Hardcore IPA (2nd Ed. 9.2%) - BrewDog

UCLABrewN84

California

3.88/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Batch 020. Best before 7/18/13.

Pours a murky dark orange-brown with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, toffee, and citrus zest. Taste is much the same with malty and citrus zest flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness and an alcohol kick on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that has a great smell but it's a bit too alcohol forward in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 04:33:26 | More by UCLABrewN84

bmwats

Louisiana

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a footed tulip.

A: Dark amber hue. Pours about a 1 finger, foamy, tan-white head. Settles fairly slowly, leaving a thick foam ring around the rim of the glass. Hefty amounts of uneven lacing.

S: A little buttery sourdough bread, with some sublime pine, and a little honey and molasses. Nice overall floral aura.

T: Bready, and very piney, with just the slightest hints of sweetness.

M: Mouth-puckering acetone bitterness in the front-end, levels off to a light and subtle soft piney goodness. Thick and syrupy body with a dry finish.

D: Sip and enjoy. The bitterness character will dictate it.

Atmosphere is very good. Great body (which is nice...) including a nice head and some persistent lacing. Nose is very pronounced with a bready pine, balanced with some sweet and savory components. Flavor is doughy bread with pine, and some sweet balancing tones. Tastes like it smells. Heavy body.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 23:26:28 | More by bmwats

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a distinctively reddish copper colour, with a nice white head, good lacing and retention.

S- an astringent pine and grapefruit hoppiness, tropical fruitiness, fresh almond nuttiness. Some caramel-like maltiness in the back. Lot of herbal character, somewhat antiseptic but quite interesting.

T- coating herbal bitterness, grapefruit/lemon citrus, pepper spiceiness, lot of dryness and herbal spiceiness on finish. Caramel toffee malt. A slight pineapple, and fruitiness, honey and hazelnut note, strong tart hop character wit ha slight underlying vanilla note.

M- big and slick, coating hoppy oiliness, herbal, moderate carbonation, big and pleasing. Dry and lingering finish. Really drinkable for a high strength IIPA.

A nice solid IIPA, good example. Bold and hop oily yet nicely sippeable, it is pleasing. Perhaps not as complex as the best examples but still a real treat on the UK scene. Well put together and a really quality beer. Big yet drinkable with a tasty complex profile.

Serving type: growler

03-27-2013 19:27:44 | More by mick303

ThePaleRider

California

3.58/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

A - Very dark orange. Looks almost like a red ale. Nice two finger white head that leaves big chunks of lacing on the glass.

S - Very straight forward smell. Hop resin and very piney. The aroma isn't very complex but really foretells the flavor to come.

T - Hello bitter slap in the mouth! Wow, I've had this before, but this bad boy has some bite. Not a whole lot of citrus flavor. Plenty of pine and bitter taste. Love the bitter taste, but would like to have a little more citrus in the mix. Now that I'm done whining this beer is a monster. Bitter and strong. Should this be what a IIPA tastes like? Who knows, but cheers to Brewdog for not taking any prisoners.

M - Pretty smooth after taste with a light body for the flavor.

O - Love this beer, but not as good as I remember. The west coast floral style has grown on me over the overly bitter style.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 04:09:35 | More by ThePaleRider

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle 9,2% Abv.
Served chilled in an oversized wine glass.
Batch: 317
Best Before: 09/10/2013

I was so shocked to see some bottles of this sitting on the shelf at my local bottle store. I never thought I would see the day that I could buy a decent beer locally!

Appearance: Hardcore IPA pours a beautiful amber-orange colour (crystal clear), with a rough pour generating a creamy off white head that lasts really well and leaves rings of lacing as it recedes. The 9,2% Abv is noticed as a swirl yields some light alcohol legs.

Smell: Hmmm, well the age of this bottle is certainly apparent (an IPA with a year shelf life! Really?), but it still smells pretty good. Sweet citrus notes (orange/tangerine), grape fruit pith, resin, orange blossom honey as well as caramel and toasted malt make up the bulk of the aroma. Warming yields some additional fruity notes (pineapple and peach) as well as a light floral character. Even at room temperature, there is no trace of the 9,2%.

Taste: Mmmm, this is still pretty tasty. Sweet caramel and orange blossom honey are noted at the front of the mouth, but are quickly overtaken by a massive wallop of bitterness and notes of grapefruit pith, pine resin, sweet citrus, touches of pineapple and peach and some dankness. Warming brings out a little more sweetness and a light toasted note. As with the nose, there is no trace of the Abv.

