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
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