Review – BrewDog Hardcore IPA

From BrewDog: This Imperial India Pale Ale Rocks, Hardcore!
But don’t feel obliged to take our word for it, this little bottle has a grandiloquent story to tell.

2,204 malted Maris Otter grains gave all they had to offer the world to provide the robustly delicate toffee malt canvas for the ensuing epic.

4 Hop Cones willingly sacrificed themselves in fiery cauldron that is our brew kettle to ensure your mouth is left feeling punished and puckering for more.

9,900,000,000 yeast cells frantically fermented their little hearts out as the sugars were magically turned into alcohol in the dark depths of our fermentation tanks.

2 humans and 1 canine companion are relatively happy with the results.

Brew Dog Hardcore IPA – Explicit Imperial Ale – Purchased from Dawsons Liquors in Severna Park, MD. Chilled and poured into a pint glass. 9% ABV.

Appearance: Straw yellow, slightly cloudy, half-inch of big-bubbled head that dissipated in a couple of minutes. Lots of clingy, thick foam on the glass.

Nose: A bit chalky with sweeter citrus (lemons and tangerines as opposed to lemons and grapefruit).

Taste: Nice, fresh hop flavors with plenty of citrus. Maybe a teeny bit of honey.

Mouthfeel: Slightly more syrupy when at cellar temperature than when chilled. Head feels like whipped cream.

Drinkability: This is a very pleasant beer, but hardly worthy of the “Imperial” moniker. I’d pair it with a light bodied cigar (a Vega Fina would be good) or lighter dishes (chicken, white fish, alfredo).