Brewdog: IPA Is Dead:Bramling X (Scotland: IPA: 7.5% ABV)

Visual:  Darkened Amber with a great cinnamon hued solid bubbled head.

Nose: Blackberries and crispy wheat hops. Raspberries. Quite fresh pineapple and citrus undercurrents. Meringue. Slight custard.

Body: Bitter, blueberries and treacle toffee mixed with cider toffee. Huge malt backbone.  The bitterness really lasts.

Finish: Milk chocolate and bitter hops. Buttered malt loaf. Chocolate toffee. Lots of bitterness and light charring. Spices

Conclusion: This was the last single hop beer from the IPA is Dead batch that I tasting noted, and the hop that I must admit I expected least of.  I have, it seems, been wonderfully surprised.  Normally I find Bramling in quite insipid beers. This on the other hand is rolling in fruit, especially this blueberry that seems to come from nowhere. Add in all the toffee variant flavours and a great hop kick and it’s not at all what I expected.

The flavour is like a sledgehammer, and yet for all that you get in the body the nose remains subtle and crisp.  The Hardcore IPA base it’s combined with gives a huge amount of malt, and add in a rough hop finish and this is a stonking beer.

From the blogosphere I get the feeling I’m going against the grain on this one, but I very much dig this beer and have a newfound respect for the hop.

Background: Bramling X is a hop that I didn’t really think much about, and couldn’t name a beer I’m excited about with it in, so I wasn’t expecting much.  Hardcore IPA, the base of this beer is a beer I enjoy very much however, and as mentioned I am far from neutral on Brewdog beers.  So a mixed set of opinions as I go to try this example of the single hop range.

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