Brewdog Old World India Pale Ale

Brewdog Old World India Pale Ale

Style: IPA

Alcohol Content: 7.5%

From: Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Purchased From: Beer Boutique, Putney
http://www.brewdog.com/

Sorry, its been awhile. My real job seems to be monopolising my life at the moment.

Brewdog was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie. The brewery at the Kessock Industrial Estate in Fraserburgh produced its first brew in April 2007. It claims to be Scotland's largest independently owned brewery producing about 120,000 bottles per month for export all over the world. The company moved premises to nearby Ellon in the Autumn of 2012, however it has been announced that the Fraserburgh site will be used as a brewing laboratory for experimental beers.

Brewdog's provocative marketing has been a key aspect of the business, and has gained them substantial international coverage.

In late 2013 Brewdog decided to revisit the Old World, by producing two beers based on a bygone era. These being a Old World Imperial Stout and the subject of this review, an Old World India Pale Ale. Both of these beers have beautifully hand drawn labels by Johanna Basford which intricately depict the story and heritage of each beer style.

Beautiful label

Colour: Pours a light chestnut with a slight warming orange hue. A small sprinkling of foam is present in the glass but this dissipates down to nothing as fast as you can say IPA. For me this is most disappointing, as I love a dense head on my IPA's. A sizeable head helps to provided a perfumed nose, which in turn helps to enhance the drinking experience. As the drink warms, the chestnut colour starts to deepen into a rich mahogany.

Aroma: As mentioned above, the lack of a head on this beer leads to a very faint aroma profile. The slight hints of the roasted malts create a sensation of brown bread, whilst the English hops help to provide a faint floral note in the background.

Body: First thing you will notice is the this beer is slightly denser than most IPA's on the market. The mouthfeel is very reminiscent of a Green King IPA, slightly thick and malty. The soft carbonation helps to add to this dense texture and the English hops help to create a mild clogging on the back of the throat. Very easy to drink and the perfect match for a roast beef supper.

Taste: Notes of roasted malts dominate the palate right from the get go. The bread like sensation is quickly cleansed away by a soft, almost delicate hoppy bitterness that is not unpleasant at all. To me the drink tastes rather bland and reminds me more of a mass produced bitter than an IPA. In my opinion, the beer's one redeeming feature really comes to the fore as it warms in the glass. Sweet notes of heather honey appear to add a pleasurable depth of sweetness. So my advice to you all would be to serve this beer at room temperature, rather than straight from the refrigerator. Once again it seems that my love/hate relationship with Brewdog beers is set to continue. For all their pomp and marketing, I find some of their beer extremely uninspiring. Unfortunately, their Old World India Pale Ale falls into this category.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/emelisse-blond.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/mikkeller-koppi.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Brewdog International Arms Race

Brewdog International Arms Race

Style: Zero IBU IPA Or Gruit

Alcohol Content: 

From: Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Purchased From: Rays Wines, Ashford

Brewdog was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie. The brewery at the Kessock Industrial Estate in Fraserburgh produced its first brew in April 2007. It claims to be Scotland's largest independently owned brewery producing about 120,000 bottles per month for export all over the world. The company moved premises to nearby Ellon in the Autumn of 2012, however it as been announced that the Fraserburgh site will be used as a brewing laboratory for experimental beers.

Brewdog's provocative marketing has been a key aspect of the business, and has gained them substantial international coverage.

Last year Flying Dog issued a challenge to Brewdog for battle collaboration entitled International Arms Race - Both beers are dubbed 'Zero IBU IPA' and the challenge was to brew an IPA style beer using no hops: the hops are replaced with berries, herbs and roots. Now, I have tried Flying Dogs version and it reminds me a lot of scrumpy cider from Somerset. I was not to keen on that but lets see how Brewdog's version measures up.

Colour: On the pour, you a presented with a bright red ale that reminds me of a very old school beamish that my old man used to drink. As the beer settles, a sheen of copper appears in the glass. The head starts off a brilliant white colour and slowly dissipates down to a small amount of foam. 

