IPA IS DEAD!!..Brew Dog's as modest as ever/ Mad March Fair

4 bottles of I.P.A, all the same base beer with the same strength at 7.5%ABV and all the same I.B.U (International Bitterness Unit, for those who may not know what it means...bloody technical jargon :D)...Th only difference?? Each beer gets its flavour from one of four completely different hop varieties.

Brew Dog being Brew Dog, they couldn't just brew and advertise these beers like a normal brewery....ohhhh no, the beers have been hopped and double dry hopped (never bloody heard of double dry hopping before?...Those crazy Scottish brewers) and also the packaging makes very clear that these beers contain nothing but pure and unadulterated hoppy awesomeness.But if there's anything that's made Brew Dog what they are today, its their OTT marketing....oh yeah,and their consistently brilliant beer (cant forget that now, can we?)




Well lets start with the English hop first shall we? Bramling cross (or how Brew Dog rather expectantly call it...Bramling X) starts with a warming blackberry and apple crumble aroma with a slight hint of ginger and a plummy finish makes it seem like a very homely beer, take a sip though, and all the comfort is tossed out the window like Hans Gruber in Die Hard. The first noticeable thing in the taste is that pretty much all the rich fruity notes in the aroma are replaced by a crisp earthy flavour that reminds me of nettles, dandelions and other grassy flavours tingling the tongue, but it also has an underlying sweetness which marks the return of the blackberries and now also pears from the smell which brings the beer together nicely and leaves the palate with a sweet richness, but also feeling refreshed.

Next we're turning Japanese (I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so.....oh God I'm sorry) with Sorachi Ace. Wow this is a strange little bugger, this brew smells like bubblegum
bloomin bubblegum!! With raspberry, strawberry and watermelon aromas also present, I cant say I've smelt any other beer like it, but what the hell is it gonna taste like? Hmmmm, well stickily sweet, rather chewy and not very pleasant. (and for anyone who doesn't knows me, its not often I don't like a beer) The clingy, strawberry sweetness is followed straight by a minty, Herby taste that just seem to fight each other for supremacy and the end result is a car crash of flavour that goes together as well as a Pot noodle would on Masterchef. Maybe its just me but I reallllly don't like this one. (I still finish the beer....never waste a beer, that's how I was raised and that's how I live.

Now its New Zealand's turn. Nelson Sauvin has a full on creamy, fruit aroma of grapefruit, apricot and lime which would make a bloody good yogurt, but also a dang nice smelling beer. Ohhhh bloody hell that's a mighty fine brew. Much more smoother then the other beers, its friggin wonderful, and also unlike the other beers so far, it keeps all of its flavours from the aroma in the taste but also adds a dash of zesty bitterness to the tongue which doesn't stay around for as long as the other beers....but it just make you wanna go back for more.

Last and very not least, from our American friends we have Citra. As the name suggests, the nose is full of citric fruits such as lemon, grapefruit and orange, but it also has a very slight piney note that you'll find in a lot of American I.P.A'S.Very nice, but nothing special. The flavours are very similar to the Nelson Sauvin, but more crisp and not so pronounced. Citra's a really tasty beer...but unfortunately its just too ordinary, probably from being a over used hop type in I.P.A'S, so I cant really blame it.

All in all, not a bad batch of beers from Brew Dog (again) but I will hesitate to try anything with Sorachi Ace from now on. This is a limited edition brew so I fully recommend getting a batch before its all gone.

Just for a side note. Its the Mad March Fair at the Queen's Head this weekend, with more creative things to do then you can shake a stick (or paintbrush?) at, I hope you can make a trip down to enjoy what is sure to be a fun couple of days of craft for ye arty folk.

Take care everyone.