A friend of mine introduced me to the existence of the world's strongest beer, which is Scotland's very own Tactical Nuclear Penguin. The beer is an imperial stout, or as the beer's manufacturer BrewDog Brewery calls it, an uber-imperial stout. The stout is 32% alcohol by volume, making it almost on par with a whiskey or scotch. Before the taste test, I chilled my bottle as I always do before a beer review. For a glass, I used a standard whisky tumbler. The beer itself came in a 330ml bottle, making it just under 12 ounces. The mistake I made with this beer review, was asking my friend what he thought about it, as he had already tried his. This sort of broke my own beer tasting golden rule, which is to never allow my taste buds to be compromised or influenced by the opinions of others on it. I like to have a clear or blank slate as far as my own expectations go, that way I can formulate my own uninfluenced beer drinking experience.
First and foremost was my dance with the beer's aroma. I cracked off the bottle cap, and poured the cold beer slowly into my glass. For this taste review, I only consumed about three ounces of it, given that the alcohol content is so high. The beer pours out a clear medium mahogany color, and was capped off by a soapy looking light brown head with no lace. The head might have been fuller had I poured the whole bottle into a pint glass. With the beer in my glass, I brought it to my nose and examined the aroma. The first thing that hit me was the strong alcohol smell, followed by a woody and toasted molasses aroma. I also detected light hints of what I can only describe as smelling like a single grain Scotch whisky. Beyond that, I might have detected some fruity spice aromas, however I couldn't be sure because the strong alcohol aroma was so predominant and overpowering. Overall the aroma wasn't bad, and certainly unique.
Next I brought the glass to my mouth, and took in a mouthful size pull from it, nearly finishing it all off. I swallowed the stout down quickly, but let traces of it linger in my mouth so that I could closely examine the flavor and feel of the brew. Obviously the first thing I got hit by was the strong alcohol taste, exactly like the aroma. The alcohol was a little overpowering I must say, and certainly unusual for a beer. Once the alcohol taste subsided a bit, I started to pick up an array of flavors. The first flavor I noticed was that of a strong caramel like toffee, followed by some deep roasted malt. These flavors danced around my tongue, and my mouth and throat instantly began to feel pleasantly warm. The body of the beer felt heavy, with the carbonation being very low. The beer was certainly smooth going down, and I was left with a sweet woody aftertaste. Overall, it wasn't bad, despite the overpowering alcohol presence.
Overall, I'm happy I had the opportunity to try out this memorable imperial stout, though obviously it doesn't really make a good candidate for a standard pint size drinking session. Had I polished off the whole bottle in one sitting, I would have probably got a pretty hard beer buzz going. I ended up letting a couple of friends polish off what I didn't drink for the review, and we all enjoyed it. The stout was very expensive, I paid about fifty dollars for it. While I am happy to have tried it, I probably wouldn't buy it again, as I prefer the standard imperial stouts, as I like to be able to enjoy their flavors without the overpowering alcohol content being present. Do make sure you try it at least once though, and also you will want to be quick about it, as I believe this is a limited edition beer. It makes for an excellent gift for someone who has everything, as it's pretty hard to come by. Try ordering it online, which is where I got my bottle from.
