Brewed by BrewDog brewed in the style of an Imperial/Double IPA, and they are in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Ingredients: Maris Otter, Crystal malt, Caramalt; Centennial, Columbus, Simcoe hops. Dry Hops: Centennial, Columbus, Simcoe. IBU 150This little bottle has a grandiloquent story to tell. 2,204 malted Maris Otter grains gave all they had to offer the world to provide the robustly delicate toffee malt canvas for the ensuing epic. 6 Hop Cones willingly sacrificed themselves in fiery cauldron that is our brew kettle to ensure your mouth is left feeling punished and puckering for more. 9,900,000,000 yeast cells frantically fermented their little hearts out as the sugars were magically turned into alcohol in the dark depths of our fermentation tanks. This explicit ale has more hops and bitterness that any other beer brewed in the UK. This is an extreme beer rollercoaster for freaks, gypsies and international chess superstars.
150IBU's 330ml, 9.2% ABV, 278 calories, all the numbers, including the 2.4 standard drink unit one.
I thought the hop aroma was subdued on opening this. Great dark pour and nice head that doesn't last .Right then. this is an assault. But it tells you on the sticker what you're about to get.
Carried on a reasonably nice sweet note there is a banging amount of bitterness in this. Finish is long and ends dry.
A whole melange of flora and grass notes all brawling and fighting in this.
What I got to was a clear note of the alcohol, but be3ing fair it is on the higher side of the numbers.
What I was confused about was the sweetness.
What the pdubyah-o-meter thinks? Randomly and arbitrarily then, this is 8, very good. But that mostly from honesty and not because I'm overly impressed with the gently and well thought out way that this has been constructed.
The opposite of the Punk IPA, this really is the headbanger. I'm not sure it's supposed to be that way round. But then what do I know.
All I could think of was the Dead Kennedys - try this - Holiday in Cambodia
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KTsXHXMkJA&w=480&h=360]
IMPERIAL/DOUBLE IPA
Imperial IPA, Double IPA or DIPA is a strong, often sweet, intensely hoppy version of the traditional India Pale Ale. Bitterness units range upward of 100 IBUs and alcohol begins at 7.5% but is more commonly in the 8.5-10% range. The flavour profile is intense all-round. Unlike barley wines, the balance is heavily towards the hops, with crystal and other malts providing support.
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ReplyDeleteI think you nailed this review, Pdubyah...
ReplyDeleteIt was an assault on my tastebuds, right from the first hit of the aroma through the taste and mouthfeel, and right on to the very last touch of bitterness at the very end, plus I quite liked the sweetness that lingers in this beer. At 9.2% you are getting a massive hit of alcohol to balance out that bitterness, that does become pronounced as you work your way through the bottle.
And Dead Kennedy's is an inspired choice to listen to when drinking this beer. I dug out my old copy of Frankenchrist for a blast-from-the-past, just stopping short of pogo'ing round the lounge, which seemed like a good idea after drinking a bottle of Hardcore...
- SteveG
I'd forgotten about the Kennedys... again... so it was back in to the music library for another go.
ReplyDeleteOh and I should get some beer in