BrewDog - The Final Round (for now)

Down to my last two BrewDog beers (for now). And, for something completely different, or so I thought.

"Dogma" is a strong amber colored ale brewed with Scottish heather honey, poppy seed, kola nut and guarana. According to BrewDog's website the grist is Maris Otter, Caramalt, Roasted Barley, Dark Crystal Malt and Munich Malt. The hops are Bramling Cross (one of my favorites) and Amarillo (probably my least favorite hop). Not knowing what to think of all this stuff (I've never had kola nut nor guarana, to my knowledge) I kept an open mind as I took my first sip. The beer has only a very slight aroma suggesting to me that the amount of Amarillo, at least as a late copper hop, must be slight as this is a very dominant hop with a very strong grapefruit flavor and aroma and I don't get a lot of its character in the beer. I was initially intrigued to see how all these flavors melded but I have to be honest, this is not a beer for me. Although the initial nose and flavor suggest a pleasant amber ale, the finish is harshly bitter and dry and continues to linger. I really don't care for the flavor at all and I struggle to put it down to any one thing. To me, any essence of sweet heather honey is lost in the bitterness of, I think, overused hops and roasted malts and likewise it clouds any nutty flavor from the kola. But, not every beer from every brewer pleases everyone so I'll give them credit for trying something a bit different. It just doesn't work for me.

In an earlier post I mentioned BrewDog's joint brew with Stone Brewing Company in California. They have since gone on to do at least one other but the one available to me is "bashah". From the description on the label, "The Black Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale", I'm already thinking that again, this one is not for me. I think I've mentioned previously, while I appreciate Belgian style beers, I personally do not like them - at least not the ones I have tried. Yes, yes, I know I'm going against the grain (no pun intended) as Belgians are all the rage but they just aren't for me. But, on to "bashah".

"bashah" has an aroma of darkly roasted malts with the black color to match and is totally opaque. I have had a few black lagers, even a few black IPAs but I can't recall having anything mixing black, Belgian and IPA - Double, Extreme, Imperial or not. Even on the first sip I knew this was also, sadly, not one for me. I just don't like the flavor of Belgian yeasts and I can't get past it. I slightly taste the roasted malts, get the finish of bitter dark roasted grains and hops, but overwhelmingly for me is the dominance of the Belgian yeast. If the yeast is not what makes this Belgian then I have definitely lost my mind and my taste buds as well. If it weren't for this (the Belgian notes), I think I would actually like it quite a bit. Much like BrewDog's "Hardcore IPA", which, at this point I would have to say is my favorite BrewDog brew, I think the hopping is not overdone and the roasted malt definitely comes through in the aftertaste thus justifying the "Black". Again, not for me but I really applaud them both for the collaboration and the imagination to try something totally different.

Parting Thoughts:
A number of Scottish brewers have tried American inspired beers, some to great success, some not so great. However, none have followed the lead of the Colonies as greatly as BrewDog. Now, I'm not going to knock any Scottish brewing interest that is brewing with integrity and with a goal to brew the best beer they can. However, BrewDog, to me, is a completely American, not Scottish - or British - influenced brewery. I've heard differing views of this approach, nearly all from very reputable sources in the U.K. and there are people on both sides. In my opinion, BrewDog will go over very well in America. For me, however, BrewDog represents a difficult dichotomy. On the one hand, I appreciate that few breweries in the U.K. are doing brews such as these and that in and of itself brings variety and, possibly, excitement to the British brewing scene. However, I personally am a traditionalist, something the guys at BrewDog don't think highly of. I disagree with them that most British beer - if we confine ourselves to cask conditioned, or real, ale - is bland and boring. My recent visit to London screams to the contrary. However, BrewDog is a young and exciting brewing enterprise that is making waves on both sides of the pond and for this, I have no issue with their approach. If you're a traditionalist like me, give them a break and the benefit of the doubt and embrace their enthusiasm and guts, even if you're not totally sold on their approach. If you're really into their beers, please support them to the fullest. Either way, their success to date speaks for itself and, if I were a betting man, I'd say the odds are highly stacked in their favor for greater things to come!

