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

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

purchased at the lovely gbx, i cracked this open along with a bunch of others in a mini tasting last night. served cold into a pint glass.

great pour with a dark amber color that had slight hints of reddish notes around the side that gave it a really nice color. smooth head of about three inches comes up and drips lacing down the sides of the glass.

aroma is huge hop bomb with tons of citrus coming forward. sharp grapefruit an pineapple with a hint of malt hiding underneath that really does not come out until it warms up. smooth, creamy feel with a warm and easy carbonation it rips the tongue at fist with countless ibus. warming settles it an brings a back bone of really nice caramel malts and a more orange like flavor as it dries out.

overall a very big dipa, but very well done. impressed as i usually find brewdog terribly unbalanced but this worked great for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 15:14:42 | More by mikesgroove

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

brentk56

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a very hazy copper color with a massive head; perhaps a bit too massive, but the retention is strong and plenty of clumpage is left behind

Smell: Sugary malts and pineapple, with grapefruit undertones

Taste: Big malt profile, up front, with a barleywine-like lead-in of pineapple sweetness; by mid-palate, the bitter citrus adds another dimension, but the finish is very sticky and sweet (in a DIPA way, of course)

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation; sticky and warm

Overall: I;m not a fan of DIPAs with a lot of sweet, sticky malts and this one falls in that category; those who prefer that style may feel differently

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 22:04:09 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a light orangey color ale with a large foamy7 head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrus hops is quite powerful with not much else being discernable. Taste packs a powerful punch of citrus hops with a real bitter finish. Malt base is present though doesn’t’ make much of an impression. Body is about average for style with good carbonation. One-dimensional for sure but can’t really argue with the citrusy hops punch of this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 15:44:16 | More by Phyl21ca

drabmuh

Maryland

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

Beer is orange and hazy iwth a thin white head of tiny bubbles, some lacing but low carbonation.

Aroma is sweet with alcohol and some piny hops. Smells fine I guess.

Beer is thin and sweet up front with some piny hop flavors in the midpalate and a bitter finish. This is one of the better beers I've had from brewdog but overall just a slightly above average kind of hot double ipa.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 14:48:54 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

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

Bottle purchased at Lincoln Park Binny's. Batch 235(?), Best before September 16th, 2011. I think this was bottled in December. Served in a Kuhnhenn tulip. This is apparently as fresh as it gets in Chi-town.

A - Pours with two-plus fingers of off-white foam that slowly settles to a thick cap and splotchy glass-coating lace. Body is a hazy copper-amber with a nice glow to it.

S - Hop character is very herbal and leafy - slightly dank, with notes of lemon and bitter grapefruit, and maybe a hint of tropical fruit and cat pee in the periphery. Malt character is present, but mostly bread rather than anything sweet. Not bad for something that appears to be nearly four months old - damn you Preiss Imports.

T - Toasted bread malt character with a kiss of toffee. Not much in the way of overt hop flavor, but a lingering bitterness in the medium-high range. There's a touch of grapefruit in there as well.

M - Body is medium-full, with pleasant active carbonation, a tons of residual hop resins and oils. Texture is very dry, but has minimal grain character. Some minimal alcohol warmth.

D - Pretty drinkable, as the texture is nice and the alcohol is well-hidden. It's faded, but you can tell it was a pretty solid DIPA when it was fresh. While Brewdog's marketing does annoy me, this is a pretty solid beer. It's a shame the importers take ages to get it to the US market.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 04:45:41 | More by MasterSki

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This brew pours out as a deep copped color with a really nice tan colored head. The lacing was really good on this brew. The smell was excellent, really enjoyed the hoppy pine aromas this one had. The taste was also very hoppy with some light citrus fruits and a powerful pine sting that really males this brew special.'the mouthfeel was a little on the thicker side which I liked. Overall this is a great ipa. I could drink many of these along with several other IPAs out there. Really worth trying!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 18:18:36 | More by Knapp85

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle.

