Wednesday 10 February 2016

#309: Killing Joke

Albino Squid Assassin is the latest ridiculously named special from Brewdog, and it comes in a smart can decorated with a surprisingly literal interpretation of that name.

It is billed as a red rye IPA, and it plays that way on the nose and palate; juicy blood orange is the main player in the aromatics, all pulpy, pithy and bitter. To taste it starts out with the same satisfying orangey bittersweetness, all punchy and exciting, along with some sugary backing from a rather austere malt bill. I can't find much of what I expect from rye in this - that is, the grassy, peppery, spicy, bready graininess - but it does have a full, thick body that I'd usually enjoy in a beer but seems to strip away the joy of those bright, bouncy hops trying to be the top players in this one.

It's good and hoppy and brazen and it will no doubt scratch that itch for many a fan of Brewdog's unashamedly indulgent Awesomeness™ and Irreverence™, but for me it's nowhere near as fun as the can it lives in, certainly not as time wears on.

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