A Day of BrewDog!

I'll spare you the "I'm getting caught up" spiel. I have a new baby, I'm falling behind on the blog, it is what it is. Today we venture back to a day before the little guy made his appearance. THE day before, in fact. We knew the day was coming soon, so in true craft beer enthusiast fashion I set up a brew day to brew an IPA and taste a bunch of great beer. Our area had just received a ton of BrewDog beers, so we decided it was an appropriate day to try them all. Now, before you all declare how irresponsible drinking when your baby could be here any minute is, we split each beer throughout the day. Despite the high alcohol content in some of these brews, I was careful to not get a buzz. The things we do for our kids, huh?

First up: 5AM Saint, a red ale that weighs in at 5% ABV. We went from lightest to heaviest in this tasting. 5AM Saint pours a hazy red-brown with an off white head. There is minimal nose here, just a hint of sweet malts. The flavors a fruity and sweet toffee flavors. I did not detect as much hop presence as some people had suggested there would be. It finishes malty and just a little bitter. A solid brew, just not what I was expecting.

Next up comes Punk IPA, a 5.6% ABV IPA that I have been wanting to try for quite some time. Punk pours a opaque light yellow with a bright white head. The nose is light with citrus notes and just a hint of pineapple coming through. The flavors are incredible light. There is a flavor there that I cannot quite place, but it is almost a mango flavor among the light citrus hop flavors. The finish is just slightly bitter but not at all overwhelming. If this beer was just a little cheap stateside I could see it being incredibly sessionable. 

The next beer, Libertine Black Ale (7.2%ABV), was described to me as a black IPA, and I suppose since that category seems to be quite vague it could be called that. Libertine pours jet black with a fluffy tan head. The nose is light, and consists mostly of roasted malts. Those malts follow through in the flavor, along with some really nice coffee notes. It finishes with some piney, bitter hops that really balance the whole thing out. I guess I'm not sure where the line between a black IPA and a hoppy stout lies, but I like this beer a lot regardless. I think I will stick to calling it a black ale as BrewDog did, that way I can't be wrong.

A beer that there is no doubt which style it belongs to is Hardcore IPA, an imperial IPA that weighs in at 9.2%. Pouring this brew reveals a dark orange nectar with an off white head. The nose on this thing is amazing! Lots of floral hops fill the air as you pour. A taste reveals some nice citrus flavors and sweet malts at the start, followed by some big-time bitterness! This is certainly not an IPA to introduce the style to your friends, as it is almost shameless with its teeth kicking hoppiness. I for one, am a fan of that.

From this point we sink into the really pricey heavy hitters. First up was one that made my wallet cry a little: Cocoa Psycho, a 10% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that will run you about $12 if you want to try it stateside. Since I was splitting these, I figured I'd bite the bullet and let TJ grab the next expensive one. The pour is thick and oily black with a really dark brown head that barely exists. The nose is loaded with big coffee and booze aromas. The flavors start out with big, bitter coffee followed by vanilla and a significant booze tinge. It finishes silky smooth with some really nice, subtle chocolate notes on the end. There is a lot going on here, and I think if it is something you can afford you should give it a try. 

TJ's chance to buy the next expensive bottle came quickly, as the final brew of the day was Tokio*, an 18.2% ABV monster of an imperial stout that also runs around $12 for a bottle. Quick side note, I was told BrewDog had to change this beer's name from Tokyo* to Tokio* for the US market because it is made in Scotland, not Tokyo, and that may cause confusion... I don't know how true that is, but considering the bottles say "Product of Scotland" that really makes me feel like an idiot American... Anyways, to the beer! Tokio* is another thick black brew with a thin tan head. The nose is quite interesting, consisting of cranberries, sweet malts, and no lack of booze. The flavors start out with a quick hint of fruity berries that are quickly overwhelmed by lots of sweet malts. There is a huge booze presence that follows, but to be honest not one that matches the ABV. Some people really don't like that in a beer, but I think if done right it is a great addition to the flavor. In that sense, BrewDog nailed it. Tokio* is a little sweet, a little funky, but all good in my book. I think a little age will do wonders for this beer, and I have one stashed in my cellar to find out!

 In closing, my first experience with BrewDog beers was a pretty intense ride. Oh, and for those who are curious, we brewed a Clementine IPA called "Oh My Darling." We had some efficiency issues since it was my first all grain brew, so the ABV is turning out lower than expected, but I still expect it to be tasty. I bottle it in a few days, so I will keep you posted! Cheers!