This beer pours a slightly hazy medium golden amber hue, with two fingers of foamy, rocky offwhite head, which leaves a nice bombed brick pattern of lace around the glass.

It smells of big grapefruit citrus esters, strong caramel/toffee malt, and some sharp pine resin. The taste is even more grandiose bitter grapefruit and tropical fruit, plastered (heh) against a resolute bready caramel backbone that earns its keep well. A wee bit of astringent warming booze crashes the party fashionably late, of course.

The bubbles keep things rolling along nicely, supporting, but not interfering, the body a sturdy middle weight, a tad sticky, and generally smooth. It finishes on a quite balanced note - dense sugary malt, tempered by some waning fruity, bitter leafy hops, and simmering edgy alcohol.

It's been a surprisingly long while since I've come across a new instance of such a Cali-style DIPA. Good on Brewdog, and the many ingredients sacrificed so that I could once again hit that sweet (and hoppy, let's not forget hoppy) spot. Oh yeah...

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 01:56:05 | More by biboergosum

jdhilt

New Hampshire

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

Pours an off-white, three-finger head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Hazy amber color. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Light pine hop nose, but flavor is grapefruit and caramel. Light grapefruit finish. Nice ImpIPA. $3.50 for a 330ml bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 23:35:57 | More by jdhilt

Billolick

New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 ounce bottle
"best before 29-08-12”

Purchased as a single at the new Beer Necessities store in New Rochelle, NY ($3.99)

Into a snifter, pours heavily clouded, glowing red tinged apricot. Quality looking medium tan head, good retention, slowly goes to a thick film, leaving all sorts of sheeting, and nicely scattered ribs and spots of lace.

The sniff is chock-a-block with grapefruit.

Heady DIPA, marinated in citric hops, grapefruit notes blasting. Loads of maple malts, making things more sensible. Moderate lime/gin alcohol note.

High quality/high alcohol sipper/night capper

Quite enjoyable for hop heads/strong beer enjoyers.

A very nice treat

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 04:36:13 | More by Billolick

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.85/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours out a dark orange color, 1" head, white. Aroma was missing the dry hop feel of a beer, some hops, but nothing pungent like the name hardcore ipa might conjure up.

Highly bitter beer, not bad, but hops again missing from the mouthfeel. Hides the alcohol. I don't know if I'm being fare, judging a beer that is better fresh, that had to travel halfway around the world. This could be an excellent beer without the 6000 miles on it or whatnot. Sticky. Not a malt bomb by any means, but there's enough substance to it that it doesn't become simply sweet and bitter, it is sturdy. Lots of toffee and caramel to it.

Would love to see some born on dating with these.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 15:52:39 | More by Beerandraiderfan

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Going off the pictures of the bottle presented here, I had this version rather than the original. Certainly, I imagine this is the most recent version, and this one has a best before date half a year ahead of me.

Pours a lovely deep orange colour, dark enough to have flashes of ruby to it, with a firm and frothy head of white foam. Often with highly hopped beers you get a yellow tinge to the head, but this is clear and pristine. Lacing is lovely and intricate, falling in anarchic patterns as the beer goes down the glass. Very good looking IPA.

Nose is fresh and hoppy, with big pine resin and spicy citric characters. Indeed, almost getting a minty herbal quality. It's a really delicious nose: fresh, heavy and robust, and on a par with some of the great American pioneers of the style.

Taste is really well balanced, exceptionally so in fact: big hoppy presence on the front, but a tempered bitterness that melds really nicely with the light malt and grain characters on the back, to a very pleasant nutty finish, that reminds me of Mikkeller for some reason. In any case, it's a delicious palate, balanced really nicely between malt, grain and hops, with enough body to support it. Oh yes.

What a great beer. This is certainly one of the best brews I've had from BrewDog. Fresh and robust, but beautifully balanced. For once, I believe they're capable of getting the balance right, rather than just skewing insane beers off in insane directions.