Mouthfeel: Wow, the mouthfeel on this bottle is far better than I remember - I am not sure I could ask for much more from a big IPA. Medium-full bodied, with a little stickiness and a medium level of ultra smooth carbonation.

Overall: This bottle was not as good as the three week old bottle I had in 2011, but it is still probably the best beer I can buy in the country!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 13:55:56 | More by Thehuntmaster

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.65/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Amber color with lots of off-white head that lingers well in DFH IPA glass. Decent lacing.

Smell is pretty malty with lots of caramel and some hints of banana. Not as much hop character as I would have thought but there are notes of pine and grapefruit.

Taste is similar to smell. More caramel and malt than expected. Mild grapefruit and pine but doesn't linger very long. Moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied. Average carbonation.

Overall this was worth a try but I won't seek out again unless on tap.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 02:38:13 | More by TrappistJohnMD

endovelico

Portugal

4.34/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pristine amber brew with white frothy head that holds well with good lacing.

Aroma: Complex and intense. Spearmint at the front and honey and flowers on the back. It feels a bit rough around the edges but it's notwithstanding very pleasant and powerful.

Taste: Medium high in intensity. Taste is earthy, citrusy (grapefruit comes to mind), spearmint, caramel and toffee. So elegant and balanced.

Palate: Medium full bodied. Medium low carbonation. Medium high bitterness.

Overall: When it's good, it's good. They're not reinventing the wheel here sure, but they hit nearly every mark with stupendous craftsmanship.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 20:27:47 | More by endovelico

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.84/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2oz bottle served in a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass.

Best before: 20-8-13

A - Pours a dark hazy copper with a frothy tan head. Nice retention and lacing.

S - Citrus, grapefruit, lemon, baked bread, caramel, toffee.

T - Bittersweet grapefruit, sweet toffee and toasted caramel malts, herbal, pine, and peppery hops. There's a tangy earthy quality that rides along the moderate bitterness. The sweet caramel malt push back against the onslaught of hops to provide pretty good balance.

M - Full bodied, light to medium carbonation, sticky.

A nice example of the style. Not as bitter as I thought i would be but very full flavored and surprisingly balanced.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 03:27:48 | More by StaveHooks

thierrynantes

France

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (33 cl.) purchased from Super Market, and tasted in 2013.

Appearance : amber color, with white foamy head.
Smell : malty and hoppy aromas.
Taste & mouthfeel : hops, alcohol, and caramel flavors, leading to a very bitter finish.
Drinkability : a good beer in the American Style Imperal IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 19:38:22 | More by thierrynantes

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.01/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

BrewDog Hardcore IPA has a thick, soapy, cream-colored head, a dark brown (or under light, orange-golden), very hazy appearance, with streaming tiny bubbles and a bit of lacing left on the glass. The aroma is bold and strong- fruit, fresh-cut flowers (odd, considering this bottle is two years old), malt, and hop oil. Taste is of brown bread crust, hop oil, caramel, bitterness, toffee, light brown sugar, and apple peelings. Mouthfeel is medium and slick, and BrewDog Hardcore IPA (2nd Edition) finishes semi-dry, bitter, and not undrinkable. Overall, it's very nice, yet, not exceptional. Still, I'd recommend trying it.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 15:03:51 | More by RonaldTheriot

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.19/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a mostly clear, copper hue. Head is a babe. Big and fluffy. The head sits proudly and is very reluctant to die away. The head leaves walls of lacing. Looks excellent.

S-Whoa! Dank, catty, oniony and resinous. I respect its power. Just bloated with Simcoe; I am actually surprised to see no Summit hops have been used (because boy is there a bunch of green onion in here). I would love to know which of these hops are giving me this aroma. A fistful of crushed pine needles. Its hard to pull away much behind the all-out hop blitzkrieg.

T-The flavor just pummels the palate with all of the aroma's elements. Wet cannabis, chopped green onion, grapefruit bitters and pine oil. It really cold-cocks you at first but then it seems to warm up to you and give you a break. The flavors become less overwhelming and more pleasurable. Yeah, there is some maltiness crawling around but this beer is all about the muscle of the holy lupulin.

M-Full. Bitter. Dry. Coercive. Nearly lovely. Like rough sex. Tight bubbles and a resinous finish.

