For what happened last time round – Fanzine the Twenty-Second
All served in 330ml cans, the latest set of Fanzine beers were as follows:
- Melancholy Selfie
- Kirsche Kaiser
- Death of Spring
Remember, your local BrewDog will be serving these three beers on draught for a limited time, so if you haven’t subscribed for this box, get down to one of their bars!
Mandatory “Melancholy Selfie” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 3.75 (at time of writing)
- ABV: 10%
- IBU: 35
- Style: Stout
- Tagline: Chocolate Orange Stout
- Descriptive Comment: Share it
As my palate evolves, I continue to grow a fond appreciation for stouts. Gone are the days in which I associated stouts with a one-dimensional bitter tone that lacked identity. Now I see stouts and porters as exciting possibilities that contain interesting ingredients and can produce key flavours, such as the ones Melancholy Selfie proposed – chocolate and orange. This boozy double-figured stout poured a pitch-black colour, with a soft foam head that I could just be about convinced had a slight mocha-orange tinge to it. On the nose, it had a smooth chocolate tone along with a brighter, light aroma – a subtle orange, which intensified on deep inhalation. My first sip resulted in an “Oh geez!”: the exclamation reflected my surprise and pleasure that both the chocolate and the orange flavours actually came through! It began with a smooth, velvety chocolate taste and evolved into a juicy, sweet orange. This then rumbled into a deep, roasted malt backbone, before it lifted once more into a juicy orange finish – very strange for a stout! A lingering light chocolate note lasted after sampling, whilst the 10% wasn’t particularly noticeable until further through the glass.
Diagnosis: 4.25/5. “Melancholy Selfie” boasts three orange additions and hell yes – it works. I genuinely like this beer. Most stouts I’d happily have a 2/3rd schooner or a taster; this one I could pack into a growler. I’d love for it to become a regular.
Mandatory “Kirsche Kaiser” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 3.27 (at time of writing)
- ABV: 3.1%
- IBU: 8
- Style: Berliner Weisse
- Tagline: Cherry Berliner Weisse
- Descriptive Comment: Bitte schon
An incredibly lively, carbonated beer poured from this can. It was a hazy straw colour, atop of which sat a thick, white, bubbly head. A subtle cherry scent greeted the nose, with a tart aroma following through. On sampling, a malt base was prominent, with biscuit as the dominant flavour. There was a gentle but pronounced cherry taste, which offered an initial sweet sensation before giving way to a moderate tartness. The palate was then cleansed with a resurgence of light biscuit.
Diagnosis: 3.5/5. “Kirsche Kaiser” is light, allowing cherry to come through on a balanced malt base. It wouldn’t be a regular in my fridge, but I could definitely enjoy this on a summery evening.
Mandatory “Death of Spring” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 3.67 (at time of writing)
- ABV: 7.3%
- IBU: 80
- Style: DIPA
- Tagline: Double IPA
- Descriptive Comment: Embrace the solstice
The final beer of the trio: a golden orange can that contained a beer similar in colour! It was hazy in appearance and had a slim off-white foam head, that settled rapidly at the edge of the glass. Identifiable scents included an intense grapefruit, as well as apricot and a prominent boozy quality. The aroma profile pleasantly transitioned into the tasting characteristics of the beer: it had an initial freshness before the cool liquid developed into a warming meld of grapefruit, blood orange and apricot. It finished with a cutting bitter bite, which cleansed the palate.
Diagnosis: 4.0/5. “Death of Spring” is clean, with citrus and stone fruit and a prominent bittering finish. Let me find my growlers and a seat in the sun!
Box Rating: 3.92/5
Fanzine Rating to Date: 3.52/5
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.
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