I Hardcore You - Brewdog/Mikkeller

    It appears as though I stumbled upon a pretty special brew with this one. I Hardcore You is a collaborative effort between Brewdog (Fraserburgh, Scotland) and Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark). This Imperial India Pale Ale is a blend of Brewdog's Hardcore IPA, and Mikkeller's I Beat YoU. I somehow found a bottle at a local liquor store and picked it up on a recommendation of Brewdog by Rebecca Hellowell. I can't wait to see what a collaboration between two of Europe's better brewers (or so I'm told) is like!

    I Hardcore You pours an interesting dark caramel color with a slight orange tint. A small, thin head forms after pouring, but fades quickly.

    The Imperial IPA smells intriguingly hoppy. Fruity, floral hops aromas mingle with the more classic piney resinous scents. There is also a strong background of caramel and other sweet, British style malts.

    I Hardcore You has a medium to full mouthfeel with a low level of carbonation. The ale feels a bit oily, and lightly coats the mouth. There is a little bit of alcohol warmth to the beer, which has an alcohol content of 9.5% ABV.

    The collaborative ale tastes surprisingly malty when you consider that it is a blend of two very hoppy beers. Sweet and robust caramel and toffee malt flavors create a backdrop on which the hops flavors are highlighted. The many different hops used to brew this ale impart many different flavors to the ale. The flavors of tropical fruit are present, as well as more herbal, flowery flavors. There are also more traditional hops flavors such as pine and lemon rind in the beer. This mix really does a great job of showing off the spectrum of flavors that hops can lend to an ale.
 

    I imagine that this beer was named after a couple similar to Romeo and Juliet, only much cooler, that would say "I hardcore you" instead of "I love you", because they were just that hardcore. This couple likely listened to metal music while driving motorcycles through flaming hoops on their dates. The two were so wild that they would probably only kiss inside a cage of hungry tigers while wearing meatsuits. Then, as always seems to happen with such intense love, it's likely that the couple were forcibly separated when a gang of werewolves moved into the woods between their two homes. Of course the two probably fought their way through the hordes of lycanthropes with just their own hands and feet, but each would have sustained injuries in the process. Once the two finally met up, they likely committed suicide together, to avoid turning into werewolves themselves, by cutting off their own heads with an axe. They were pretty hardcore.

   After a bit more research, I found that this was a limited release beer that is no longer being brewed. My local liquor store had a few on the shelf even now though, so if the beer sounds interesting to you, you might get lucky and find a couple dust covered bottles, even here in the States. I'm impressed how well I Hardcore You showcases the many different flavors of hops. This is definitely a unique brew!

Amulets and Ale Rating:

5 A.M. Saint - BrewDog

    5 A.M. Saint is an Amber Ale made by Brewdog which is located all the way over in Fraserburgh, Scotland. Brewdog beers were recommended to me by Rebecca Hellowell, who lives across the pond herself, and loves their brews. I had a faint memory of seeing the BrewDog logo somewhere in the States, but it took some looking to find it. Luckily, I found three of their varieties, and picked up two!

    5 A.M. Saint pours a hazy copper with yellow tints. The beer's head is full, even though it's only around a finger tall.

    The Amber Ale smells thickly sweet. Heavy caramel and toffee malts dominate the smell with slight hops notes beneath.

    I know it sounds strange, but you can usually tell a British brew from an American brew by investigating two things: the head, and the aroma. The different malts used in British brews tend to produce a fuller, darker head than American style malts. The British malts also lend a sweeter, almost musty (in a good way) scent to the ales. I know that it seems weird, but you really can tell a difference between the styles, and I notice that difference in this beer.

    The ale has a medium body with a medium-high level of carbonation. I find the carbonation to be a bit too high for me, but it certainly doesn't ruin the body. 5 A.M. has an alcohol content of 5% ABV.

One more minute, and you can drink it!

    The Saint's flavor starts with a light bitterness from the hops. The ale then shows its rich, maltier side with sweet caramel and toffee malts with a hint of what could be crystal malts. The beer finishes a little bit bitter, but leaves the sweet caramel malt flavor as an aftertaste.

    I can only imagine that the name 5 A.M. Saint comes from the scenario of enjoying a long night of partying on a weekday. Sure, you're having a great time, but the fact that you have to be up early for work the next morning is always quietly screaming in the back of your head. You get home, go to bed, and BAM your alarm goes off seemingly as soon as your head hits the pillow. You wake up feeling horrible, but luckily, the BrewDog is there with some "hair of the dog" (pun intended) to get you up and going! Wow! This beer truly is a saint! (Amulets and Ale does not condone going into work drunk, even if it would make for an amusing story for your friends to tell about how you got fired from your job.)

    5 A.M. is a nice change of pace from the American brews I've had lately. The British style malts are very enjoyable, and the hops in the beer perfectly do their job of keeping the sweetness from being too much. The carbonation starts out being too lively for my liking, but after sitting for a bit, it mellows nicely. Overall, 5 A.M. Saint is a great Amber Ale that I would recommend, especially if you've never had a British style ale.

Amulets and Ale Rating: