BrewDog Abstrakt AB:04

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

Serve in Snifter

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Thanks to DarkGuardian for this beer; Sampled at Redlight Redlight January 2011
The beer sits in my glass with an inky brown / black color. It doesn’t have much carbonation to it, but does pour with a thin, brown colored head. There is a big not of chile in the nose, or rather it is definitely noticeable. Rich, umami laden dark malt savoriness is found in the nose too (a mix of dark malt and sweet malt character that is quite concentrated). Chile aromatics mix with a fruitiness to form an interesting mix and the alcohol is surprisingly well hidden in the aroma. The biggest aroma here though is an espresso / black-coffee like roasted character that I almost forgot to mention because it was so expected.

The beer tastes sweet as it first hits my tongue and it is quite viscous but still somehow light bodied. The finish has a lingering, huge black-coffee / espresso character to it. There is a hint of chile spiciness to the finish that grows in presence as you linger in contemplation after a sip. There is a lot of big, dark chocolate like flavors in this beer and it is quite surprising how “light” this beer is; for something of this alcohol level I was expecting a much heavier brew, though this is still most definitely a sipping brew.

I found this beer quite interesting in the end; I wasn’t really expecting to enjoy it that much, but I really like the good use of subtle chile notes. If I had to describe this beer I would say that it is first a coffee like beer, supported by chocolate notes that are supported by the chile notes.

Thanks to crusianbeer for bringing this beer back from the UK. The beer pours an inky black color with a tan head. The aroma has a lot of roasted malt, as well as some something that resembles soy sauce. The flavor is more complex. I get a lot of chocolate and some light soy, as well as some oak, vanilla and maple. There is also some alcohol. Thick mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Bottle shared with (and great courtasy of) the fantastic Bergen tasting crew with such stars as ClubGonzo, Inbreak and Palme, and the mighty StoreMy. Have a deep reddish brown to black colour with a light brown head. The aroma feels like concentrated dried fruit with plum, leather, wood, alcohol, rubber, and chillies. In the flavour I recognize dried fruit and leather, but also a coffee mocha touch with dark chocolate, chocolate truffles, a little roast, and chili in the end. The beer has a medium bitterness and feels oily in the mouth. A beautiful beer with good taste, and could have easily been served as a dessert in itself.

37,5 cl bottle @ lusikka. Bottle #2664 01.11.2010 (japanese marking: BBE 01.11.2020)
Aroma is rather strong on cocoa, also some vegetable-like chili. Flavour is oversweet with cocoa, sugar, some roasted malt and chili. Kind of reminds me of Nøgne Ø DH3. Too sweet, although the (moderate) chili is nice here.

375 ml bottle. Bottled on 01.03.2010. Bottle no 2664/3300.
Pours pitch black color with minimal beige head. Aroma of tar, peat, candy sugar, chocolate, sweet caramel malts and some vanilla. Flavor of sweet caramel malts, sugar candy, vanilla, very faint chili at the end. Quite mellow palate, overly sweet and a bit berryish. Very much like a berry infused DH3.
64

375 ml bottle. Bottled on 01.11.2010. Bottle #2664 of 3300.
Pours a black colour without a head. Aroma of strong roasted malts, dark chocolate, coffee and some licorice-like notes. Flavour of strong roasted malts, oak, dark chocolate, licorice, sweet sugar and weak chili burn in the finish. Full bodied, oily mouthfeel and a finish of roasted malts, licorice and weak chili burn again. Oak feels a bit too. Good stuff, however, I was hoping for a hotter chili burn.

375ml bottle

Bottled on 01.11.2010, Bottle #2664/3300 - Pours pitch black with a tiny sticky brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, cocoa and hints of syrup. Taste is quite sweet with syrup and notes of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and hints of warming chili. Finish is sweet and roasty with hints of syrup. A bit too sweet for my taste, and the chili is slightly too subtle. A bit unbalanced.

Bottles @ Mikkeller. Black pour, negligible tan head. Chocolate, roasted malts, coffee. Followed by the Nagas chili towards the end, which gives a slight but lasting burn. Commendable balance between the sweeter start and the hotter finish. Medium-low carbonation, smooth, medium-full body.

Bottle, 04/12/2012. Pours black, thinnest mocha head quickly burns away. Great aroma, raw cocoa nuts backed by moderately sweet chocolate and roast, smooth and elegant, chili throughout blending nicely with almost a smoky spiciness. Taste starts again with nutty cocoa, into dark chocolate , touch of vanilla and fruitiness, and big roast coffee, alcohol heat mixed with slight chili burn. Palate is full and smooth despite the booze, full of flavor. Everything bold and balanced, just the right amount of chili kick without going overboard. Brewdog nailed it here, sad to see my last bottle go.

In bottle at home with Sev. #2000. I’ve previously had this on cask at Cloisters and in bottle but not for a while. Pours a black colour with a tan head that dies away very early. A lovely aroma of cacao nibs upfront with chocolate, roasty malt, alcohol and plum pudding. Vanilla is definitely coming through in the flavour with chocolate and cacao nibs again. Lovely slick mouth-feel with mild carbonation. A warming alcohol linger. This is a little sweeter than I remember but delicious nonetheless.

30/06/2011 Birra+ (375ml bottle). Degustazione da Birra+. Nera, intensissima, aspetto liquoroso, poca schiuma color cappuccino, poco persistente. Al naso è incredibilmente intensa, dolciastra (malti tostati, cioccolato, vaniglia, caffè), speziatissima e con intense note pepate. In bocca è caffettosa e cioccolatosa, speziata e pepata. Corpo pieno, carbonazione corretta. Imperial Stout veramente sui generis, non la migliore che ho assaggiato, ma decisamente interessante.