Tokyo* - BrewDog

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Max's today. Have to say I was bit surprised to see this on tap here today.

The beer pours the expected blackish brown color with very good head retention and lots of sticky lacing all around. The nose is definitely pretty boozy, with a pronounced nose of coffee, chocolate and calvados. This beer smells as if it's seen some serious barrel aging (which I assume it has). Regardless of the abv., there's no getting around that this beer smells pretty good. The flavor profile is profound, and reminds me somewhat of the World Wide Stout (including the alcoholic kick in the finish). This stout is pretty sweet, but with a considerable amount of vanilla, cherry, chocolate and coffee. There's also a bit of an alcoholic burn in the finish, but given the abv., that's hardly a surprise. Mouthfeel is full, intensely rich, and very long. It doesn't have that mouthfeeling creaminess I like to see in bettter stouts, but is still pretty impressive. Drinkability is the one area where this beer completely falls apart. The alcohol is very noticeable in this beer, and the sweetness only adds to it. While delicious, I found myself starting to wince each time I took a sip (of course, I do the same thing every time I try something by Cantillon).

Interesting beer... but not one I'm sure I can ever see myself ordering again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2010 23:19:30 | More by johnmichaelsen

MrHungryMonkey

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nose is malty sweet with significant alcohol, rich roasted chocolate, and some spicy floral tones. Smells quite good.

Pours very black, clear, moderate head with good bit of last for the abv. Looks good.

Dark, rich, and stoutish yet ripe with spicy alcohol. Odd fruit character, must be the cranberry, which adds significant and pleasant depth. Good bit of sweetness. Soft cola character - in body mostly, with less carbonation. Slight tartness. Mostly dark malt and alcohol. Tastes good. Feels quite good. Good drinkability.

Nice. One of the better BrewDogs I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 03:27:11 | More by MrHungryMonkey

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Good hefty sipper, a bit too obvious on the boozy profile and short on the fruitiness but with a fair range.

Presentation: 10 oz draft serving. Menu notes style, country, serving temp (48º), and Alc. by Vol. (8.2%). Served into a snifter.

A - Black pour with brown edges, minimal head and retention, no surface memory or lace.

S - Slightly perfumy, which might be the jasmine but it is not evident with a tiny fruity note, and alcohol pulling the malt.

T - Dark fruits, sweet malts with a predominant boozy structure.

M - Medium-full body with a slightly sticky finish, and a warming alcohol rhythm.

D - Nice sipper, the alcohol does not hinder so much the drinkability as a bit of a dull note in the sense that it feels like it could reach a more pronounced character.

Notes: Too similar to some hefty offerings but while decent at times it feels a bit too generic despite the rich mix of ingredients. Brewdog is riding the hype quite a bit but they can do better than this.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2010 00:07:31 | More by Daniellobo

drabmuh

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Beer on tap at a local beer bar. My wife ordered this and we shared it. Beer is black with a brown thin head made up of big soapy bubbles. There is some lacing on the glass but I can't see any carbonation. It looks fine (served in a snifter btw).

I did not look at the menu until after I took a sniff of this beer. I immediately asked my wife what the ABV was, 18.2 %. Shit. The beer kind of smells like nail polish remover. Its sweet and really really hot. Lots of alcohol in the nose. Really knocked me over and made me fearful to drink it. Bring on the extreme.

Beer is primarily sweet and thin. The description on the menu says that it was made with jasmine and cranberries. If you say so Brewdog, I don't get any of that and I'm usually pretty good at picking stuff out like that. Drinkability is fine for such a giant beer but mouthfeel is too thin and there's not a lot going on in the taste department. The liquor quality of this beer overwhelms any subtly and any flavors you may have wanted / been expecting.

