I Hardcore You - BrewDog

BeerNemesis

New York

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I Hardcore You | 330 ml. | 9.5% ABV | 2010

Brewer: BrewDog Ltd (collaboration w/ Mikkeller)
Style: American Double / Imperial IPA
Glass: Duvel tulip

Presentation:
I like the simple, almost cartoonish bottle art.

Appearance:
Deep, primordial amber. The foam settles into stagnant pools and drifting eddies.

Aroma:
Bitter grapefruit and pungent hops oils. A hint of the potent alcohol within bites just as I pull my nose away.

Taste:
It begins with an earthy and strong herbal tone that quickly shifts into knots of deep, bitter flavors: grapefruit and hints of tropical fruit draped with herbs.

Mouthfeel:
Medium bodied. Sticky and chewy and a bit chalky at times.

Harmony:
The alcohol is well hidden, and there a no major flavor imbalances. That said, this is an absurdly bitter IIPA that I would match with very spicy food rather than drink solo.

Would I get it again?:
Maybe. Too bitter for my tastes really.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 02:24:13 | More by BeerNemesis

connecticutpoet

Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On the pour, this beer produced a two finger head over a clear amber body. There was lots of lacing evident.

Aroma was heavy in the grapefruit/citrus range. A nice malt undertone was noticeable, but this is definitely a hop bomb.

Taste was a big surprise - it started out as rich malt, with a slight sweetness and fruitiness putting in a cameo. Then the citrus hops and bitterness came in. Very nice finish, not overpowering. This was a well balanced beer.

Mouthfeel was full, creamy, and rich without being heavy.

Great drinkability. I would recommend this as an intro into the realm of DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2010 01:57:40 | More by connecticutpoet

birchstick

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - poured a hazy dark yellow with a nice creamy head

S - smells od really sweet caramely malts with a ton of grapefruit hops and something a little funky

T - loads of grapefruity hops with a solid caramel malt backbone. This is very sweet overall.

M - nice full body that goes down smoothly

D - Very delicious DIPA...loads of hops make the style obvious. Nice example of the style. It's a tongue bruiser, but my tongue enjoyed the beating.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2010 01:23:08 | More by birchstick

JLeege

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A blend of I Beat U and Hardcore IPA, then dry hopped again. 11.2 oz bottle into a glass.

Appearance- pours a murkey burnt orange color, with a nice 2 finger off white head, with good retention

Smell- Fresh! Citrus aromas fill the room upon cracking open the bottle. A lot of grapefruit/pinapple mixed with some piney sap.

Taste- This is well balanced. Citrus dominates the front of the palate. A nice malty carmely sweetness in the middle. Has a resinous bitter pine finish, this is quite nice. No alcohol pressence at all, impressive for 9.5% brew even if it is a flavorfull DIPA.

Mouthfeel- medium carbonation, pretty thick, almost chewy. Tounge numbing hoppy, but you still get plenty of malt sweetness on the sides of your mouth. This is an experience!

Overall- This is one of the best blended beers I have tried. This is fresh, very hoppy but has a sturdy malt backbone. I put this up there with some of the best American IPAs/DIPAs. A bit pricey but definitly worth seeking out if you can get your hands on it in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 01:35:52 | More by JLeege

klshanks

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

9/20/10 - 12 oz bottle poured into a tulip

Appearance- Orangish Amber in color with a good 2 inch head after being poured. Great lacing and head that sticks around for a while.

Smell- Awesome. Smells super fresh. Citrus and grapefruit, with a little alcohol sweetness in it.

Taste- A bit dissapointing to me after the aroma, a grassy dandelion bitterness to it. I can't identify my hop varieties very well, but tastes very similar to what they used in Sink the Bismarck.

Mouthfeel- Syrupy. Not as bubbly as I would have thought with the amount of carbonation it seemed to have from the pour.