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog Round Two

OK, BrewDog (remember, that radical brewery from Fraserburgh, Scoland?) tasting number two. In a big departure from the 'twisted merciless stout' of a couple of days ago, today it is two more BrewDog beers (assuming I make it through the first one), both on the hoppy side.

The first beer, "Hardcore IPA", is described by BrewDog as an "explicit imperial ale". I'm not sure what is "explicit" about it but it would seem it fits the Imperial style, as defined by the BJCP Style Guidelines, due to its alcohol level. With idealistic (only) ties to Russian Imperial Stouts, British Stouts brewed originally for the Baltic region with higher gravities, this Imperial style is mostly an American invention with terms like "Double" and "Extreme" IPA all being used interchangeably.

With a starting gravity of 1.085 and an ABV of 9.0% this is a big beer, but it sure doesn't taste like it. What I mean by that is normally, with beers of such high gravity, the taste of alcohol is quite dominant. Here, it is very subdued for this gravity and if I hadn't read the label I would have guessed more like upper 5% to 6% ABV, if that. Don't get me wrong, this is no gulper, it is quite a full beer and but very well balanced, I think. Despite having a quoted bitterness of 150 IBU using Simcoe, Chinook, Amarillo, and Warrior hops, due to the higher content of Maris Otter malt the hops don't over dominate. Plenty of citrusy flavor, no doubt, but I think pretty well done with the malty sweetness coming through quiet well in palate and aroma. It is not quite as malty as many of the American "Double" or "Extreme" IPAs in the way of colored malts as I think BrewDog only uses Pale Ale malt. This, I like! Too many American versions use Munich Malt or similar German or Belgian colored malts and I'm just not a big fan of this in Pales or IPAs. The hops are American through and through though, no doubt about that one but again, they are not overdone. I have used all these hops and it does take skill to keep them in check as they all like to grab their bit of the spotlight (all very assertive if used in very big quantities). All in all, I'm really pleased with this one.

Next is BrewDog's "Punk IPA", described as a "post modern classic pale ale". Well, I wouldn't call this one a straight Pale Ale, it is definitely an IPA, but it is quickly becoming a classic. It has a starting gravity of 1.052, 6% ABV and is brewed with Chinook, Ahtanum, and Nelson Sauvin hops, the latter a New Zealand hop, one I had never heard of. Again, I think this one is brewed solely with Maris Otter malt, synonymous with traditional IPAs. With a quoted IBU of 65, I find this one a lot hoppier in flavor than the "Hardcore". It is also a bit more pale in color, beautiful color in fact. The aroma, bitterness and flavor of the hops dominate. It finishes pretty dry but not overly so. Lots of citrus flavor from the hops with floral and grassy notes in the aroma. Yes, this one gets a real Thumbs Up from me!

Closing note. Although it is my intention to up the frequency of posts this year and to try and keep them focused on beer, I do not intend to turn this into a beer rating or review blog. There are plenty of them out there already. And anyway, here's my feeling on this ilk. Craft beer is a very complex beverage and everyone's tastes are different. I simply don't believe in beer rating scales primarily due to this subjectivity in the human palate. When I feel like it, I will describe new beers I try - especially if they are Scottish! - but by and large (for a really interesting take on the origin of this phrase read this), I merely mean to bring them to your attention and hope that you have the opportunity to try them and assess them for yourself.

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog And A Tale Of Two Stouts

This is the first in a series of posts about BrewDog beers. Yes, finally BrewDog beers are available in my area. I can't help but think that this is due to BrewDog's recent association and collaboration with Stone Brewing Company in California but I don't know nor do I care. I'm just glad I've finally been able to sample some of their beers to see for myself what all the fuss is all about.

However, this particular post is not solely about one of the BrewDog beers but also about a much more local (to me) recently introduced Stout from Southern Star Brewing Company, a great new brewery here in Texas.

