording our live reactions and thoughts. The videos are interspersed with our own humour and occasional unprofessional conduct, but all in all it was a very fun exercise and I hope to repay the favour with Bidds in the form of a film review on his blog in the near future. As  mentioned before with my first video review post I apologise for the speech disfluency on my part; it genuinely can't be helped but hopefully it won't detract too much from the viewing experience. Now without further ado let's get on to the reviews, which are also available in full HD if you're willing to wait a bit longer for the video to buffer and you've always wanted to see two people on a sofa in 1080p....

BrewDog IPA Is Dead Galaxy

BrewDog IPA Is Dead Challenger

BrewDog IPA Is Dead Motueka

BrewDog IPA Is Dead HBC

Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed the experience! Until next time....

BrewDog/Three Floyds Bitch Please Islay Cask

Good afternoon all. Being back at home for various holidays is always great fun, as it allows me to catch up with old friends, reminisce about the halcyon days and drink a lot of good beer. Naturally there's the underlying theme of completing coursework and revising for exams, but right now I'm in the first week of the Easter break so that's not really phasing me. Onto the beer now, and last night I decided to have a special release from a brewery whose sole intention seems to be to bankrupt me over the course of this month with all of the new beers they're bringing out. That's right, it's the scamps at BrewDog with Bitch Please Islay Cask, a barley wine made in collaboration with Three Floyds that's spent the last 18 months residing patiently in Laphroaig casks. Unfortunately I don't have a bottle of the original Bitch Please, that spent 8 months in Jura casks, to compare to this new offering, but I was able to try it last year and it was very interesting indeed. One can only hope that this will take the experience to another level, so let's see what it was like. Review after the pic....

Bitch Please Islay Cask (13.5% ABV) pours a dark red colour with an off-white head that retains itself well throughout drinking. The aroma is pretty incredible, with peated malt, smoke, candy sugar, tobacco and a hoppy fruitiness in the background. If anyone reading is a pipe smoker, it smells exactly like Cornell & Diehl's "Epiphany" with the plum notes and underlying sweetness. The taste is slightly medicinal- just like Laphroaig- with peat, candy sugar, hoppy citrus fruits, blackcurrants and some sweetness. The finish is warming and lingers long after drinking, and there's a slight alcoholic burn that cuts through the other flavours without being too imposing. The mouthfeel is thick and the beer is well carbonated despite the high ABV percentage. Overall, another great offering/collaboration from BrewDog- the sweet, fruity and hoppy barley wine base works very well with the generous helping of peaty, medicinal Islay whisky, offering an interesting dichotomy. The mouthfeel elevates the flavours and the finish is velvety smooth with a decent amount of intensity. Highly recommended, get it whilst you can!

Until next time....

BrewDog Sunk Punk

Good afternoon all. I've amassed quite a backlog of beer tasting notes recently, mainly due to the last few days being packed with coursework, finalising project work and travelling. I'm currently back in Devon for Easter and enjoying a bit of time off before I resume my project dissertation, so I should have ample opportunity to write these up before starting on new ones! The first beer is from a brewery that regularly features on Misplaced Hours, and was brewed at the bottom of the North Sea using buckweed, sea salt, rum and a lager yeast. It can only be Sunk Punk, an American IPA from BrewDog. Review after the pic....

Sunk Punk (7.1% ABV) pours a dark amber colour with a bubbly off-white head that dissipates to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. It's slightly cloudy but looks like a typical hoppy American IPA, good stuff so far. The aroma is composed of resinous hops, some sweetness (caramelised sugar) and a boozy rum quality in the background. Definitely has a maritime property to it- very interesting stuff and definitely seems like more than just another publicity stunt!. The hops are quite oily and piney, with virtually no tropical fruit character. The taste is predominantly herbal, with resinous hops, citrus fruits and a salty bite in the background. The finish has a warming alcohol quality, with some hop bitterness and a sweetness in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is slightly thick with moderate carbonation. Overall, an interesting take on a popular beer style, with characteristic piney hop character/bitterness cutting through an unusual oceanic herbal feel. Definitely worth trying once, although the price might be quite a deterrent for the beer equivalent of a curio.