A lovely IPA, I'd say comparable with the best.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 06:56:56 | More by lacqueredmouse

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy orange-ish to copper color with a light tan head. In the aroma, orange citrus and alcohol. In the taste, dry hops, starts with pine to an orange citrus, quite malty and a hint of sticky alcohol. A small bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry, small orange citrus hop in the aftertaste. Big and hoppy, and balanced and boozy.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 13:08:42 | More by OWSLEY069

nickfl

Florida

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

A - Pours with half a finger of off-white foam on top of a hazy, copper-brown body. The foam settles slowly and leaves light lace. So far so good... at least it looks to be carbonated this time around.

S - Funky, floral hop notes of pine, jasmine, and sour fruit (starfruit?). Some caramel malt in the background with a bit of toffee.

T - Spicy hops up front with notes of basil, lemongrass, and pine. Thick, sweet caramel and toffee notes fill in the beer in the middle while pine hop flavors surge to push back against the sweetness. Some more lemongrass and pine flavors dominate the beer in the finish with caramel remaining strong in the background and moderate bitterness balancing. Some peppery tobacco notes come out in the aftertaste with the spicy lemongrass and pine hops lingering long after everything else has faded.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a somewhat sweet finish.

D - Wow, this is an astronomical improvement over the early bottles that showed up in North America. The carbonation that was totally lacking in the previous edition is present in appropriate amounts and it makes the beer ever so much more drinkable than the flat bottles were. The hop character seems much more lively as well with a strongly musty, spicy nose that reminds me of weyerbacher double simcoe in a very positive way. Well worth trying, especially if you tried the earlier batches that were so disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 05:32:48 | More by nickfl

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

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

330ml bottle poured into tulip 13/2/12

A clear reddish amber with very few bubbles but a still has a
solid two finger light tan head that slowly falls to a thin
film leaving three distinct rings followed by random patches

S loads of toffee and brown sugar with some citric hops with just a little booze

T not far from the smell with a little more booze and rind, its
a little sweet and the brown sugar I could smell is a little burnt

M enamel stripping stuff that has quite the pucker to it, strong lenghty aftertaste of dark caramel and citric rind, just a little burn but reasonable for 9.2%

O pretty solid DIPA here, I'm not blown away in any areas but its "good" in all departments

Its a big hops bomb with a some balance too it, this is one of those beers that I don't need a 4 pack of but wont complain about having more then I need

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 05:58:02 | More by wordemupg

dgilks

Australia

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

This pours a hop hazed copper colour with a small off-white head. Fair head retention.

Thick resinous pine aroma with notes of toffee and tropical fruits. Clear influence of earthy American hops and some Nelson Sauvin as well.

A tasty, bitter yet smooth and sweet IIPA. Lots of hop presence.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Nice and dry.

A solid IIPA. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 07:33:38 | More by dgilks

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the BrewDog pub in Camden Town; served in a Lost Abbey style tulip.

A: Clear red-amber body with a finger of creamy, ultra-fine white head. Great retention for the strength, and great lace as well. Terrific.

S: Tons of hops - floral, piney, minty, and just straight bitter; significant, but not overly obtrusive, booze. Very solid.

T: Some caramel malt shows up right away, melding nicely with the fruitiness of the hop notes. The bitter herbalness takes over on the finish, closing things out with a powerful, mildly boozy punch. Tasty.

M: Creamy, frothy, sticky medium-full body. Big.

O: While it's not a really spectacular beer, just getting to enjoy a solid hop-bomb of a DIPA fresh in London is a real joy.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2012 18:47:08 | More by woosterbill

flagmantho

Washington

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

Poured from 330mL bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich orange hue with a light haze and a low, lazy effervescence. Head poured a thick finger of frothy ivory foam with an orange cast, and has a nice level of retention. Good!

Smell: big, rich malt aroma with a burst of fruity, citrusy character. Simple, but good!

Taste: very malty with more of that good citrusy hop flavor. Fruitiness is mild but present, and could really either be hops or yeast character. Bitterness is moderate and the overall effect is very smooth indeed. I like it.

