BrewDog Mikkeller Devine Rebel 2010

Formerly brewed at BrewDog
Style: Barley Wine
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Serve in Snifter

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Draught at Farmers Cabinet shared with Dean during RBSG. Poured a slightly red/brown body with a dirty small head. Aroma of caramel and toffee along with some raisin and dark fruit pulp, sweet overall. Flavor of caramel, toffee, chocolate and alcohol. Medium to fuller bodied with surprisingly strong carbonation and a good dose of alcohol heat throughout. Very good beer.

Bottle - wow this is a big beer. It pours a deep cherry brown with a finger of khaki head. Strong aroma of malt, alcohol, cherries, and caramel. The alcohol is a bit overpowering, so once it clears you just get bitterness.

Poured out a murky brown brew with just a bit of foam. After an early sniff and taste I thought that I’d be best to let this evolve in my glass for 20 mins or so and it did pay off as the slight sourness has faded and this has turned into the barley wine I was hoping to get. This has turned into a nice smelling brew albeit unspectacular. Sweet fruit, bit of cherry, caramel, alcohol, light smoke, light chocolate and coffee on occasion, pungent berry or something.. also to be found is a bit of oak and a faint green apple skin that must be coming from the speyside. The alcohol comes and goes but when it’s around it is somewhat distracting. The taste is pretty much what one would expect from a big % barley wine. Once again, the aroma is very good but I let it sit for 5 minutes. Flavourwise we got caramel, alcohol, light burnt wood, light herb, hints of vanilla and molasses especially in the after taste, toffee, some dark fruits and a pretty solid hard bitterness that lingers. Too much obvious alcohol. Not all that well balanced in many sips. Heavy and long lasting finish. I don’t recall the exact dollars I payed for this but as usual an overpriced beer is underwhelming. Barely average... barely.

12 oz bottle. Pours a dark murky brown with fizzy tan head. Aroma has notes of dark fruit, funky citrus, oak and boozy. Flavor is much the same with a strong black pepper presence and sharp bitter. Heavy body with lively carbonation. Overall, I thought it was great but seems to have a slight infection, which isn’t a bad thing.....Good Stuff!

My Bottom Line:
From fiery alcohol sparks plentiful peat smoke, as caramel malts and boisterous carbonation create cohesion within this explosive Barley Wine.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam surrounds the hazy pale amber.
-This is one Brewdog barrel-aged beer in which the barrel does not completely take over the base beer. I like that in a sipper.
-Alcohol is way too potent for me to have more than a few sips.
-Split four ways, this small bottle remained pleasant despite its brash intensity. A full bottle to myself might have become disagreeable though... But since I don’t expect them to have brewed such a potent brew to be drunk in large quantities, I will keep my rating as is.
-The mouthfeel is elegant, with prickly carbonation and restrained residual sugars (for a Barley Wine, mind you).

Bottle.

Bottle poured a clear reddish brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of oak, carmel, toffee, plum, raisin and light earthiness. Palate was medium bodied and crisp with a tart watery warming finish. Flavors of carmel, toffee, fruittiness, earthiness and light oak with a crisp warming lingering tart watery fruity carmel finish. Really, kind of a mess.

Very very special beer! everythings do you want to feel you got in this beer! definitly rare special expirience!!!

Bottle, shared with Parksy watching Canucks vs Sharks, game 4 Western Conference. Hazy orange brown, brief golden head that vanishes completely. Aroma of brandy, toffee, wet wood, sourish (Brett?). Boozy brandy, candied oranges, dusty wood, pithy dry bitterness. Mouthfeel is fizzy and surprisingly thin. Not a favourite from two brewers that usually make outstanding beers.

11.2oz bottle split with mcberko from Stirchley Wines and Spirits, Birmingham. Pours a cloudy orange/brown with a small tan head. Aroma of brandy, dark fruits, syrup. Flavour of caramel, toffee, dried fruits, syrup and booze. Full bodied with an almost viscous quality. Booze is quite prominent.

12 oz. bottle, split with Matts_Property, pours a rustic amber / mahogany with a tan head. Strong aroma of treacle / toffee, caramel, dark fruits (cherries, figs, dates), light whiskey notes and alcohol. Flavour is very strong and boozy, with the alcohol hitting you upfront, followed by caramel, toffee, whiskey barrel notes, dark fruits and considerable sweetness, though outdone by the alcohol on top of everything. The original Devine Rebel is superior, as the alcohol is not overly well incorporated, diminishing the other complexities in this. Nevertheless, excellent barley wine.