I didn't order this beer but it represents a "new" trend in brewing and by brewers, especially this brewer and others like DFH. Bigger isn't always better, more ethanol doesn't make you some brewing genius. How about a session beer everyone? How about something with some flavor other than malt and ethanol? How about making a beer with cranberries and making the cranberries the star? I'm sick of it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2010 18:16:53 | More by drabmuh

HopHead84

California

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

1/24/2010

12oz bottle shared by John (wetherel). Thanks! The beer is dark brown with a small light brown head. The nose is of molasses, dark fruits, cola, peat, oak, and a little chocolate. The taste is of peaty dark fruit chocolate oak with a big brown sugar midpalate section and a high level of booze heat. It's reminiscent of a liqueur. The mouthfeel is smooth and viscous. Tokyo* is a sweet and alcoholic sipper.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2010 04:49:44 | More by HopHead84

Trizzle

United Kingdom (England)

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Black. Nice, tight small head with minimal retention and lacing.

Smells hugely of muscat. Real fortefied wine. Some toasted malts in the background.

Spice from the alcohol and a big sweetness. More raisins (dried cranberrys?), the added jasmine that I was skeptical about is there and is actually quite a complement. Alcohol is present but not to its detrement. Quite the reverse. Would definitely drink as a digestif. Minimal hop or toasted malt bitterness to speak of. A desert beer for sure.

Mouth feel is ultra smooth and cognac slippery; first sip went down the wrong hole.... ahem.... But as a digestif quite appropriate.

Would definitely enjoy this one after a big meal.

To be honest this has grown on me as I have finished it. As an 'Russian Imperial Stout' I originally marked it down. I dubbed it a 'Strong Desert Stout' and re-reviewed. A sipper and definitely one to be *respected!*. Like port? Like this.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 21:52:11 | More by Trizzle

checkfeet

Korea (South)

2.25/5  rDev -42%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Sampled this with a friend in Glasgow who picked up a bottle at the shop despite the hefty price, though turned out to be a better beer to share among friends because of the strength.

Pours a dark viscous black tar with minimal head and little lacing. The nose is very sweet, like melted candy and the taste is similar - strong and far too sweet.

I could see this pairing well with black forest gateaux or some other rich, chocolatey cake, but on its own, even as a nightcap sipper it doesn't live up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 16:56:24 | More by checkfeet

Patrick999

Florida

2.48/5  rDev -36.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Poured into a chalice. Viscous looking dark body, minor foaminess.

Aroma is deep and alcoholic, as you would expect - a mocha spiked with a lot of whiskey.

One sip. Sickeningly sweet. Another sip....sickeningly sweet....and so on and so on. Inexplicably, it's straight-up sweetness and alcohol. Little to no nuance/complexity playing off the sweetness. I can't pick up bitter chocolate, coffee, hops, anise, vanilla...nothing. It's simply achingly sweet and bracingly alcoholic. In despair, I pick up a piece of bitter chocolate, hoping to enhance the experience, and indeed, the bitter dark chocolate provides a much-needed counterpoint. However, should I really have to pair an 18% stout with a piece of chocolate in order to get any flavor depth at all out of it? I don't think so. I can't believe I'm giving this a 2.0 for taste, but I am.

Feel is syrupy, not exactly helping, but that is to be expected with a beer this alcoholic.

Drinkability is extremely limited. You might protest, "oh, but it's 18%!" To which I say so the hell what? DFH World Wide Stout is 18%, and while certainly sweet in its own right, that beer is quite complex and tasty, beckoning further sips. This? This just makes me think of my teeth, rotting away.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2009 21:46:42 | More by Patrick999

PartyBear

United Kingdom (England)

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a room temperature 330ml bottle into an oversize wineglass.

Appearance: Jet black in colour and pours like thick oil. Small tan head fades within a few seconds, leaving just a thick black liquid. Small amount of carbonation. Thick legs on the side of the glass.

Aroma: The alcohol is very obvious on the nose, in fact it actually burns all the way to the back of the throat. Spicy, quite peppery. There are sweet cherries and pears. Burnt caramel.

Taste: Sweet at the start, fruity, with burnt sugars. There is a taste of gingerbread, molasses and possibly kola nut? There is a pepperiness in the middle, which is somewhat perfumy. The finish is bitter dark chocolate, with a powerful warming alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Heavy, flat, warming, and slightly oily. It's not as thick as I thought it would be.

Drinkability: It's almost like drinking a spirit, with the alcohol content being so high. The flavours are huge and overpowering at times but there does seem to be a strange balance between them, possibly held together by the alcohol. It is certainly a beer that has to be experienced.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 18:21:51 | More by PartyBear