Mouthfeel: moderate body with a decent level of carbonation and a nice creaminess. There is a nice silky texture as well, and I think just a little bit more thickness to the body could really put this guy over the top vis-a-vis smoothness.

Overall: an enjoyable, if strong, imperial IPA. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 22:33:20 | More by flagmantho

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a rich copper-red color with a finger of frothy slightly off white head atop. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet caramel malts, lots of citrus hops, a bit of bready smells, some pine hops, and a bit of booze. Nice balance.

T - Starts off with a nice kick of citrus hops with some nice bitterness and some rich sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, some piney hops come through with some more bitterness and some bready flavors with a hint of booze. The finish is a mix of some good hop flavor, bitterness, rich sweet malts, and some booze that lingers.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a bit of a warming and syrupy feeling.

D - Very drinkable. Fairly smooth for the high abv. I like the big bold flavor and the bit of booze flavor that kicks in at the end works well.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 04:38:51 | More by ngeunit1

superspak

Michigan

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

11.2 ounce bottle into tulip, best before 7-26-11. Pours hazy dark red-orange color with a huge 3 finger off white head with fantastic retention that eventually reduces to a thin lacing. Aromas of huge pineapple, mango, orange, and pine; with caramel and a some honey. Very nice an balanced aromas, a bit different than I am used to in a DIPA though. Taste of big grapefruit, orange, pine, and spices on the front; with big caramel sweetness afterward. Nice strong bitterness on the finish that lingers for a while with caramel, citrus and pine flavor. Very well balanced bitterness and sweetness with the sweetness being a bit more prominent. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied. No alcohol noticed on taste or finish. Overall a very good and unique imperial IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 06:50:28 | More by superspak

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

oline73

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at Alewife in Baltimore. Poured into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy reddish brown with a layer of off white head that fades and leaves a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: More malt forward than I thought it would be. Some caramel and dark fruit, pine and citrus hops.

Taste: A malty IPA. Hops are more present here than they are in the smell. There is still a lot of malt with carmel and dark fruit notes. Citrus peel hops with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with mild to medium carbonation and a slick finish.

Overall: I enjoyed the malt presence. A good beer that reminded me a bit of nugget nectar.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 20:53:36 | More by oline73

CrazyDavros

Australia

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

Pours rich amber/orange with a lovely lasting head.
Nose shows lots of sweet juicy fruit with emphasis on orange blossom and peach. Shortly after pine and resin become apparent, but there's still a lot of fruity confectionery flying around. Underneath is mostly sweet clean malt but there's a faint cookie-dough character that surfaces every now and again.
First thought upon tasting is that the bitterness is through the roof, but it quickly melds with the sweet syrupy and toasty malt and subsides. On subsequent sips more of the above fruit appears, along with lots of piney resin which lasts through the aggressive finish.
Nice syrupy body, carbonation is moderate - perfect.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 04:23:02 | More by CrazyDavros

Reidrover

Oregon

4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

11.2oz bottle from "Lifesource" Salem $3.39 Nice darker burnt orange colured body with a good sized (1cm) head..its off white in colour. Great wafts of spicy,resiny hops greet the nose..some semi-sweet citrus aspects also.Great Taste is somewhat the same maybe sweeter than expected,slight but pleasing alcohol taste. Rather odd in the mouth in that the carbonation is very low and what there is gives a silky smooth texture..almost bottle conditioned! Good stuff and from my old neck of the woods

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 21:44:58 | More by Reidrover

rarbring

Sweden

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer is clear amber with a copper tone, an off-white head, some lacing and curtains.

A lot off hop smells; pine, resin, grape-fruit, mango, grass, hay.

The taste starts sweet, toffee, bread, grape-fruit, peaches, bitter oranges, pine resin. Citric zest!

Medium carbonation, a heavy body, very dry.

Another clever re-engineering from Brewdog, very well done!

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2011 18:53:17 | More by rarbring