Brewdog Tasting Session

Anyone familiar with beer must be aware of Brewdog - as one of the most quickly expanding breweries in Scotland, and probably the UK, they've definitely been getting a lot of press for both good reasons and bad. Suffice it to say I'm a fan - I tried a couple of their brews last summer for the first time and was immediately taken with how much more interesting they were than many other beers.

To be fair, winning a mixed case of their various offerings via a Twitter competition didn't do any harm in converting me to their cause!  Anyway, I'm sure I'll come back to this topic in a later post.  Today, however, I wanted to post a few comments on a tasting session that my dad and I had at their Glasgow brewpub at the weekend after buying a voucher deal a few months back.

For those who know Glasgow, the pub is directly opposite Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, so it's sited in a really prime location and dead handy for public transport.  First impressions of the bar were good - it has a pretty nice atmosphere inside, cool decor, and welcoming and friendly staff.  The selection of beers on tap was impressive, with about 7 or 8 of their own brews alongside a good handful of guest ales.

The tasting was for two people, and involved 6 of their own creations accompanied by a cheese and meat platter.  One of the bar staff joined us for the tasting, talking us through each beer and generally keeping the group company and - as so often at this type of tasting - you could tell he knew his stuff and was passionate about good beer which made all the difference.

The first couple of beers we tried were Punk IPA - their flagship beer, which is a lovely hoppy monster of a beer - and their 5am Saint amber ale.  I've had many bottles of both of these beers before, but on tap they were both even better.  Punk IPA is my current 'go-to' beer which I always have in the cupboard, but I have to say I was even more impressed with the 5am Saint this time round - it clearly benefits from being served on tap.  Next up was their Raspberry Revolver, a fruit beer they're experimenting with which isn't yet being bottled.  Generally I ain't a fan of fruit beers, and nothing about this made me change my mind - it wasn't quite as cloyingly sweet as some fruit beers can be, but it just didn't do much for me.

The next three was where it got interesting.  Firstly, some Hardcore IPA which again is a beer I've had before.  It's around 9.2% if memory serves, and is an intense, bitter and sweet double IPA which is perfect for sipping down with some cheese and oatcakes.  It really is a cracker - though best taken in measured quantities!

This was followed by their 'International Arms Race' which they brewed as part of a brew-off with US brewery Flying Dog.  Bizarrely, it's brewed without any hops - the rules of engagement apparently stated that only a handful of things could be used to flavour the beer, including juniper berries, spearmint and a couple of other things I can't remember.  Let me tell you, it was a seriously odd experience which was more medicinal than beer-like; the menthol/minty hit was the most predominant flavour.  I've got to respect the experiment, but I wouldn't say it was hugely successful!

Last up was their Tokyo* which was the 18.2% beast which caused a lot of unfairly negative press a while back.  I've got to say, this was a beautiful experience - like a beer-flavoured port.  Strong, sweet and bitter with a lovely warming aroma, this one is the real deal.  At £10 per 330ml bottle it's not cheap, but this creation deserves to be savoured amongst friends.  I'd heartily recommend giving it a try.

Perhaps my highlight of the afternoon, though, was the lovely photo to the left - again, you may have seen stories about this in the press.  After brewing a couple of huge beers to claim the title of the strongest beer ever brewed - Tactical Nuclear Penguin at 32% and Sink the Bismarck at 41% - they brewed the 55% End of History.  It seems only a few bottles were ever created, and they were bottled in this lovingly taxidermied roadkill squirrel.  I can't imagine many other breweries going down this road!  Anyway, they had a bottle (empty, sadly!) on display at the bar, so here's the little fella in all his glory.

So all in all it was a great afternoon - and at £19 between us for the voucher it was a complete bargain.  Great pub, good staff and excellent beer - I'll be back!