O/D-Far exceeded my expectations. My favorite DIPAs are not cut from this mold but this one is just too ballsy to not enjoy. After a few sips, you begin to adjust to its muscle. Its a great brew. I won't be surprised if tomorrow I wake up and my breath still wreaks of Hardcore's hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 02:12:22 | More by VelvetExtract

--Dom--

Missouri

4.69/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter. Pours a just slightly hazy deep orange, almost a red. Decent 2 finger or so head with decent retention and lacing. Smells of pine and citrus as to be expected.

Wow this beer has great flavor and boldness. Big hop flavors up front, solid malt backbone. Great balance overall. I'm not sure if I believe it's 150 IBU's, at least not with the great balance I'm tasting here. You know the deal, it's big, it's hoppy, it's got a good malt profile as well. It is in my opinion a world class DIPA. It is what you'd expect it to be and then some. I could go on and on about the subtleties but I wont. Just try it. You won't be disappointed.

Mouthfeel is heavy, slightly sticky. Good carbonation. Overall just a great beer. A little high for the pricepoint so probably not something I'd pick up very often, but purely for cost reasons. I'd session this if it was cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 05:10:06 | More by --Dom--

atr2605

New York

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-pours a deep amber with an off white head with excellent retention that leaves some lacing
S-pine,sweet malt, honey, bit of citrus
T-lots of sweet malt, honey and pine, with some raisin flavors in the finish
M-medium-full bodied
O-Hop forward double ipa with a bit malt background and actually has some fruit flavor in it. Very interesting version of the style, wouldn't mind having again

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 01:45:37 | More by atr2605

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

a nice clean amber pour, lots of visible carbonation bubbles rising down the middle, 2 fingers of foamy off-white head which left behind lots of lacing. smells of pine, grapefruit, sweet caramel malt. pretty hoppy scents.
the taste is hop forward initially, cascade?, then moves on immediately to a sweet malty backbone which gives off a bit of heat (you can definitely feel the abv on this one). malt heavy, as expected from a beer that ships internationally like this, however there is a good amount of hop bitterness and citrus flavors of grapefruit to even it all out.
medium body with moderate carbonation, a bit creamy.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 01:30:19 | More by facundoCNB

LiquidAmber

Washington

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Dogfish Head pint glass. Pours a deep coppery amber with a one finger very light tan head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of sweet caramel malt, herbal and piney hops, dark fruit and light citrus. Enticing. Flavor follows with nicely integrated dark and dried fruit, caramel malt and grassy, lightly pine hops. Sweet and malty, but with a nice dark fruit element like a barley wine. Medium bodied with light creaminess. As with many imported IPAs, I wish I could taste this fresh to get the full range of the hops which still are quite nice, if a little low key. Enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 03:55:21 | More by LiquidAmber

Wadian

4.28/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle from Beers of the World in the Zurich Hauptbahnhof in Zurich, Switzerland

Appearance: amber, clear. Solid head left lacing down the glass.

Smell: Vanilla toffee malt predominates with a fruity hop tang finish

Taste & mouthfeel: flavor is deep, toffee caramel malt. I'm not sure I really understood the depth of caramelized, biscuit allure offered by Maris Otter before I had this beer. Full, round mouthfeel. Hint of roast. Delicious.

Overall: i've had a number of beers from Brew Dog that I've liked, especially in the UK. But it's sometimes hard to find fresh versions in Switzerland. This beer may have aged a bit as the Maris Otter was really showing off. Still, a nice bitterness remained. This is one of the best beers I've had this year, and I've had some good ones. Really good.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 21:28:01 | More by Wadian

BeerNFoodDood

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer poured from bottle into a bubbled English pint lass.

Hardcore pours with nice head, around 2 full finger of creamy white head. Beer has a nice amber/ red color.

Nice malt profile on the nose accompanied by citrus hop aroma. Aroma of hops recedes over time in lass but malt profile is full of caramel.

Nice bitter hop character upfront with a slight citrus tang on the end. The malt and hops are well balanced with the malt winning the flavor war slightly. The alcohol is well hidden by malt, but you can sense its character.

Good IPA, would have again.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 02:09:17 | More by BeerNFoodDood

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz Bottle from the Potsdam NY IGA for 8$

Appearance - Slightly hazy copper colour with an above average size fizzy off-white coloured head. There is a fair amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grapefruit, oranges

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel and malts mixed with hops. There is also some grapefruit/oranges mixed with some apricot/guava notes. It ends with a sweet fruity and hoppy aftertaste.