If you haven't heard of BrewDog, I'm very surprised. They are a relatively new brewery in Fraserburgh, Scotland in Scotland's northeast not far from Aberdeen. James Watt and Martin Dickie, the founders of BrewDog, have been making a lot of noise in Britain of recent getting themselves a lot of press for some of their more radical ideas and products. To say that they are an unconventional British brewery - Scottish or not - would be an incredible understatement. They are a whole lot more like an American micro than a British one, without doubt.

Anyway, enough of that. I bought a few samples of different BrewDog beers at my local beer mega-mart (Thanks for the term, Alton) and will be giving my impressions in the next few posts.

First up, only because I'm more in the mood for it today, is "Rip Tide", described by BrewDog as a "twisted merciless stout". Well, it rings in at 8.0% ABV so maybe that has something to do with the "merciless" but frankly, I think it is incredibly smooth and enjoyable and so flavorful that it masks the ABV level. As I like all of my ales, it is not heavily carbonated, pretty much perfectly I would say. Although very dark and roasty, it has a very smooth silky texture with more chocolate and slight toffee notes than a number of other stouts that are more in the Dry Irish category. This is a brilliant, highly drinkable stout with what I'd say is medium body. It has a wonderful aroma of roasted malts with almost espresso notes. This Stout is a winner and I'll be picking up more of this one, for sure.

Now, a different kind of Stout. Southern Star's "Buried Hatchet Stout" is indeed quite different. If you've not had any Southern Star beers, they are all packaged solely in cans. I'm not stating this as a negative and indeed, it is a positive, especially here in Texas. Their beers are perfect for the lake, camping, whatever and wherever you can't take glass and the beer does not suffer in any way proving once again that great beer can come in cans. I digress...

The label of Buried Hatchet says it is "...brewed with a large quantity of brown malt reminiscent of a traditional pre-Industrial Revolution malt profile". Without doubt, the Brown Malt lends a very different flavor to the beer and, in my opinion, helps to separate this stout from other "American Stouts" which Southern Star classifies this beer as. They use a bit of Rolled Oats in this beer so it has a really nice creamy head. The aroma is of the Brown Malt, much like Dark Chocolate, rather than the typical Roasted Barley or Black Malt smell. This is also a very "stout" beer clocking in at 8.5% ABV. The Brown Malt lends a very roasted nut flavor like a more heavily roasted Nut Brown Ale. It is medium bodied with a very burnt-roasty element both in initial flavor and in finish, the latter of which is quite dry. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was not around in the "Pre-Industrial" era, but from what I know of classic London Porters, Scottish and English Brown Stouts and Double Brown Stouts, I think this beer would fit in perfectly. Maybe I should send some to Ron Pattinson for some further verification? I encourage you to try it if you are a lover of Porter and Stout style beers. Well done again, Southern Star, another winner!

What's to come? I have 3 more BrewDog beers in the 'fridge so more on the way...

Yours Aye!
Neil

Beer Blogging - A New Year's Resolution

OK, New Year's Resolution: turn this into a proper beer blog. Inspiration: I've only recently started regularly reading two great and, I think, very important beer blogs which I've added to my Links section at the right. This got me to thinking, I started this blog primarily to talk about my love of and all things beer with an obligatory slant toward Scottish beer and also the great art of homebrewing. Well, although there have been some good posts which I've received positive feedback on, I wouldn't say it has reached beer blog status. So, 2010, much more emphasis on talking about all things beery.

By the way, the beer blogs I'm referring to are Martyn Cornell's "Zythophile" and Ron Pattinson's "Shut Up About Barclay Perkins". For those of you who don't know, Martyn is without doubt, at least in my humble opinion, the best historical beer writer in the world right now and in like manner, Ron is one of the most knowledgeable brewing historians in the UK at present. How Ron finds the time to not only dig through but post so much incredible information on classic historic British breweries is beyond me but my sincere thanks goes out to him for doing so!

Yours Aye!
Neil