BrewDog Hardcore IPA

Brewed by BrewDog
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Amber with a thick white head. Tones of grapefruit, lychee, pine and cirtrus in the nose with similar palate. Caramel malts less grassy and bitter than Punk IPA but still a winner. V drinkable alcohol well hidden

66cl bottle. Orange with a lasting white head. Cadied grapefruit, tangerine, doughy pastry, and light spice in the aroma. The flavor is medium-sweet dough and honey malt, with lots of citrus and a medium-strong bitter finish. Very light alcohol, but enough body to indicate it’s strength, though it is not thick by any measure. There is a great balance between malt and hops, though the hops dominate slightly in the finish, as it should be in the style. Definitely a lot of American influence in this one.

Cask @ Crpydon Beer Festival 2007. A very strong hoppy nose with spice and syrup evident. Colour was deep hjoney. Mouthfeel soft with some malt but predominantly hoppy with citrus. A muscat like consistency with an enduring hoppiness.

33cl bottle. Clear, effervescent orange with a fine but frothy, lasting white head, which leaves a greasy lacing. Grapefruit, orange, lemon sherbet, and herbs and spices on the nose. A barrage of resiny, grapefruity hops with orange peel, spice and floral flavours. The bitterness is relentless, almost going as far as reaching back to your tonsils. Endless, almost tongue-numbing bitter finish, medium body, medium carbonation with a crisp yet clinging mouthfeel. Not quite enough maltiness to balance. 156, 23/09/10.

Bottle from batch 207. Pours a cloudy orange hue with no head. Sweet hoppy and fruity nose. Medium mouthful with a huge amount of malts. Overbalanced? I don’t think so because there are big Citrusy hop notes to match the malt. I’ve had this before and liked it less. This batch is imperial and very good.

Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint. Slightly cloudy but bright golden orange with very little head. If this really were a DIPA, I would dock it for lack of head. However, as I will get into below, I do not think this is a true DIPA, so I will consider the look as pretty good for an English Ale. Aroma of semi-sweet tea-like malts and English hops. Some alcohol detected. Smells like a strong English IPA. Slightly sweet malts with notes of fruit, caramel, toast and tea. Nice English hop counterbalance that is somewhat metallic. Very bitter at the end. Low carbonation and medium, but slightly creamy and chewy, body. Pretty smooth and very dry. Warming. Easy to drink, as it seems like a kick ass English IPA. Never would have known it was 9%, other than the warming sensation. As DIPA is a very American style, and this beer is not at all American (other than the level of bitterness), this is not really a DIPA. Maybe it could be called an English DIPA, but this is the only example I am aware of. Really, it seems like a cross between an English IPA and a Barleywine. Regardless, comparing it to a typical DIPA, with all of its citrus and pine hop taste, is not really fair. This is a unique beer.

Bottle@Home. Thanks Yngwie. Malty, grapefruit, perfume aroma. Cloudy, dark yellow, white head, good lace. Sweet, malty, rather bitter, grapefruit, grassy. Sticky but dry in the very finish. Very flavorful, alcohol hidden, well drinkable.

Bottle from John’s Marketplace in Portland, OR. BB 07/07/09. Slightly hazy gold color with a frothy white head. Aromas of light stone fruit - fruity hops? Medium body with creamy carbonation. Flavor is fruity hop over mild malt. Quite bitter. Touches of citrus. Rather soft and mellow in texture. Gentile for the style. Delicious. Molto gentile to the palate.