Overall – I've only had a few beers from this brewer, but they have all been solid. I really enjoyed this one and I'd drink it again anytime. If I had to adjust anything, I dial down the sweetness a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 01:11:27 | More by spinrsx

FLima

Brazil

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had it fresh on tap in one of the Brewdog bars. Amber color, a bit ruby. It made a thin head with short retention.
Extremely resin hop aroma which is predominant. Medium to full body, a bit oily.
Flavor follows the nose, resin like, perfume and fruity hops are dominant over malt. Strong bitter taste which continues with its full strength in the aftertaste. The 9.2% alcohol is hidden in this potent hop bomb. Hopheads behold!

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2012 17:20:09 | More by FLima

czechsaaz

Washington

4.18/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My reward for getting the Christmas lights up. A beer I've been meaning to have for years but never got to it.

Aroma is very malty but it's not an overly old bottle. There's a little citrus hop and some woody aroma but mainly it's a barley wine like deep malt.

Amber, a little cloudy with a very thin and slightly tan head.

Very hop bitter with pine, grapefruit and flowery hop flavors. Big malt backbone behind it. Nice bitterness and a sweet middle with a hop oil aftertaste. Lots of complex malt flavor and some yeasty fruitiness too.

Big, big body, almost chewy. The hop oil finish seems like a little coating on the tongue. a little bit warming in the stomach but that's the only noticeable alcohol.

Glad I had this today. A nice strong sipper for watching what's left of football.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 23:45:02 | More by czechsaaz

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving Type - 220z bottle

Appearance - Tanish brown with a ruby tint. 1/2 inch creamy head with some thick lacing.

Smell - Piney hops, some caramel malts, grapefruit, orange, slight grassy/floral aromoa.

Taste - Very piney/cirtic first sip, then the caramel malts come in near the finish. Has some alcohol warmth, along with some added sugars and some spices. Has a almost rye flavor with whatever added spices they used. Lots of pine, lemon and grapefruit.

Mouthfeel - Hops coat mouth and tounge for a bitter and dank flavor. Malts add sweetness and a little nutty/roasted flavor. Palate gets mostly hops with some alcohol and malts in the finish. Aftertaste is dry, bitter and malty.

Overall - A nice beer, plenty strong enough, and more malty then i was expecting. Has a great balance of citric frutty hops, and dry floral hops. Not to hoppy, or malty or even too sweet. A combo of flavors, and still a big beer at around 9%. Worth a drink from a brewery im usually not a fan of.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 21:48:36 | More by wvsabbath

WesM63

Ohio

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a pint bottle into a large tulip.

A: Pours a dark clear ambers with s towering 3finger head that lasts. Tons of retention and lacing.

S: Smells of pine and resin. Plenty of crystal malts with a hint of citrus.

T: Close to the nose. Plenty of malt sweetness mixed in with some hop bitterness. Minor amounts of resin and citrus throughout.

M: Medium body and carbonation.

O: I will say, this beer is far from what I was expecting. However, I applaud BrewDog's efforts. Plenty of flavor and very drinkable for being 9.2% abv. I wouldn't hesitate to buy/drink again.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 01:29:16 | More by WesM63

DavidST

Texas

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 33cl bottle into a tulip glass, unknown bottled date. This pours a cloudy brownish color with a decent tan head. The smells are of caramel malts along with some floral hops. The feel is medium. The taste is pretty good and balanced, without knowing the age of this beer I can't say if the hops have died down, but this is hoppy but hardly hardcore. Still mighty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 05:36:27 | More by DavidST

cyclonece09

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle into a snifter. Pours a nice dark red with a nice white head that leaves some lacing. Smells of flowery and citrus hops and slight malt, very inviting. Taste matches the smell very nicely, with a slight alcohol bite and a little higher malt taste. Carbonation is wonderful for light/medium bodied beer. Overall, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 01:10:32 | More by cyclonece09

Enoch

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: Intense spicy and grapefruit hops right off the bat. No alcohol or maltiness noted. Later a hoppy grassiness came through.

Appearance: Thin head that dissipated to a light film pretty quickly. Moderately clear, reddish amber color. Consistent, tiny bubbles that don't quite reach the surface.

Flavor: Delivers the spicy, fruity hops the nose promised. A moderate maltiness comes through after, with a surprising lactose-like sweetness. Orange pith and alcohol warmth present in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Mildly creamy. Somewhat dry mouthfeel with a slight carbonation remaining. Alcohol warmth present but nowhere near the strength of a barleywine. Less astringent than expected.

Overall: Intensely hoppy beer; well-balanced and clean. Great vehicle for the hops, but a little sweeter than expected. Perhaps it could use more bittering hops and a stronger head.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 01:26:49 | More by Enoch