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Updated Review 11/10
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12 oz bottle, directly from Scotland sent by James from the brewery.
Batch 71 BB: 27-04-11
Immediately it is plain to see that the color is TOTALLY different from two years ago. So much so, that it would be pretty much impossible to identify the two experiences as the same beer.
This one is hazed and muddy brown in color. with a frothy head initially that fades quite quickly. Body lacks clarity and is not especially attractive.
As before, the main characteristivcs of the nose and tastes are soapy ones. Again, not a problem if held in balance, but the soap here now seems overtly aggressive with a harsh drying bitterness and an over-the-top alcohol presence.
Finish is alcohol warming, dry and excessively bitter but without the charm of a West Coast hop-bomb.
In reality this is just not a very god beer. It wasn’t in 2008 and it isn’t in 2010. It seems brash and loud without the balls to back up it’s mouth.
Pass.
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Original Review 07/08 2.0, 2.5, 2.0, 3.0, 2.5
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Excited to try this new entry to the GA market. $12.99 from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA for the 660 mL bottle. Batch 002, best before 07/07/09.
Pour is an alarming yellow, macro lager like color with a fast fading head and minimal lace. Looks slightly over carbonated and I don’t really care for the overall look. I want more orange color in my IPA’s, coupled with a better head. Not a good start.
Nose has a mild soapiness which is not necessarily bad, but lacks much hop presence for me – that can’t be good in a DIPA.
As others have noted, buttery diacetyl flavors are there and this is followed by a soapy, uninspired bitterness. Odd, non-clean aftertaste. It’s not terrible, and it grows on you a bit, but this is slightly aspirin like beer and it is definitely a work in progress. Lots of work to do here.
Even if this were a really good DIPA, it would be HORRIBLE (and I mean HORRIBLE) value, unfortunately this is also not a very good beer to boot. Approach with EXTREME caution and it has put me off trying the other three ($12.99 & $9.99) offerings of the Punk, Scotch Aged and the Stout.