BrewDog Riptide

Brewed by BrewDog
Style: Imperial Stout
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Poured out a super dark brown brew with a mid sized brown head tat is retained as a skim and good lacing. The aroma is of stinky coffee, dark fruit (light), raisins, faint chocolate and faint spice. This stuff definitely lacks a strong aroma presence - don’t want something that is HUGE, but give me a little more. The taste is a decent mix, nothing overpowering which is nice, good balance early on. The coffee flavor is sweet and cleaner than the aroma, lots of dark roasted malts, some spice, hardly any alcohol. Pretty enjoyable when warmer. Good bitter bite. There are better brews out there for sure. Creamy mouth feel, full bodied with a nice bitter finish which is softened by the malts. For an 8% stout, this is pretty good. However, I find myself torn between being disappointed and enjoying it as it is quite different. I’m still not sold.

500 mL bottle. Poured into a pint glass. Pours very dark brown, but clearly not black. Very poor head formation, hardly even a film forms atop the beer before it starts dissolving into a halo. Aromas of gooey brownie mix and graham crackers, but not very strong. Flavor starts out with dark chocolate, then melds into an ashy coffee roastiness. The bitterness of the roast combines with a nice herbal hop bitterness to make a long lasting finish. Unfortunately, everything is on the thin side. Low carbonation, light body, a constant struggle to really smell and taste it. Considering the absurd price tag, I don‘t think I‘m going to be buying from this brewery again anytime soon.

Thanks to my sweetness kaggie. A little thin. Flavor is whack. I wish he would have just given me his love juice instead.

Pours a pitch black with nothing much in the way of a head. Aroma is heaven itself: toasty and a touch of booze, dark fruit (raisins) and salted caramel. Yum! Taste is surprising: It has a nice roasty bite, present but subdued and well-balanced hops (which linger nicely intermingled with the roastiness in the aftertaste) and until it’s really, really warmed up, not a lot in the middle (sweetness or body). Once it warms, though, it kicks in with toasted oat/coconut cookie, graham cracker, touch of caramel. Complex and delicious! Body is lightly carbonated and while creamy, not entirely thick or chewy. I really, really like this, and aside from the astringent lightly peppery finish, I wouldn’t have pegged it for an impy, so it wears itself well, though at 8% I shouldn’t expect too much burn. Very, very nice.

Bottle at Butters’ 4th Cellar Reduction. Pours a fading, not enough lace, beige head with a dark brown clear body. Smells of chocolate, caramel, and toast. Tastes like bubblegum, toast, brown sugar, and bitter chocolate. A bit thin in spots in the aroma and flavor/mouthfeel.

Cellar run at the Rake. Almost black with a tan head and good conditioning. Smooth and roasty with nice warm alcohol kick and pleny of chocolate. Would have liked a few more hops but still a cracking pint.

It’s a stout so it’s dark.....VERY dark!! Bursts with clean crunchy roast barley, hint of bitterness and a nice malty sweetness. It’s not as big as I’d expected but still has a fair bit of body. Finish is superb, goes on for ages with the alcohol hitting after a few minutes. Very satisfying.

Wow! Great beer. Got this bottle at Sam’s in Chicago a few months ago. Poured with a nice light tan, medium head with lotsa lace. Color is an opaque dark brown to black. Aroma is very malty, cocoa, licorice, dark ripe fruit, roasty, and a bit of toffee. Flavor’s the same, but with the licorice in the finish, plus some hints of berry and lemon/orange. Great body and carbonation. Good rich finish. In spite of its robust strength and character, it’s still so good, it’s almost (but not quite) a session beer.