Doggy Style

Say what you like about Brewdog.

Yes they're a little immature, yes they can be irritating. Yes they may get your orders wrong from time to time.

I couldn't care less. I really couldn't! And the reason why: Brewdog make amazing beers, fact!

It's the reason I'm writing about them here and now. It's the reason all the rest of you do. And if you're not, you're just moaning about how they should stop farting around, and stick to making great beer like you know they can.

Say what you like about them, just don't talk down on their beer, otherwise I don't want to hear it.

I'd like to share a few of the bottles I've been drinking over the past few days. One of them I've had before, but it was under the name of Speed Ball back at that time, the rest are new to me.

All of them were gorgeous and all deserve a mention. Even if it's not in a hardcore way.

The first one I got on with was Speed Ba.. I mean Dogma: a 7.8% Heather Honey infused Ale. When I first gave this beer a whiff I did get a reminiscent aroma of Fraoch, just in a bigger way. The honey comb was fairly obvious and lead to a nice battle of bitter sweet in the beer. A beer made with guarana, poppy seeds, kola nut and Scottish heather honey! Now I know what honey tastes like, but the others I'm not too sure, so it was a very interesting beer. A very drinkable beer too for 7.8%! A very soft beer. Quite herbal, with a nice caramel malt sweetness mixing in with the heather honey. (still not sure how you come about honey from heather)

Next up was ABD. What hasn't been said about this beer really? Well I'll give it a go. It was made by three unfit, hungover people, one of whom was my boss, one of whom writes a fantastic beer blog, and is a very influential writer in the beer world.... and the other whom was Pete Brown.
I jest of course, I have the greatest respect for these three. After all I wouldn't be writing a blog at all if it wasn't for our beer captain! I think the thing I most liked about this beer was this: These guys write about new and awesome beers every week. They could have easily brewed a Quadruple Eisbock Oak-aged Imperial Black IPA Stout, but they didn't. The went old school. And I mean proper old school, and gave it a modern twist. The mettle of a good beer man (or woman) comes from learning about what has come before in the past and using it to his/her advantage in a modern world. These three know about the histroy and the deep seeded past of beer, and wanted to bring that to the forefront of their beer, and it's to be saluted! I shan't write any tasting notes, because I want you to buy it and try it for yourself.

Our next beer along comes in the form of a wedding ale. Gimmick or not a gimmick? I was firmly under the impression that it would be. I thought it would just be a blend of Punk IPA and Hardcore IPA, and there'd be nothing to write home about. Turns out I was wrong. Now while Royal Virility Performance (7.5%) may have been made with herbal viagra, chocolate, ginseng and Horny Goat Weed and a good dose of sarcasm, it was not a gimmick beer! It was clear that a lot of thought went into this brew, and for me, it shows. Sure it smells like Punk IPA but it has a great bitter body, which leads onto a chocolate sweetness, with a lot of herbal and honeycomb features. It's slightly woody, it has some piney spice alongside the clean, crisp finish. A very good beer, and for all of those of you wondering out there.... NO I didn't get one!

Name: Bitch Please
Brewers: Brewdog/Three Floyds
ABV: 11.5%
Style: Barrel aged Scottish Barley Wine
This beer is meant to be made with shortbread, toffee and eclectic hops. I didn't get any of that. From first taste it was burnt as Hells ashes! Super smokey, those peated malts really shining through. I know this was made with some Jura barrels, but I saw a beer; 75% Barley Wine, 25% Imperial Stout with a double shot of Ardbeg dropped in it. A phenolic beer, but you either hate or love that. I love it after the first few sips. Peaty, woody and very complex, does not drink like it's 11.5% that's for sure! One to get and age.

I'll finish on a beer that I've recently received: AB:06 - an 11.2% Imperial Black IPA. I'll start out by saying that this is the freshest beer I've smelt all year. It should be! It was bottled about 25 days ago! Black as the night, with a perfect amount of chalky/biscuit brown head. Bottle number 2317 of 8973 comes across in body with flavours of massive overpowering fresh, bitter hops. Quite a big amount of roasted bitterness in there too, which I assume would die down with a bit more bottle conditioning time. Some apricot and pine flavour, and a massive dry body and finish. An overall interesting and special beer, that does not necessarily live up to its price tag, but I'm happy to have tried it.

That's it for now then.

So next time I write about Brewdog, It won't be for someone they've upset or something outrageous they've said or done, no it will be about one of their new beers. End of.

Brewdog make superb beer, until they stop doing that, I'll continue to buy their beer.