Drinkability- For a 9.5% brew, very drinkable. Not my favorite IPA ever, but pretty solid. Tastes a lot like a much lighter and less concentrated version of Sink the Bismarck. All the same flavors going on, just less potent.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2010 03:28:51 | More by klshanks

thetomG

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clearish golden color. Nice small layer of dense white head ringing the glass with a bit of lacing left behind.

Aroma and taste are quite similar - pine, some citrus, hops and malt all share the stage nicely creating a very well balanced and drinkable beer.

The carbonation is right on and the ABV is hidden well - I could drink a couple of these without too much trouble. Very tasty - fruity, hoppy, and malty but not overly so.

The aroma and flavor profiles remind me a lot of Surly Abrasive.

Definitely worth checking out if you get the chance...

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 15:38:26 | More by thetomG

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured into a RR belgian glass

pour is a light ruby and brown. quite murky and hazy. thick creamy head that hangs and hangs and hangs. nice lacing on the walls.

huge citrus punch in the face. lots of orange, tangerine, pineapple, and sweet red grapefruit.

quite bitter through out. solid pine bitterness blended with a bitter citrus. nice faint peachy flavor. a bitter white grapefruit like finish. very malty overall but held back behind the hops. faint booze.

fairly thick body with a bit of chew. moderate carbonation.

quite drinkable although at 9.5%, only 1 at a time. i will seek out more of this, this is outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 01:00:38 | More by hooliganlife

coachdonovan

Rhode Island

3.28/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 1

Poured into a tulip, this is sort of a pale copper with a little red thrown in. The head is about the same color you'd see atop a Guinness. Smells like pine sap, but in a good way.

The first sip is bitterness all the way, and while it and the aroma are very inviting, the drinkability (and my enjoyment) of this beer goes down in a hurry. Crazy hop heads will probably love this one, but my tastebuds and palate are fried before the glass is empty. Based on the other reviews I have to assume this was fairly fresh, so I'm glad I got to try it. The mouthfeel was surprisingly not too syrupy, but at almost $7 a bottle I won't go back for seconds.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 19:58:00 | More by coachdonovan

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into tulip.

A- Dark, dark caramel beer. Pours like a strong ale or barleywine. Not much head but sticky lacing.

S- Hops! Potent, sticky icky hop buds. Intense dry-hopping leads to a fantastic nose on this one.

T- This thing is a hop grenade. Lots of diesel/octane hop resin notes (due to the 4x dry hopping I'm sure). Bitter, bitter, bitter, some tropical fruit and pine resin in the finish.

M- Good body, great carbonation, intense hop bite.

D- Not for the faint of heart, and kind of a shitty price ($6) but very good. If you can get it fresh, it's worth trying out. Good stuff. I can't say I love it more than Hardcore IPA or I beat You on their own, but damn is this a good one.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2010 14:54:38 | More by ShogoKawada

fear025

Illinois

4.93/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Aroma:Sweet and hoppy, cotton candy and citrus. Amazing aroma!

Appearance:Amber, nice head volume and retention.

Taste:There is a huge hops hit right up front. Once you get past the bitterness, sweet citrus and peach flavors show themselves. The bitterness then comes around again in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel:Light to medium body, just a little astringency, very smooth for an IPA.

Drinkability:This is one of the best IPAs that I've had so far.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 04:32:15 | More by fear025

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours amber with a decent head and sticky icky lacing

smells mostly of pine sap and grapefruit rinds. Some other tropical fruits and malt balance is also present.

Tastes much of the same, but sweet and bitter with a great balance that I did not expect. the tropical fruit and malt base more evident in the taste. Much heavier on the malt profile than I thought but it works for me.. Still very hoppy and sticky on the tongue. It goes down with a slight and pleasing warmth towards the end.

M/D -Sticky and chewy, heavier than most DIPA's but still very drinkable and one that I would get again.

I Hardcore You is a collaborative effort between BrewDog's Hardcore IPA and Mikkeller's I Beat You. After the blending, the beer was then dry hopped another couple times. Which makes it VERY hopped up! I enjoyed it and hope that you'll be able to get it fairly fresh.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2010 21:39:07 | More by thepeter