Well, you know what comes next. I just didn't get the hype. I mean, it's quite nice, the highlight being a massive fresh mandarin aroma, and there's no doubting its hop credentials, laying on a thick and heavy dankness from the Citra and Centennial. But it suffers a little from the boozy heat of all that alcohol, though this is cleaned up somewhat by a sharply bitter aftertaste.
To be brutally honest this doesn't seem all that superior a beer compared to, say, BrewDog Hardcore, which is a little over half the price. Perhaps I just don't get the nuances in this most unsubtle of beer styles and would be better off leaving it to those who appreciate it more.
I've got a bottle coming at the moment from drinkstore; look forward to seeing how it stacks up as I've been impressed by other to ol efforts
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the first few batches of Hardcore from Ellon haven't been up to the old standard, and the price over here at least has been creeping upwards, so Dangerously Stupid won a lot of points in this house, mainly for a incredible Grapefruit/Mandarin sharpness that I've not seen pulled off elsewhere recently. If the high booze isn't to your taste did you manage to find the kegged Raid Beer at the Secret Beer Garden or Farringtons?
ReplyDeleteI didn't. I'll look out for it.
DeleteHype. Simultaneously the provider, and killer of sales to small breweries all over the world. If I had a penny for every new brewery with excellent artwork, social media following - but average beer when it does surface - i'd...er, have enough for a pint. It's not enough to let the beer do the talking these days.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness, any hype I saw was 100% drinker-generated. I think it's safe to say, in this case, that the beer started it.
DeleteAgree x3: Don't get the fuss, Hardcore is better, but Raid is worth trying.
DeleteAs is Black Ball. Or First Frontier. In fact, this is the least impressive of the To Øl beers I've tried.
Buy three bottles ...drink one in 3 months time, the next in 6 months time and the last one in a year...then you might have an objective well balanced perspective of a high alcohol beer and how it matures. After all who drinks young wine? Don't answer that!
ReplyDeleteIt would be a very foolish beer blogger indeed that claims objectivity or balance in their writing.
Delete...sorry I should add that, correct me if I am wrong pleeeaaase..Hardcore is a filtered beer and the To 'Dangerously Close to Typical' is a bottle conditioned - which makes quite a difference in conditioning.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite a while ago I had the Hardcore but only about 2 weeks ago the 'Dangerously Close to Designer's Cramp'