BrewDog Storm

Formerly brewed at BrewDog
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Well...? Like the other pours very English with just a few soapy bubbles then nada. The color is iridescent peach. Medium nectar with very little carbonation. Now, I am well versed in the scotch arena and I have to say this is in a class all it’s own. Lets call it a strong ale as a catch-all. I smell the fire roasted peat and I just want to lay my head down and weep. My god, I’m not sure what to do at this point. I had to take a sniff from my Lagavulin bottle at my side just to catch my bearings. This brew is sublime. OMG! This beer is beyond comprehension. If you enjoy Islay scotch you will be freaked out by this beer. If you enjoy IPA you will hate this beer. I don’t have the time to write an epic story like flacoalto so I’ll just leav it at this. The aroma alone is worth the price tag. I’m Trumpin’ this one.

Poured out an orangy gold brew with an ok sized white cap, some sticky ropy lacing and skim retention. The aroma - well, I am very glad to smell tons of peat but I’m not sure if I want to drank what I think will turn out to be watery Islay Scotch. Peat, peat... sea salt, burning grass, ash tray, very pungent orange, licorice, sweet red apple skin. Very nice - very nice indeed. And... drum roll please.... yup watery Islay scotch... but there is more to it so I am not disappointed. Log smoke.. lots of it, just tons. Ash trays again, and hey, there’s the hops - grapefruit, candy, stiff spice (in a small dose) and ample bitterness is an interesting partner for the unrelenting peat machine. A touch of salt is tied in with the peat as it should be and that is one quality that I’m really digging here. The flavour mix is a tad bizarre but I’m down with that. The mouth feel is also bizarre in comparison to other brews - Very drying, permanent wood smoke residue, sometimes there is a sharp tartness on the back left side in my mouth. I can breathe in the hop bitterness right now. The fruity, dark citrus character has really come out a lot more at the bottom of my glass. Endless after taste. I really dig this brew. I love Islay peat monsters as well, so that not only helps me enjoy this more but also be able to see beyond the crushing impression of the peat imparted on untrained taste buds. You gotta love the Islays to love this beer I think. This really doesn’t seem much like a typical IPA but that’s all due to the smoke and I don’t care one bit. Those vanilla tasting oak aged beers are just plain terrible. This is the ruler of their lands.

UPDATED: JUN 4, 2008 courtesy of Laurent Mousson - clear bronze colour with a little persistent white foam; robust fruity hoppy nose, estery and with a touch of wood; quite oily, solid malt body, very bitter and dry aftertaste showing solid notes of gentian - subtle and very original

Guildford arms weekend This stuff is mental. I like thre paradoxs with the whisky but this is whisky and fruit. Smoky fruit and more smoke. Its very wired but its fuckin good. There crazy bastards dogs.

12oz bottle. One of the most insane smelling beers in the world for sure. This smells like Laphroaig. No joke. In fact we smelled it side by side with Laphroaig and they were damn near identical. Massive smokey nose with some crazy phenols. Some heavy cedar like notes on the nose. Not sure what hops they used but I didn’t get much if any citrus. Seemed very earthy. The color is a hazy gold with no real head and nearly flat. Up front huge smoke. Almost ashy with Laphroaig like notes of chlorine and sea salt. I dunno how they achieved this smell and flavor but its really like drinking a Islay scotch fortified beer. Woody and spicy in the middle with strong earthy bitterness and a grassy herbal note to finish off. Smoke lingers forever. Relatively thin palate but this is an amazing achievement. Terrific beer if you understand what its trying to do. Non scotch lovers are probably gonna think this is garbage and based on the ratings I’d say I assumed correctly.

Nov 11, 2008 Bottle. Pours clear, light golden-amber, with a very thin white head, nice lacing. Smells strongly of oak, with an undertone of peat and leather. Earthy, wonderful, deep scotch flavor. A little salty, with the peat coming through more in the taste than the smell. Just a little hop bitterness in the finish, well balanced. Pretty dry, medium body.

(12oz bottle). Pours hazy yellow-orange liquid with minimal head. Wow! Aroma is more peat and whisky than beer, but the citrus from the hops is definitely there underneath. Definitely a punch in the mouth. Smokiness is prevelant, but there is some sweetness and some hops. They are not prominent, but they are there. There is a slight ’burn’ on the tongue and lips. The finish is super smooth. This is a beer that will have its detractors, but it’s unique--AND well made. It’s probably something I’d prefer to split with someone at the end of the night because it is so bold. Impressive.

Bottle says "Best Before 02/10". Oops / No head / Big, dramatic, nose of scotch and wood / Medium body, mellow with no carbonation, malty and fruity but astringent, with dry, bitter, finish / Flavors of scotch barrel, smoke, peat, and apple cider / A contrary view - very odd, but I enjoyed it. I would not expect an ipa to age well, but this one did. BrewDog is never dull. If you are the type that has a difficult time explaining to friends why "manure" is a desirable flavor in beer, this might be worth checking out.

You know what? I like it. A lot. Can’t help it - I love my Islay whiskys, and I love my IPAs, and I like a lot of what BrewDog does, so I was a goner from the start. Sure, it tastes like someone’s thrown a shot of Ardbeg into a Punk IPA, but to me, that’s no bad thing at all.

330ml brown bottle. Full gold colour, nicely formed white head, creamy with some sparse lacing. Aroma is interesting - sort of medicinal, moderate islay whisky notes, earthy. Flavour is woody, smoky, some malt sweetness, notes of citrus. Finish mixes a long citrus/grassy hop aftertaste with smoky, woody and earthy hints, trace of alcohol. Different, ok a bit starnge upon first sip, but I was a believer by the last sip...