Sink The Bismarck!
BrewDog

Sink The Bismarck!Sink The Bismarck!
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
BrewDog
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
41%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.6 | pDev: 23.06%
Reviews:
104
Ratings:
227
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 08, 2023
Added:
Mar 23, 2010
Wants:
  165
Gots:
  71
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.66/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
i mean, if this isnt the beer of lore, what is?! we spend our lives in search of the rare, and when you finally get there, it could borderline be wash but its still important and special, and thats surely what this is. happenstance has me in the graces of beer godliness, and im not rushing it. begged and pleaded, offered sums, dont give a literal fug, rent or this bottle, no contest, but its not about price, its about encountering an era of arms racing as art, when beer size literally did matter, and when freeze distillation was novelty, these dudes literally were naked or wore animal suits when these things were made, is beer anywhere near as fun now as it was when this was conceived? no price, just an offer, accepted. black synthetic cork longer than it seemingly needs to be, why is this so long and deep, mushroom head but i needed a corkscrew anyway. near still, leggy soup, can something at this level look nondescript? nose of heavy umami, soy and paper and licorice candy and tobacco and burn, some hops oddly, ginger and galangal or something, fig and toffee, burnt sugar, exotic oldness, what the heck. thick leather like someone making me a belt in my teens i will pass on to my grandchildren. anise, smoke, cognac, extreme black peppercorn, fig, still hoppy despite age. the flavor is whack, menthol, chew, indian spice, mint, painkillers in my nose, rusty tools in an old garage. this has heavy burn but more from hops than booze, but its boozy as hell, like it hurts to drink. bigtime soy, molasses, coconut aminos, and vicodin. like a medicine curry, brown sugar, grain faded but still defiant, concentrated to the point of oblivion. nobody could like this, but it hits like no chance in your lifetime scotch whiskey, but its beer, and the mental peat is as robust as the real flaws in this, and i can only think what a life this is that i live, we live, why even participate and partake if this is still out there, but when you find it, it relieves a lifetime of curiosity, marketing and process make a baby, it looks like palate burn and an atm rejecting my plastic, but getting to commune with a seminal moment long gone has no price, literally what the hell. green glass messy weird stew. i will never untaste this.
Nov 08, 2023
Photo of rand
Reviewed by rand from California

2.66/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Into a snifter

Well, been squirreling this one away since I bought it a decade ago. At a time when experimental brewing was still in its novel phase, was excited to stash this one away for ten years, 2020! (Or whatever it was). The first beer time capsule! Tried to cellar it and forget it, but word got around from fellow beer geeks that it was a chore to drink and just kinda gross. Well, unfortunately, they were right. You could stash this one away for another decade and it still wouldn’t hide the fact that it’s better suited for peeling paint than pleasing the palate. Anyway, here are the specs:

Black brew, viscous like a stout. Boozy like a spirit - because it is - with notes of burnt rubber and anise. Kind of an amalgam of nastiness on the palate…plasticky bitterness, charred wood, spoiled cherries and massive booze. Finishes with this weird unsweetened chocolate meets Campari aftertaste. Ouch.
Dec 26, 2021
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

3.97/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter via Bluejacket74! Cheers
dude, I have been waiting for the moment and it just struck me
as perfect. This monster brew pours a dark brown with burnished
copper highlights with no head or ring. Nose of deep resinous
pine and bittering hops with rich caramel and vinous notes
with touches plum brandy and earthy malts. Flavors are an
odd lot. Leather, dark dry red wine, resinous hops laden with
pine, herbal bittering hops, black strap molasses, and earthy malt
touches amongst caramel sweet malt syrup. Mouth feel is full
body, very VERY warm, coating, rich, did I mention warming,
no carbonation, I can't feel my lips....and I should mention
also it is warm....and finishes moderately dry, bitter, and
cloyingly sweet.

Overall, I am so glad I got to try it. It could most likely
replace novocain before dental surgery. That said it
is unique and made to be split with a friend! It is a
very unique brew!

Cheers
May 29, 2021
 
Rated: 2.69 by DvdP from Netherlands

Nov 17, 2020
Photo of janubio
Reviewed by janubio from Spain

4.73/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Shot glass at The Situation.
Black colour, nothing to say about the head and lacing because the Shot glass.
Aroma is sweet, raisins, muscatel,

molasses, and resins. Full body, creamy texture, sweet and hoppy finish.
Taste is completely different, hops and resins dominating, but there's raisins, molasses and muscatel.
Alcoholic, sweet, bitter.
Great, but you can't think of it as a beer, even an extreme beer.
Feb 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.65 by scootny from New York

Aug 08, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by RMW66 from Australia

Jun 03, 2018
 
Rated: 1.93 by HopBelT from Belgium

Jun 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.84 by Zach136 from Georgia

May 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.79 by jrfehon33 from Pennsylvania

Feb 26, 2017
Photo of sposter4
Reviewed by sposter4 from Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
5oz pour. Pours like syrup. Dark brown . Smells like hop oil, anise, and absinthe. Taste is similar with a burn like a neat whiskey. Drink tide beer for what it is
Feb 11, 2017
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.08/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle from brewdog Stockholm.

Still. Caramel bronze color.

Smell is of booze and dank, resinous hops. Nail polish remover.

Taste is the most bitter hop flavor imaginable. Weedy, dank, floral, resin. Sticky. Boozy. Bready malts. Earthy.

Medium bodied. Ends somewhat surprisingly clean for what it is.

This is a very interesting beer. It is like the whisky of hops. A few sips is enough. Basically liquid hops and booze.

A fun novelty beer to try, but not something I'd try again.
Dec 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.51 by Sergiomendolia from Switzerland

Nov 18, 2016
 
Rated: 2.22 by dcmchew from Romania

Oct 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.48 by mdaschaf from Indiana

Sep 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Keith_R from Georgia

Sep 17, 2016
Photo of Roguer
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut

2.88/5  rDev -20%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
OK, OK, it's a gimmick ... and an aged IPA, at that.

Coppery but clear brew. No head.

Smells...potent. Strong alcohol, caramel, and feet?

Doesn't taste all as bad as it smells. Very hot; tons of caramel; stale hops; sherry and port; citrus and pine; fruit cake. Still not something I'd drink normally...or ever again.

For a beer that clocks in at whisky strength, it's not as hot as it could be. It is more flavorful and fruity, as well.
Jul 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.25 by suckaj from Florida

Jul 03, 2016
Photo of nikkinloch
Reviewed by nikkinloch from England

1.8/5  rDev -50%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
I feel the tagline for any critique of this is "what do you expect from a novelty beer"?

Shared with 5 friends in a cabin in the woods at Mt Hood.

Pour is flat, viscous, orange. Strong booze and hops smell. Taste is strong plasticy licorice that doesn't get any more pleasant the more you drink. Boozy sweet hops, sickly and quite unpleasant.

Treating it as IPA concentrate, I finished off one of the other friends glass (they couldn't, I don't blame them) by adding in some soda water. This for sure make is more of a sane drink, and really quite close to a re-hydrated IPA, but there was still that strong medicinal licorice plastic taste that made it nasty to drink.

You could argue it is fun to try once, but in all honesty only to say I have done it. For me, there are no redeeming features, I'd say avoid and go for something brewed for taste, not for some ABV arms race.
Jul 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.69 by krl2112 from Illinois

Apr 30, 2016
Sink The Bismarck! from BrewDog
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 227 ratings