No worries :)

Tonights beer is by one of my favourite breweries, BrewDog, in Scotland. Formally, this small brewery specialised in making IPA's to a silly high alcoholic content (these are the guys who made the Tokyo series of beer, the one I has was 12%), hard to get a hold of due to their small numbers and relatively new brewery. Now they have become more national and you can buy their wares from supermarkets (Sainsbury's has a deal on at the moment, 3 for 2, go get some if you are in England)

My first brew of the night is:



Dogma

Scotland, BrewDog. Heather-honey infused Ale, 7.8%, rich dark amber colour, sweet, honey nose. First taste of honey, followed right away by heather, slight poppy taste, bitter sweet aftertaste, good lingering taste.

I like complex beers, as you tend to get a new flavour on every sip, and you don't rush it. Basically, you get drunk slower but a lot happier, drinking flavourful beers. This one is very complex. Let me type to you what it says on the back of the bottle...

'Dogma is an innovative, enigmatic ale brewed with guarana, poppy seeds and kola nut all blended together with Scottish heather honey.

A conspiracyof transcontinental ingredients, infused with some devastatingly innovative Brew Dog Thinking.

The flavours, intracacies, and nuances of this beer are best enjoyed whilst musing over some obscure 17th century philisophical meanderings, such as: "If we disbelieve everything because we cannot certainly know all things we will do much, what as wisely as he who would not use his wings but sit still and perish because he had no wings to fly" John Lock

This beer is not cool, you may thing it is, but that is just a beautiful lie fabricated by clowns and gypsies'

Wow, a lot of bumph for the back of a small bottle, that kept rolling around my desk whilst I tried to type it, grrr....

Anyways, this is one nice beer, deep, complex, and heather honey is such a distinctive taste that it makes any heavy drink a little bit lighter, but more complex.

The first main taste you get at the start is a small hint of kola, followed by honey, then heather. POW POW POW. The flavour just stays as well, and every sip you take, the more and more you taste!

BrewDog - Beer for Punks (their tagline, not mine)

'Underneath the random behaviour is a sense of order and pattern. In this world of order, Chaos Rules'

Ladies and Gentleman....



CHAOS THEORY!

Scotland, BrewDog, Predictably Random IPA, 7.1%. slightly pale Amber colour, sharp hops nose, sweet. First taste is bitter ish hops, quickly goes to sweet roasted barley, with a roasted barley finish.

The 2nd installment of the night, another BrewDog, and another weird beer. This one is called Chaos Theory, and I suppose it's supposed to break the mould of all other IPA's (Indian Pale Ale). Not having drank many other IPA's, I can't comment properly. This brew is a hoppy/barley affair, and the first smell I got from it when I opened the bottle was, to be honest, the smell of hospitals, and given my local hospital is the infamous one in Stafford that's in the news everywhere, that's not good.

That fear is quickly dispelled though, as deeper smelling just gives of the sharp smell of the hops they used. The taste really is something you have to experience though, as its kind of roasted barley-like, like a stout, like Guinness, but also like a hoppy ale, something like, well, a hoppy ale! It starts with the hops, sharp and tangy, and quickly progresses round to a nice, rounded, full roasted barley taste that pleasently lingers, getting a little big more bitter as it stays. Every swig is refreshing.

'Forget the Butterfly Effect and envisage the BrewDog Effect. We want to be that random, artisinal butterfly that flaps it's wings on the Scottish coast, and causes tornades on the other side of the world'

Chaos Rules, Certainly

when i hear such things, i really wish i liked beers, but most are just eurgh! only ones ive ever liked are the fruity ones, i guess the ones that taste more like ciders than beers, mmm cider...

Get some more Framboise, girl! Fruit beers. Maybe I'll get you one tomorrow! But not Cherry Bachuss, I don't like that, neither will you!

tasties, wooo yaaay!

Third BrewDog of the night, and boy, I am feeling the effects from the stuff.. Do not under estimate it!