Until next time....

BrewDog Paradox Jura and BrewDog/The Lost Abbey Lost Dog

Good evening all. Whilst the demands of a final year undergraduate student are, to say the least, numerous and unrelenting, it's always good to take stock with an epic beverage or two every so often. This statement is reinforced when your project seems to constantly evolve to accommodate work that isn't related to your field and/or won't produce data that can be used in your dissertation. Bearing this in mind, it was with great pleasure that earlier this week I received an order from BrewDog containing their latest porters- Paradox Jura and Lost Dog, the latter being a collaboration with The Lost Abbey from California. Naturally, I popped the caps off one of each of these bad boys as soon as I could, as it definitely seems to be the season for imperial porters/stouts from the Fraserburgh scamps! Review of Paradox Jura after the pic....

Paradox Jura (15.0% ABV) pours a dark black colour with a light brown head that settles down to a halo around the inside of the glass. The aroma is wonderful, with coffee, chocolate, yeast extract, blackcurrants and a caramelised, candy floss sweetness supported by a noticeable whisky kick in the background. Plenty of characteristic imperial stout aromas with a hearty, boozy injection of smoky whisky- fantastic stuff already! The taste is composed of chocolate, Marmite, piquant/tart coffee, dark fruits, candy floss and a slight burn from the whisky accompanied by a refreshing smokiness. The finish is sweet like a rich dessert but the whisky flavours don't last long enough to be a part of it. The mouthfeel is smooth, mildly carbonated and not overly thick. Overall, a fantastic addition to the always-stellar Paradox series. Before trying this beer I suspected that Jura might not be potent enough to impart anything significant to the beer, especially when considering the complex flavours of an imperial stout, but this certainly isn't the case. It's incredibly well-balanced and presents itself in the right proportions each time. Definitely recommended, get a few bottles of this and see how it improves with time!

The second imperial porter/stout is Lost Dog, an imperial porter aged in rum barrels for a year. I've never had a Lost Abbey beer before, but as they seem to do interesting takes on Belgian beer styles this seems to be a slight departure for them. As for BrewDog, this beer seems positively tame in comparison to their usual stunts! Review after the pic....

Lost Dog (11.5% ABV) pours a very dark red colour, verging on black, with a short-lasting light brown head that settles to nothing in the glass. The aroma consists of roasted malt, dark fruits, coffee, licorice, candy floss and a rich sweetness, with overtones of rum and a significant boozy quality. Interesting combinations, with the rum definitely taking a back seat to the other components. Tasting the beer brings up plenty of rum flavours though, with dark fruits, candy sugar and licorice. The drink can be quite buttery at times, with cake/bread-like flavours coming through every so often. The rum bites slightly during drinking but doesn't last to the finish, which is quite sweet and brings out a light coffee aftertaste with some piquancy and tartness. The mouthfeel is surprisingly thin with very little carbonation. Overall, an interesting beer from two well-known and respected breweries. There are plenty of characteristic imperial porter flavours for fans of this beer style, with the rum barrel ageing adding a "clean" element to the beer, cleansing the palette after the initial flavour bursts and becoming more predominant throughout the experience. I'd like to see what a bit of age does to this beer, so I'll revisit it again after a while and see what's changed. Still worth a try, but not highly recommended.

Until next time....

Bear Republic Brewing Co. Racer 5 and BrewDog Tokyo*

Good afternoon all. In what could be perceived as a contradictory move, I've decided to lump together the two beers that rounded off the #openit weekend into one post to save a bit of reviewing time. This post has been stopped and started several times since Sunday due to exhaustion-induced writer's block, but today felt like a good opportunity to take a "wild, boyish fling at writing". Therefore, out of a lack of having anything interesting to say, I present Racer 5, an IPA from Bear Republic Brewing Co. and Tokyo*, an imperial stout from BrewDog. First review after the pic....

