Issue #7: Dogfight

Tonight we have a collaboration between Brewdog (Scotland) and Flying Dog (Maryland) entitled, International Arms Race: Zero IBU IPA. It's actually not an IPA at all in fact, it's classified as a Scottish Gruit. This is an ancient beer style that's brewed with herbs and spices and probably representative of what beers throughout Europe would have tasted like during the Middle Ages. This was my first go at a gruit and that combined with the name left me very unsure of what to expect.

Flying Dog/Brewdog - International Arms Race: Zero IBU IPA
Scottish Gruit/Ancient Herbed Ale
12oz bottle
Bottled 2012

Appearance - Pours a murky orangish color. Thick and cloudy and full of sediment, actually resembles iced tea. Has a thin white head that disappears almost instantly.

Aroma - Smells spicy with a hint of mint, herbal and almost like patchouli.

Taste - Some initial bitterness that quickly fades into spices and herbs, maybe rosemary. Unlike any beer I've ever tasted, kind of strange actually. Almost tastes more like an unsweetened herbal tea.

Mouthfeel - Thin and slightly less than average carbonation and a dryness comparable to tea.

Overal - Kind of cool and nice to try something really different but not something I'd buy again given the chance - 2.5/5

Drink On,

Dan