Monday, February 14, 2011

Brew Dog Hardcore IPA (India Pale Ale) Explicit Imperial Ale

Fact of the Matter:
ABV: 9.2%... Watch Out!
IBU’s: 150
Malts: Maris Otter, Crystal Malt, Caramalt
Hops: Centennial, Columbus, Simcoe
Hailing From: Brew Dog Fraserburgh UK

Over all ranking: Eh... it works

True to the IPA style this beer takes hops to a new level. It poured a cloudy amber brown color with a dense frothy head (it looks much darker in the picture due to bad lighting). The smell was overtly hoppy but it was only a precursor to the intense hopieness that smacked the back of my mouth the moment beer touched my lips. It was extremely bitter, so bitter that I had trouble detecting other flavors. A very dry finish made me feel like I had to rinse my mouth with water after finishing it. The light carbonation gently caressed my tongue and the frothy head left beautiful lacing along the glass. Now, to be fair I should warn you that intensely bitter beers are not my favorite so I may be a little biased. The only way to know for sure is to pick up a bottle and try for yourself, the write me and tell me what you think.
Appearance 4  4
Smell 3  3.5
Taste 2 2.5
Drinkability 2 2
Mouthfeel 3 2
Overall Rating: 57% (C-) Eh… it works

Enjoy Better Beer,

CHEERS!

1 comment:

  1. I am not a fan of really bitter beers either but some brewers seem to manage to brew great beer despite being really bitter. Brewdog are usually one of those breweries.

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