When I visited Zak Avery's shop in Leeds, I bought a bottle of Brew Dog Hop Rocker, described as "Statuesque Lager". Last night I decided to try it.I have heard a lot of good things about Brew Dog, but my sole experience of it (and I can't remember which it was) was underwhelming. Would this fare better? Alas no. The beer is a hazy to muddy pale orange in colour. It matches the label very nicely! It opens with an appetising aroma of bready malt and sweetness. This sweetness is a bit of a recurring feature I'm afraid as it's all downhill from here. The beer has rather low carbonation, a sweet malty taste with some subdued vanilla edged citrus, ending with a fairly sticky sweetness and a little bitter hops. The whole thing reminded me of unfermented wort. I didn't like it one bit.
So the search for good Brew Dog goes on! At least the label was nice!
Couldn't disagree more. I think it's a great beer, and very bold for a lager.
ReplyDeleteThey've changed the label btw.
Actually, reading your review in detail, I'd suggest you may have got a bad bottle. There are tons of hops in it, which you don't seem to have experienced.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I didn't say so, I wondered that. The bottle I have has an almost identical label to the picture, is best before 30/12/08 and tastes exactly as I describe it, so I wonder if this was a dodgy one? When I tasted the (very) low carbonation, I was doubtful. Only thing I would say is it didn't have any "off" tastes.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of expecting a Tuppers Hop Pocket Pils type taste. This was a million miles off that.
Correction. That is the label.
ReplyDeleteYou should take it back and complain. Good luck with that!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it does sound like a bad bottle. IIRC, it's more in the style of Schiehallion, or Atlas Latitude - quite pine-needly and resinous, but light and clean. Let me know next time you're around, so I can be there, and we'll sort you out.
Isn't it always the case though - everyone falling over themselves to tell you how great a beer is then ... utter disappointment!
ReplyDeleteI must be one of the few to have only tried brew dog on draught and as I don't care for anything much bottled, I'm happy to keep it that way, lest my in awe-edness be shot down in flames!