Aroma: To be honest this has to be the strangest beer I have ever smelt so far. There are so many new and interesting smells rising from the glass, its actually quite hard to know where to start from. Here goes. The first thing you will notice is that this beer smells quite sour. This can be a sign that the beer is off so I had a look at the expiration date on the bottle. To my surprise I had been sold a kipper. The beer had an expiration date of May. However, I decided to pull up my socks and carry on regardless. You are instantly bombarded with notes of cherry, blackberry and mint. There is also a few herbal notes such as thyme and rosemary. Something tells me that this is going to taste funky.

Body: There is a very low/ if any carbonation in this beer. This gives the body the feel of cherry juice that you can buy from the supermarket. This body helps to mask the ABV of this beer making this an extremely dangerous beer to enjoy on a session. 

Taste: On your first sip you will notice hints of gin and tonic mixed with pine and grassy notes. This is undercut with gritty earth notes. Upon the second sip, you can start to pick our herbal notes like rosemary and thyme and a orange peel. To be honest, this drink tastes a bit like a Ricola cough drop. These flavours make sense given that there is no hops in this beer and the herbs have been added to this brew to add flavour and aroma. I have to say I personally did not enjoy this beer very much. It’s an interesting concept by I will not be going back for more.

Similar to: Umm Nothing I've ever tasted or reviewed.
Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/erdinger-uriweisser.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery

Williams Bros Fraoch Heather Ale

Williams Brothers Fraoch Heather Ale

Style: Heather Ale

Alcohol content: 5%

From: Kelliebank, Alloa, Scotland

Purchased from: Morrison's, Glastonbury
http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/

Williams Bros Brewing Company is a Scottish family-owned microbrewery, founded and operated by brothers Bruce and Scot Williams. It is based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. Williams Bros started brewing in 1988. Their first ale was inspired by a 17th-century Gaelic recipe for leann fraoich (heather ale). The heather ale is made using sweet gale and heather flowers, and was named Fraoch, after the legendary Gaelic hero Fráech (or Fraoch). The ale was produced in a tiny brewery in Taynuilt railway station, which could make no more than five barrels per batch, just enough to supply five pubs across Scotland. As demand grew, the recipe was taken to the old Maclay's Brewery in the Scottish brewing town of Alloa. Now in it's 25th year, Fraoch continues to be one of Williams Brothers most popular lines and the subject of this review.

Colour: On the pour you are presented with a glorious light orange tanned coloured beer. This beer almost looks like an IPA. There is a beautiful white head which stays around for quite awhile. This will gradually reduce down to a small foam deposit. There is a small amount of yeast deposited in the glass. Skim it off if you can as it will taste rather foul!

Aroma: On the nose you are presented with aromas of sweet sugary molasses with hints of heather and lavender or fresh garden herbs. You can also pick out notes of honey or even this "miracle" manuka honey which I tried the other day in a health food shop.

Body: This drink is refreshing light on the first sip. You get a beautifully sticky coating on the back of the throat after every sip due to the honey and heather used in the making of this beer.

Taste: This beer tastes very sweet and smoky. There are rich peaty/ earth notes which reminds me a lot of a scotch whiskey from Scotland. This smokiness is under pinned by a sweet honey undertone. There is a slight acidic or bitter after tone which reminds me of a glass of Chardonnay. Blending these flavors together makes for an extremely fulfilling beer.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/windsor-and-eton-brewery-canberra.html
Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/kozel-dark-lager.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery

Brewdog Dead Pony Club

Brewdog Dead Pony Club

Style: Californian Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 3.8%

From: Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Purchased From: Sainsburys

Brewdog was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie. The brewery at the Kessock Industrial Estate in Fraserburgh produced its first brew in April 2007. It claims to be Scotland's largest independently owned brewery producing about 120,000 bottles per month for export all over the world. The company moved premises to nearby Ellon in the Autumn of 2012, however it as been announced that the Fraserburgh site will be used as a brewing laboratory for experimental beers.

Brewdog's provocative marketing has been a key aspect of the business, and has gained them substantial international coverage.

In 2008 Brewdog were challenged by UK drinks industry watchdog the Portman Group. Portman had claimed Brewdog to be in breach of their Code of Practice. Brewdog denied these allegations and countered that Portman was impeding the development of smaller brewing companies. After an 8 month long dispute and a preliminary adjudication which had ruled against the company, in December 2008 Brewdog were cleared of all breaches of the Code of Practice and were permitted to continue marketing their brands without making any changes to the packaging. In protest to their targeting, Brewdog introduced "Speed-ball", saying "...we thought we would give them something worth banning us for..." . Speed-ball was promptly banned by Portman before being renamed as Dogma.

