For what happened last time round – Fanzine the Twenty-First
Another month flies by; life, work and everything else continues to whizz at a million miles a minute. Luckily, I am provided with a few rare moments to be grounded by my monthly Fanzine box.
All served in 330ml cans, the latest set of Fanzine beers were as follows:
- Mail Order Martian
- Velvet Vengeance
- Tower Hill Pale Ale
Remember, your local BrewDog will be serving these three beers on draught for a limited time, so if you haven’t managed to subscribe to this box, get down to one of their bars!
Mandatory “Mail Order Martian” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 3.66 (at time of writing)
- ABV: 7%
- IBU: 10
- Style: Milkshake IPA
- Tagline: N/A
- Descriptive Comment: Beer at light speed
I loved the alternative can design look: it offered a fresh appearance compared to the standard labels. A hazy, mid-orange beer was poured, producing a slim white foam head, from which tropical tones escaped. It was a rich, full-bodied beer with a moderate carbonation. The flavour profile was big: raspberry swept over the palate initially but evolved into a tropical lychee flavour. A sweetness built against a mild bittering background, which faded into a cleansing taste of boozy kiwi.
Diagnosis: 4.0/5. “Mail Order Martian” is rich, warming and sweet – a tropical paradise creates an exciting canvas for this beer; though overall, it needs a bit of “oomph” to take it to the next level.
Mandatory “Velvet Vengeance” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 3.67 (at time of writing)
- ABV: 8.0%
- IBU: 55
- Style: Stout
- Tagline: Espresso Stout
- Descriptive Comment: They never heard it coming
Another big BrewDog stout: from the purple can poured a pitch-black beer, with a small milk chocolate foam head. The aromas were predominantly reminiscent of bitter coffee, but there was also a subtle berry fragrance. The flavour profile matched the proceeding aromas – an intense coffee hit, very bitter in nature. This bitterness faded briefly, allowing a juicy, lighter berry tone to feature; however, this was short lived and gave rise to a lingering roasted coffee finish. The beer had a smooth body to it, with little carbonation.
Diagnosis: 2.75/5. “Velvet Vengeance” features predominantly coffee, so will be well-liked by those that enjoy the caffeine-filled beverage! Not being a coffee lover, this one isn’t for me, though I respect that BrewDog deliver a high intensity of the key ingredient.
Mandatory “Tower Hill Pale Ale” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 3.45 (at time of writing)
- ABV: 4.2%
- IBU: 45
- Style: Pale Ale
- Tagline: American Pale Ale
- Descriptive Comment: Well executed beer
The orange can produced a transparent yellow beer, with a multitude of bubbles, on top of which sat a pearly white foam head. On the nose, the beer gave citrusy scents of lemon, orange and grapefruit. It had a light texture with a high level of carbonation. Initially, the flavour profile consisted of a dominant bread-based malt backbone. This was then lifted into a sweet lime finish with just a hint of resinous pine. In spite of a moderate IBU of 54, there was a minimal bitter taste at the end.
Diagnosis: 3.25/5. “Tower Hill Pale Ale” is a gentle beer that would be wonderful to drink on a summer’s day along the banks of the River Thames, whilst watching the world go by. I did some digging and saw that BrewDog’s Tower Hill bar has a games room: I’m definitely checking it out next time I’m in London!
Side note: This was the first of BrewDog’s brewer built series, showcasing beers chosen by our brewers. A celebration of thier creactivity and crafts. This beer was brewed by Jason Pond.
Box Rating: 3.33/5
Fanzine Rating to Date: 3.50/5
Do you want to join the Fanzine experience AND want a £10 voucher for the BrewDog website? The sign up to Fanzine via the link below, select referred by a friend, and use “Dr Beer” in the referral section! The associated email is: thebeerbloguk@mail.com
For more Fanzine stories, hit here to see the complete journey to date.