Hardcore IPA

Scotland, Brewdog, Explicit Imperial Ale, 9%. Pale amber colour, strong malt nose, crossed with bitter hops. STRONG flavour, sweet hops, followed by bitter malts. Bitter hoppy malty aftertaste


This stuff is HARDCORE, same as it's name, I suppose. As with the other brew dog products, the alcohol content is very high, this one standing at 9% (given the gravity of a good ale, it is stronger than wine) and boy, even after 1, you feel it. This is my second bottle of Hardcore, and it was as nice as the last. That is, if your idea of nice is BIG flavours from highly mature, properly brewed ales. I am still yet to know the difference between an Ale and a Beer. I know more about Lagers and Pilsners, I always thought beer was like a Pilsner, with just 4 ingredients; Water, Malt, Hops, Yeast, and Ale was adulterated beer, with things like heather honey and so forth. Who knows? If you do know, please feel free to add it to the thread.

Anyways, I digress... back to HARDCORE. Yeah, not for the faint of heart, or tongue. think of this is a cup of tea that has been stewed overnight, then served hot, like a damn good cuppa should be. You get a real sense of flavours, sweet ish hops, bitter malts, that always weird, but not unpleasent taste you get with all strong beers (puts me in the mind of mouthwash, but nice) and you get a very complex, great tasting IPA.

After all these BrewDogs (I've had more than on this list) I feel I need to hit some traditional India Pale Ales so I have a good ground of comparison, and not a spoiled view of high flavour, high booze content drinks.

BrewDog - always look the non-comformist

It's been two weeks, time for a new beer!

Ladies and gentleman, please stand up and remove your hats for one solid icon of british life and culture. It is wrongly called 'the plane that won the war' (That was the Hawker Hurricane, with over 3 times as many kills) but it was the symbol of British Might, Power, Beauty, Grace and ingeniouty. The sound from it's Rolls Royce Merlin V12 is almost as special as the Item itself.

May I present to you, The Spitfire!



England, Shepherds Neame, Kentish Ale, 4.5%. Golden Brown colour, clear, Hoppy-toffee nose, Bitter-hoppy taste, medium flavour, slight bitter finish

Wait, I noticed something...



Thats the Spitfire I mean, not the above image!

This fine Kentish ale was first brewed in 1990 to celebrate the start of the Battle of Britain, which took place mainly over Kent in the very south east of England. This battle saw the fiercest air battles ever known, and also produced the most iconic Airplane of all time, the Supermarine Spitfire. Flying through the skies, firing their 8 Browning .303's as the Gerry's as they flew past, trying to invade these noble Isles! Wait, I'm digressing..

The ale is nice and refreshing, as most of the Shepherds Naeme brews are. I think this is the first beer I ever really had, and I didn't like it at first (even though I was 16 and drank 3 bottles of it) and I haven't had it since. Untill today! the taste isn't like I remember. The colour is very similar to Ice Tea, and the head it holds, albiet briefly, is rich and creamy. The first thing you get from this ale is the smell of hops rich and bitter. The first taste florally hops, lending through to a slight sweet bitterness, followed by a long bitter end (like the Gerry's). slowly, this ale is becoming more widely available on tap in many a fine establishment over the land, and with a good reason. My friends look at me weird when they all order Pi­ßwassër, I order tasty, lovely Ales :) I am slowly converting them over as they become more mature (or succomb to bullying/my round)

Next time you are in a pub, and this is on tap, get this Ale, you won't regret it :)

Question from the novice:

I've not had many beers.. Infact I think I have had 3. I didn't really care for them because all I could taste was alcohol, with a little bit of flavor. What would you suggest for someone who wants more flavor in their beer.. and is also a wine cooler drinking pansy.

Ooo... Big Beer time... and only one glass will do for this...

Ladies and Gentlemen, BEHOLD!



Only for the biggest and most Belgium-ish of beers, does this glass ever come out.

The drink graceing His Holy Glassness tonight is Leffe Blonde



Blegium, Abbaye de Abdij Van, Trappist beer, Blonde, 6.6%. Rich dark amber colour, light head. Sweet floral wheat, hoppy nose. Sweet wheat taste, light yet strong. sweet, almost lemony finish.

This is a big bottle, being 750ml, it stands the same size as a wine bottle. But that's where all the similarities end (Obviously, as this is a Trappist Beer, not Wine..) Leffe has a bit of a stigma here, as been seen as 'pretentious' and far too mani stream for an actual Trappist beer. But naturall,y I don't care. There is nothing wrong with the fact that these Monks embraced such things as stainless steel and the diesel engine instead of horse and cart for transport. In the end, they produce a cracking bevvy.

