BrewDog, Ltd. - Rip Tide

For an imperial stout, this beer is not as dark as we expected, but no matter—there’s room for variation. On the nose, look for notes of chalk-dusted plums, chocolate milk, Turkish coffee, spicy figs, dried molasses, chocolate pudding, roasted malts & cascade citrus as it warms, with hints of saltine crackers in the background. At full warmth, this beer really opens up and becomes what it was meant to be. Spicy hoppy bites nip at the nostrils, ushering in the full imperial stout panoply of chocolate, roastiness, peat, coffee liquor, prune, black currants, orange-infused milk chocolate, alcohol warmth, buttery flourishes and a chocolate ‘brownie-infused-with-hops’ character in the fade.

We found it drinks deliciously smooth and rich, delivering everything a full-bodied classic imperial stout ought to. And by classic, we’re talking old school. By ‘old,’ we mean ‘old world’ as this beer hearkens back to the imperial stouts of yesteryear. Rip Tide will not live up to expectations if what you expect is a rip-roaring, burn-your-eyebrows-off, Russian Imperial Über Stout. Instead it takes a very traditional approach, evoking the likes of Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout—which is a hallmark of the style in its own right. Immaculately made with all the right notes singing in unison, and very well balanced—an achievement in and of itself in this style. If you’re relatively new to better beer, and specifically imperial stout, this is a great one to introduce you to the balance that is possible (but rare) in the style. If you’re already a connoisseur, and have had your fair share of ‘imperial this’ and ‘double that,’ keep in mind where these styles came from—the old world standards that raised the bar for their day. This brew raises that bar by being a big beer whose brashness is balance. Sturdy enough to enjoy entirely by itself, it will also work with dark chocolate, fudge cake, or a deep, dark, oily Maduro cigar.

Scotland is home to numerous unique beer styles—you’ve got your toasty, malty ‘Scottish Ales,’ bigger bodied ‘Scotch Ales’ (Wee Heavy and the like). All great, malt-accented styles that make sense given Scotland’s geography and climate, which has traditionally been prohibitive to the cultivation of hops, but great for the growing of grain. The alternative of importing hops from the English has, let’s just say, not been something the Scots were inclined to do. Not only do Scotland’s beers tend to be on the maltier side of the beery spectrum, they’ve remained fiercely independent and stylistically distinct—fewer imports are brought into Scotland than many other European countries. So what’s a couple of charged up, beer-loving buddies looking for more brewing diversity to do? Start a brewery and begin making their own damn brew! Meet James Watt and Martin Dickie, a pair of Scottish lads looking to bring new and diverse styles to the Scottish beer scene. James likes boats, cookie dough ice cream, philosophy and beer, and dislikes clichés and our triviality obsessed tabloid culture. Martin likes brewing beer and coffee, cake, “herbalism periodicals,” beer (of course), and dislikes excessively curvy fonts, plastic shuttlecocks and American sitcoms. Are you getting the picture yet? They’re a pair of young punks who don’t care what the world thinks or has to say. They are the neighborhood stray dog. They are marginalized. They are “other.” They are artisans. This was the philosophy behind the 2007 founding of their brewing outfit, BrewDog. As they themselves put it, “we do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness. We are unique and individual. A beacon of non-conformity in an increasingly monotone corporate desert. We are proud to be an intrepid David in a desperate ocean of insipid Goliaths.” In other words, if you don’t like our beer, you don’t like REAL beer, and we don’t like you. We find they’ve got an attitude similar to San Diego County’s Stone Brewing Company, with beers like “Arrogant Bastard” clearly informing the drinker that “you are not worthy.” A healthy amount of arrogance is good for the microbrewed beer world, particularly in Scotland where the wave of better beer has yet to crest. So BrewDog offers untamed, unique styles to the Scottish market (and beyond). There’s Hop Rocker, a “statuesque lager,” The Physics, described as “laid back amber beer,” Punk IPA, a “post modern classic pale ale,” Hardcore IPA, their “explicit imperial ale,” Rip Tide, proclaimed as “twisted merciless stout,” Paradox “whiskey cask aged imperial stout,” and various others. If you'd like more information about the crazy big beer brewing nutjobs over at BrewDog, get your eyes on www.brewdog.com.