BrewDog Riptide

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

Serve in Snifter

Alight my little prayer before trying, ’fo’ f#$ks sake come on Brewdog’...., and it’s time to sample! Cool, not cold and into a stumpy chalice. Big, big head develops off the pour, takes a while but it wilts back to leave an incredibly spun web of lace upon the glass. Karri brown perhaps, lightly edging it, otherwise this is black as black and opaque with a lot of fine yeasty proteins caught in suspension.
Not much happening on the nose at first, offers up some dank, dark fruit, cola soda, cigarette smoke, a little fresh laid road tar still smelting on the bitumen, and strangely a little waft of grandma’s favourite rose garden out front, strange for an IS!
The moment the glass hit my lips I had hops, merciless hops, resinous, un-announced, gate-crashing hops; like perfume sprayed over a good Ristretto, I love the way she smells but I love and respect my coffee more, just the way it is! To its credit, the stout part, it has ample malty sweetness, a dusty, heated, husky mid-palate. The alcohol is about as masked as a naked ’Fat-a-gram’ holding up a budgerigar feather. Liqueurish, almost medicinal, woo, hot! Big, smoky, bitter coffee bean swallow holds out against wailing leafy, herbal and nastily floral hops, though the bitterness seems to be malt-driven. Ooh, hold on, I am starting to enjoy this - that is I still don’t understand this! - It’s black and tan on steroids. Marzipan, un-fermented wort and nail-varnish play in the aroma. Mellowing, full bodied and smooth, shows incredible poise and lingers longer than a good mate tied up on rent - umm, very long! Fills the mouth, but is cloying, wow it hits home too. Really wish all the faeries would go away, stop stealing my chocolate. I think one is enough!!! (33cL, Batch 203, BB 10/08/11, Cellarbrations Carlisle)

Pours dark red/brown with a generous dark head. Smells like roasted malts. Taste is sweet and flavourful. Enjoyed this beer very much.

Bottle. Dark but not black with a medium tanned head. Smells like caramel and chocolate with hints of coffe. Taste of smoke and coffee with a lasting bitter finish

UPDATED: FEB 19, 2011 Muddy and opaque black with smal light brown head, Plums, caramel, coffee, cinnamon. This so-called stout is dark and port-like on the nose - the palate is a lot more strange. Challenging and extremely complex. Full body, sticky as hell, flat yet fizzy on the tongue, It starts off rather sweet and plump, then loads of astringent black malts capture your attention, and in the end it seems rather dry and athletic. Do I like it: Yes - and no. I wouldn’t drink it every other day, not even once a week, and then again, this one is different. A different kind of stout. And it’s loaded with flavor!

Opaque black, thin bubbly tan head, coating full body, medium carbonation.

Aroma: black malts, liquid smoke, soy sauce, bitter sweet chocolate, damp stone minerality. Very rich and heavy. I don’t know how, but it smells like ancient Scotland, with dank stone and smokey thatch.

Taste: lots of astringent black malts, charcoal, mushroom, soy sauce, cola, slight alcohol, and a touch of bready yeast. Flavors are really dark.

Bottle shared by levifunk...thanks Levi! - Pours a cola color with a tiny tan head. Smells sweet and caramelly with very little roast and a touch of sweet bourbon. Taste is sweet caramel with a decent amount of yeast, a touch of smoke, and lots of sweet chocolate. Smooth in the mouth, but not all that well-carbonated. Decent heft. Pretty good!

Bottle. Pour is thin brown which looks black once glass is full and has a quick soapy tan head that fades fast. Aroma has licorice molasses and soy in it. Taste is more mollasses soy and licorice with a little chocolate as well. Palate is thin and flat with a chaulky dry finishes. Better than I was expecting.

From a 330ml bottle on 22/1/2011. Batch No 203; best before 10/8/11. Pours close to black with a big head. Has a fantastic aroma of raisins, licorice, chocolate and coffee, with a hint of something floral. In the mouth, you get heaps of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and a distinct smokiness. There is a pronounced sweetness upfront, which is beautifully offset by a big dose of lingering hoppiness. Has a lovely creamy palate. An exceptionally good stout.