The bottle is opened by popping off the wired cork. Nothing like a popping cork that says you are all in for a good time! On the first pour, you get the sweet smell of a wheat beer. The taste is well rounded, sweet, wheaty, slightly malty, liiittle bit of honey, with a lemony ish aftertaste.

Sorry, I still can't get over the size of this glass!



It's taller than a wine bottle, and holds pretty much a whole wine bottle! Since the demise of my round glass the other week, this is the new Belgium Beer glass. I just hope to hell I don't break this one as I fear it is unique.

Leffe, one of the only trappist beers you can buy in pubs. There are two types of Leffe in shops, Blonde or Brun. I prefer the blonde Leffe as the taste is lighter and more refreshing than Brun, but sometimes, you want something dark and heavy, so it's off to the Brun! For many people, Leffe will be the first, and probably only, Trappist beer that they will have, after maybe treating themselves to a posh beer in a bar, then not having another because of its weight. Leffe is one of the beers you drink for the taste, not for the effects. In short, it fills you up!

Basically, anything that doesn't come in a can! I don't know much about the beers on offer in the good Ole US, but one I do know is Leffe, as posted above. it's a very good starter beer for the world novice, and a good entrant into the world of Trappist beers. Plus, you get 5 cents for the bottle, according to the label

You know, Leffe is readily available near where I live but I've never purchased any because it's hard to come by good blonde ale's over here. I may have to give this a try.

Malt liquors, barleywines, winter warmers, strong lagers, old ales, bock beers, imperial stouts and India Pale Ales... Mmmmmmm

Hoegaarden - the beer that sounds like a place you want to visit! A Garden, full of Hoes!



Belgium, Hoegaarden Brewery. White beer, flavoured with spices, 4.9%. Cloudy straw coloured, sweet, lightly spiced nose, sweet, semi spicy taste, light aftertaste, slight cinnamon

This is another one of the first beers I ever drank, at the tender age of 18. First time I had it, it was a very busy time in my life, I was very tired, worn out and not at peak condition. I finished a hard show at college, came back, and basically downed the bottle of Hoegaarden. Big mistake. This isn't a beer to take lightly. It bunged me up (sinusitis) for a few days. It's a healthy beer :P

Anyways, the beer itself lives up to its description of being a witbier, it's colour is cloudy and very pale. White beers are normally heavy in taste (high wheat content) and strong in flavour. They also have a higher yeast content than other beers. Some white beers are even 'bottle fermented', which means live yeast is added to the bottle to keep it brewing untill you pour it out. These beers generally have a sediment.

This beer comes with pouring instructions! First, rinse the glass with water, secondly, fill half the glass and swirl it around. Finally, fill the glass. I don't know why they say this. I've tried it this way and in the normal way. nothing special happens. I expected fireworks

Hoegaarden isn't a live beer to my knowledge, but its spicy, tasty, light but heavy flavour, its heavy body makes one niiiice drink. Saying the taste is spicy isn't the same as saying it's hot. It's like a mulled beer, hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Nice well rounded flavour, good to go with desserts, or even as a dessert! HAS to be served at 2-3 degrees C. that way, the spices are enhanced on your tongue over the wheatyness of the beer

Hoegaarden - A big bottle of fun

Important to note that although you might want to say Hoe Garden, it is that the correct pronunciation is Who gaarten.

True story. I was in Ghent a while back and trying to get a couple of beers. I asked several times for Hoegaarden's how you'd expect then to be said. They were being slightly obtuse. It was only when I picked up a beer mat and pointed at it that the barmaid said "Ah, who gaarten that I managed to get served.

Oh, and that spicy flavour comes from cloves.

I know it was cloves, I don't know why I didn't type it! and thanks for the pronunciation knowledge, always helpful!

Tonight, to go with Leffe Blonde, I bring you Leffe Brune! It's darker, broodier brother



This will be filled in some time, I've decided to enjoy the beer tonight :)

WATCH THIS SPACE!

Actually this could have gone to the "it reminds me a plimate" thread too.

I would love some of this, I wonder how arrogant it is against the innovations of Brewdog. They don't sell it in the UK though :(

Waiting...waiting...waiting....

Local brew house just started brewing this. Will be ready by Halloween.


C'mon, c'mon, cmon.