Racer 5 (7.0% ABV) pours a golden/light amber colour with a white head that dissipates gradually to a thin covering over the surface of the beer. The aroma is mainly piney/resinous hops, with some floral aroma hops providing citrus fruits and a pleasing sweetness in the background. Not a lot of malt character coming through, definitely masked by the hops. The taste brings out more malt though, carrying with it floral citrus hops and resinous hops, a strong medicinal quality (TCP-like, reminiscent of Laphroaig) and a strong hoppy bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is moderately carbonated and quite thick, and the bitterness can be  quite cloying at times. Overall, a very solid IPA with something for everyone- a pleasing dichotomy between citrus/floral hops and resinous hops, plenty of malt and a decent amount of bitterness. I'd definitely get this beer again!

The last beer of the #openit event was Tokyo* from BrewDog, and in my opinion it was the only beer that fulfilled the necessary criteria in the first place. I had that bottle kicking about since Summer 2011, so I felt it was the perfect opportunity to give it a try and see what all the fuss was about. Review after the pic....

Tokyo* (18.2% ABV) pours a very deep red colour, verging on black, with a dark beige head that dissipates shortly after pouring to a thick halo around the inside of the glass. In all fairness, you wouldn't expect much of a head when considering the alcohol content, so even that's fairly impressive. The aroma is very boozy and sweet, with dark fruits, candy sugar, roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. I was expecting more of the bitter aromas to come through but the sweetness is very noticeable and makes this beer a refreshing change. The taste is just as sweet and alcoholic, with a complex array of different flavours including malt, licorice, yeast extract (Marmite), chocolate, dark fruits (blackcurrants, raisins) and some honey/toffee. The mouthfeel is lightly carbonated and quite thick. Overall, a truly unique experience that juxtaposes a lot of characteristic imperial stout flavours against a very sweet background, making it perfect as an after-dinner sipper or with dessert. Marvelous stuff- I would happily get it again but not for a while, the impression it's left is still very evident!

I'd like to close by saying a few words about #openit12. Frankly, I think it was a great idea that gave me an excuse to sample a few beers that I wouldn't have opened otherwise. Most beer drinkers, myself included, fall into the trap of acquiring a number of interesting and unusual beers and hoarding them, waiting for that special reason to get out the bottle opener. As shown by this experience, sometimes it's best to do away with the rationalising and get back to enjoying this beverage- sometimes controversial, always exciting- that seems to unite us all. 

Until next time....

Mikkeller/BrewDog I Hardcore You

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is I Hardcore You, a collaboration between Mikkeller and BrewDog with a difference- it's a blend of each brewery's flagship DIPA, namely Mikkeller's I Beat You and BrewDog's Hardcore IPA. In a move that you'd expect from such big names in the craft beer world, they've gone one step further by adding two extra dry hopping stages to amplify the beer even further. Since hearing about this beer a year ago I've been desperate to try it, so getting hold of a few bottles at the start of the week made me incredibly happy indeed! In regards to the individual beers from which this one was made, I've enjoyed Hardcore IPA many times before, but the closest I've got to I Beat You is a bottle currently residing in my cellar that I've yet to open. I'm thinking there may be grounds for a three beer taste test in the future, but before I entertain those thoughts it's time for the review. Which, as always, is after the pic....

I Hardcore You (9.5% ABV) pours a dark amber colour (verging on ruby) with a thick white head that dissipates gradually to a patchy covering on the surface of the beer. The aroma is full of resinous and citrus hops, with a candy sugar sweetness and a slightly vinous quality that is reminiscent of previous Mikkeller barrel-aged offerings. Hop lovers rejoice, you'll already know by this point that you're in for something spectacular! The taste is packed full of sticky piney hops, with some malt character present and a sweet caramelised aftertaste. The finish is, unsurprisingly, rather bitter and dry, and there is a flavour reminiscent of tonic water in the background. I'd describe the bitterness as biting slightly during drinking, then becoming more puckering in the finish. The mouthfeel is quite light and moderately carbonated. Overall, this is a wonderful collaboration from two of my favourite breweries, the result of which is a formidable yet balanced hop bomb with a sweet edge that offsets the bitterness nicely. It might have taken me a while to try this beer, but it was so worth it. Very highly recommended!

Until next time....