BrewDog Riptide

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

Serve in Snifter

It didn’t pick up on the imperial aspect of this stout. It reminded me of a mild with the smooh malt body. In the English style, with low carbonation and a fairly thick palate. Chocolate, and some earth. Only a hint of smoke.

A large dark brown pour with tan head and lace. Aroma is chocolate and toasted malt. Flavor is dominated by chocolate and burnt coffee. A full bodied well carbonated beer. Very nice

12 oz bottle. Pours a clear dark brown body, kinda light in color for the style, with a very small fizzy light brown head that faded rather quickly. The nose is roasty and chocolaty, but there’s a weird metallic quality to the hops that doesn’t sit well with me. The flavor is rather harshly roasty with a slightly burnt rubber note on the finish. The roast and chocolate that’s supposed to be there just isn’t. A light hint of alcohol on the finish lingers on after the rubber fades. Medium bodied, rather heavy on the tongue with a syrupy clinginess on the finish. Soft fine carbonation level. There wasn’t a whole about this one that I liked. Thank goodness I didn’t grab the bigger bottle size.

Bottled. Pours out in a dark brown colour with a low bubbly grey head. Roasted malts, dark chocolate and sweet licorice in the aroma. Medium to full-bodied with notes of burnt malts, salty licorice, dark chocolate and chalk. Burnt finish of coffee and dark chocolate. Definitely not bad but lacking depth.

Dark brown coloured body with a one centimetre tall lighter brown head. Some cola colours and larger bubbles show when held up to a light. Aroma of roasted malt, cereal, molasses, vanilla and raisins - strong and potent. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong assertive roasted malt up front with oatmeal, coffee, oak and vanilla strong behind. Aftertaste shows molasses and prunes tucked in with some alcohol and metal. Overall, a good and strong stout, lighter than most other Imperial Stouts, but a welcome alternative! I sampled this 33 cL bottle purchased from the Utobeer Market Stall in Borough (London), England on 13-December-2008, sampled at home in Washington (on the other side of the pond) on 07-June-2009.

Bottle bought today at Nikki’s Liquors in Providence RI, a little pricey at $12 but its the first time I’ve seen any brew dog in the US for sale. Poured into a port glass. Pours dark brown/black with a big nice 2 finger tanish head. Nose is sweet and dry and much like a dry stout not so much the nose of any imperial stout I recognize. Taste is certainly bigger, really a big big big malty coffee burnt taste. Its rather good, but certainly different and somewhat funky fresh. I like it, I’m wondering how the IPAs are. Good beer.

Bottle: The aroma consists is loaded with chocolate with lots of dark chocolate and cocoa powder and some light roasted nuttiness. It pours a dark brown with red highlights that borders on transparency when held to the light. It has a moderate beige head with good retention. The flavor starts with some light cocoa powder. The finish turns to moderate dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and just a hint of fruit. Medium bodied with mild carbonation. This really seems like more of a stout than an Imperial Stout.

Bottle: Poured a clear black color ale with a small foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of roasted coffee is pleasant enough. Taste is a mix between some roasted coffee and lightly bitter malt. Body is a bit thin and carbonation is also low but alcohol was not discernable. I would have appreciated this beer even more with some black chocolate notes and some additional complexity.