BrewDog Punk IPA

On the heels of the Drink of the Month, we have another product from Scotland. However, unlike the fine whiskey bonnie Scotland is famous for, this beverage is the bottled equivalent of a '77 Sex Pistols concert - a chaotic bloody mess. Perhaps this is where the "Punk IPA" name was inspired from. Brewed by BrewDog in Fraserburgh, Scotland, this beer has an abv of 6%.

I originally noticed this one when picking up beers for New Years Eve review. As I had already picked up several products for review, I left this one for another day. Spotting it again at the Ajax LCBO, I grabbed it along with several bottles of weissen for a piss-up at Brian's. Looking over the bottle, the pseudo-punk label describes this "post moderm classic pale ale" as thus:

This is not a lowest common denominator beer.

This is an aggressive beer.

We don't care if you don't like it.

We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness.

It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium craft brewed beer.

You probably don't even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and uses only the finest fresh natural ingrediants.

Just go back to drinking your mass marketed, bland, cheaply made watered down lager and close the door behind you.

BrewDog: Beer for Punks

BrewDog is about breaking rules, taking risks, upsetting trends and unsettling institutions but first and foremost, great tasting beer.

I have to say without doubt, that was the most pretentious description of a product I have ever read. This beer practically begs you to hate it before you even crack it open. At this point, Brian and I had extreme reservations of what was in store for us. In my experience, good products speak for themselves. By contrast, companies that proclaim their products as "too good for you" are generally trying to push sub-standard tripe on the snooty, know-nothing crowd.

We cracked it open and poured out the samples. Immediately, the room was permeated by the pungent scent of hops which in reality was not at all unexpected for an IPA. The beer was clear, sans sea monkeys and formed a nice head. Michelle raised her sample to her nose and exclaimed "Oh god!" at the scent coming off the brew. We tipped the glasses back and my palate was immediately attacked by the extreme bitter taste. The flavour reminded me of a decayed swamp, and the bitterness continued down the throat and the gnarly aftertaste seemed to hang around like a herpes infection. Michelle described the flavour "like sucking on a tree" before declaring she couldn't finish her sample. Brian also gave a thumbs down as he remarked it was like "beer flavoured Halls." Truly a vile and undrinkable product.

BrewDog Punk IPA Final Score:
Michelle - 4
Myself - 4
Brian - 3

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Every once in a while, you get a surprise when on the hunt for bizarre liquor to try. I found this gem at the LCBO and immediately thought it would be another horrific nightmare for my tastebuds. First of all, it is brewed in Scotland where they deep-fry or pour a pound of sugar into everything they consume. Along with that, the words "Viscous - Chocolatey - Bitter" stood out like an al Queda operative in Sudbury. While I have seen chocolate and bitter used to describe several decent beers I have tried, I can't say I have ever seen the word viscous used in an alocohol marketing campaign. Undaunted, I paid for it and took it over to Brian's to see what he and Michelle thought of it.

Brian had as many reservations as me when he put the bottle in the fridge, and made a comment to Michelle about possibly dying as a result of drinking its contents. We let the bottle chill, then set out some glasses for the tasting. I cracked open the bottle and started pouring it into the glasses. I kid you not, this stuff looks exactly like what it is called. I have changed the oil in enough crankcases in my time to know when oil is past it's prime, and this beer looked exactly like it had been sitting in the engine of an old Gremlin since '78. Neither Brian nor Michelle looked impressed by this, and as I passed out the samples their expressions probably resembled those of the People's Temple members before drinking the poisonous kool-aid in Jonestown. Glancing at each other with a silent 'salut', we raised our glasses half-expecting this to be the most vile liquor reviewed yet. However, we were all pleasantly surprised to find this to be very inoffensive and actually a decent dark ale. It was viscous and somewhat chocolatety, but not too bitter at all. Fans of porter and stout should definately give this one a try. It was definately a decent dark beer for a cold winter's night.... even if it does look exactly like crankcase oil out of an old engine.