Brewdog were also described as "...one of the prime movers..."behind the campaign which changed the law in 2011 to allow new beer measures in Britain.

Colour: On the pour, you are rewarded with a beer that is a glorious pale brown with an orange hue. There is little foam in the glass but this will stay with you throughout the drink. There is a low level of carbonation in the bottle which makes this beer looks very, very inviting.

Aroma: One of the amazing points of note about this beer, is its nose. Once poured into the glass, you are slapped around the chops with notes of lemongrass, fresh lemons, pine and grapefruit. Imagine you are in Sorrento, Italy on a hot summers day, walking though the lemon trees. That is exactly what this aroma is like.

Body: This beer looks extremely light but when you have a sip you are really knocked off your feet by the hops. This sensation makes the beer a lot heavier in the mouth. My old man commented, "Stone the crows, that beer is so hoppy I can not even think straight. I'm not sure that I like this beer very much. It's so heavily hopped that it's so heavy in my mouth. It's almost as if I'm drinking a amber ale".

Taste: As eluded to above this beer is extremely hoppy. In fact this brew uses three different types of hops. These are Simcoe, Citra and HBC. To be honest, it's a bit to heavily hopped for my tastes and that of my father. The Brewdog website suggests that "Being shot from a Hoppy Howitzer beats the hell out of trotting round a submissive paddock." Well in this case the howitzer has decimated all my taste buds. You can pick up notes of lemons, orange peel grapes and thyme. There is a very bitter after taste to this beer which will stay with you sip after sip.

Follow me on Twitter for the latest news on reviews @BeefsBrewery

Williams Brothers Joker IPA

Williams Brothers Joker IPA

Style: Indian Pale Ale

Alcohol content: 5%

From: Kelliebank, Alloa, Scotland

Purchased from: Direct from the Brewery

I first came across the Joker IPA on my birthday last year. Me and my good friends visited the Pig's Ear's in Richmond to have a few craft beers and some amazing food. Upon arrival, i fancied an IPA to quench my thirst. I saw there was an IPA on draft so i decided to try that one. I was completely blown away by this beer when i tried it. So much so, when i got back to the office i decided to order a case directly from the brewery. No joke!

Williams Bros Brewing Company is a Scottish family-owned microbrewery, founded and operated by brothers Bruce and Scot Williams. It is based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. Williams Bros started brewing in 1988. Their first ale was inspired by a 17th-century Gaelic recipe for leann fraoich (heather ale). The heather ale is made using sweet gale and heather flowers, and was named Fraoch, after the legendary Gaelic hero Fráech (or Fraoch). The ale was produced in a tiny brewery in Taynuilt railway station, which could make no more than five barrels per batch, just enough to supply five pubs across Scotland. As demand grew, the recipe was taken to the old Maclay's Brewery in the Scottish brewing town of Alloa. About a month ago i managed to find one of these heather ales so naturally i will review this on my blog.

Colour: Straw yellow with a slight brown hue. You get a nice white head on the pour but this leaves you very quickly.Catch it while you can!

Smell: Get your head right in there to smell this one. This beer gives off lovely Elderflower and Citrus notes. You can also get warm ginger notes and scents of pear. You also get rather piney notes. Its almost like walking though the forest. If this beer is as good as it smells we are in for a treat. 

Body: This beer is light and refreshing. Once drunk, this beer does leave a bit of a sticky feeling in the back of your mouth. Its not unpleasant but it's a bit weird as you would not associate this style.   

Taste: When i first tried this beer, it was on Cask at the Pig's Ears. It was served to me quite cold, in fact to cold, as the taste was quite dulled down. After warming the drink in my hands for a while, the magnificent flavors are unlocked. This beer is deeply hoppy on the tongue. On your first sip, you will get the taste of sweet lime without the sour edge. After swallowing this brew, a bitterness really fills your mouth and begs you to drink more to refresh your palate. You also get hints of caramel and biscuits. The bitterness come from the two hop varieties used to make this beer. The hops are Cascade and Boberk. Now Cascade i have heard of but Boberk is a hop that i have yet to encounter. This is a beer that should not be rushed. Savoir every drop. 

OK so i have the joker but wheres the Batman?