BrewDog Riptide

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

Bottle, Beer Ritz, Leeds. This was the first brew dog beer i came across and this was a welcome re-visit. Very dense dark, almost jet black body with a creamy tan head. Fragrant aroma with plenty going down, malt heavy, but dark chocolate and fruit presence too. Slight booziness in the flavour, but perfectly tolerable, roasted coffee and dark chocolate notes. Some hop bitterness towards the finish. A very tidy stout indeed. Dig it

Pours a black color with medium light brown head. Aroma is of milk chocolate, like caramel, light roasted coffee and fruit. Taste is not as milk chocolately as the aroma, but does deliver some roasted malt, light chocolate, and notes of dark fruit and coffee. Not bad, but I’d pass again. Then again, the bottle was a year and a half old.

Clear dark brown pour and no head. Gave me a bit of a "hiss" when I opened it but it clearly has lost some of it’s intended carbonation. At least, I hope is has. Dark fruity and roasted aroma, sour and dark roast flavor. Thin bodied but smooth and silky. the carbonation is lacking, as I mentioned and that cost it a few points. If I see it locally later I’ll give it another try. A bit disappointing, this.

Bottle/22 - Poured a dark black/brown with a medium tan head that quickly faded. Aroma is slightly sour and thick with very dark malts. Some coffee and chocolate. Flavor is also a bit sour with dark malts, espresso and a hint of chocolate. Finish is medium bitter to start and slightly sour at the very end. Not quite as good as I expected from a brewer of this reputation...

1 pint, 6.4 oz bottle (thanks Chris). Definitely an underrated beer here. There’s quite a few good things going on here. Dark, toffee/caramel grain malt is a big player in the aroma. Some other nutty malts, chocolate cookie, and some woody earth as well. Nicely balance smell. A light layer of creamy cream head that dissipates almost entirely, a medium-thick body, and a straight midnight black color. A medium-thick feel in the body as well with a nice creamy and strong balanced body. Although the abv may be low, this is a very drinkable imp stout. The flavor profile is simple, but well balanced with very high quality English malts. Nutty, dark cookie grain malts, cocoa, light wood, earth, with a very pleasant dark bittersweet malt finish. Again, this is very underrated in my opinion. Really a very pleasant and drinkable take on a imperial stout. I liked this quite a bit.

(bottle, 33cl) Clear, mahogany colour with a beige medium-sized foamy head. Moderately sweet and roasty malty aroma with notes of anise, caramel, berry fruits and a tinge of noble hops. Roasty bitter flavour with a present and rounded malty sweetness, full bodied with a soft carbonation. Robust roast-malty, slightly molassy taste with caramel, chocolate and a tinge of anise spice; sweet and roast-bitter finish with warming alcoholic notes and a light but aromatic hoppy tail. Complex and superb brew. 24.XII.09

Aroma is Chocolate and Caramel. Appearance is jet black with a large creamy head. Taste is alcohol, chocolate, roasted malt and the malt hangs arounbd the palate. This is one of my favourite Stouts, pity BD seems to want to discontinue it. Not interesting enough gents?

A deep dark stout with a thin off white head. Aroma of bitter chocolate, dust, dark fruits, and fruity esters. In mouth, a nice lightly sweet chocolate, milkey, smooth, lightly hopped but sustained burned bitterness. A bit lighter bodied than expected. Not bad. Bieropholie Imports, BB 10-02-10.