So as its St Andrews day I thought I would open one of my Brewdog Abstrakt 03, its the only Abstrakt I bought more than one of..

The blurb

Imperial Ale Aged over 2 years in whisky casks with raspberries and strawberries 10.5%

Its not as dark as I would have expected – must be the fruit – there is not an overpowering alcohol aroma but great fruity burst , just enough hops but a nice fruity aftertaste, seems to be slightly fizzy which is nice and tingly (you can tell I don’t review beer properly what the hell is tingly) – compared to the awesome Paradox I had last week if 03 was not so expensive (£9.99 a bottle) & in little supply, I could easily drink a few bottle of this (now if only Martin and James would sell it in 750ml bottles for the same price)

Reminds me of a weekend in Antwerp a few years back, beers that excite your taste buds and make you want to try more.

Wish I had bought more than 1 of the AB:01 AB:02 now, but have I few bottles of AB:04 coming which has Coffee, loads Cacao and Chilli so expecting something very different.. thanks to Rob for getting those..

Of course with the expected raise in taxation on 7.5 percent ABV and higher beers – hopefully the scottish boys will not stop making great beers like this, as Iam sure many people will still want to buy these great craft beers..

If you have a great selection of craft beers why not show off your Beer Cupboard on my new site.

I was drinking it in my favourite Cardiff Pub the Goat Major, where I normally go for the lovely Brains Dark if they don’t have a guest on.

Brewdog Edge is a “dark” like beer – being a mild with a low ABR 3.2% but with a nuttier taste than it’s Welsh cousin – a definite winner, now if brewdog do Edge in bottles I would get a crate in for the shed- this one would be a keeper.

I have a few of their stronger bottles, but they always pack some great flavor into any brew they do.

But they have produced the last of their line of extra strong beers at 55% ok thats strong but the thing that will get them a lot of press (which is their goal I assume) is that the limited edition one off run of 11 bottles is that each is stuffed within some stuffed roadkill, I can see the headlines now…..”Over the border and over the top, brewers kill animals to serve their beer from”, “BrewSquirrel, roadkill beer” you will come up with better.

Of course most of us will ever taste it as its £500.00 for the Stoat bottle and £700.00 for the Squirrel bottle.

Unless its a big ruse from the cheeky Scots. anyway good luck to them with their latest ploy to make beer more exiting for us non vegetarians

The End of History from BrewDog on Vimeo.

The End of History: The name derives from the famous work of philosopher Francis Fukuyama, this is to beer what democracy is to history. Fukuyama defined history as the evolution of the political system and traced this through the ages until we got the Western Democratic paradigm. For Fukuyama this was the end point of man’s political evolution and consequently the end of history. The beer is the last high abv beer we are going to brew, the end point of our research into how far the can push the boundaries of extreme brewing, the end of beer.

The End of History, at 55%, is the final instalment of our efforts to redefine the limits of contemporary brewing.

This blond Belgian ale is infused with nettles from the Scottish Highlands and Fresh juniper berries. Only 12 bottles have been made and each comes with its own certificate and is presented in a stuffed stoat or grey squirrel. The striking packaging was created by a very talented taxidermist and all the animals used were road kill. This release is a limited run of 11 bottles, 7 stoats and 4 grey squirrels. Each ones comes with its own certificate of authenticity.

So I set up my tripod this afternoon in the new Bar area of the house, ok it’s the converted garage but I have manged to use a corner to store my beer.

As brewdog was on top of my beer rack then they were the ones in focus…

This was the shot I finally choose after taking about 30!

Some of the other ones that I don’t think made the grade.

OK Iam still not up to the half the quality of Rob, but he does have a better camera & glass then me

The BrewDog team have pulled off our most audacious and ambitious project to date, and smashed a world record in the process. We have today, Thursday 26 November 2009, set a new world record after creating the strongest beer in the world. Weighing in at an ABV of 32%, BrewDog’s ‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ beats the previous record of 31% held by German beer brand Schorschbraer.

This beer is about pushing the boundaries, it is about taking innovation in beer to a whole new level. It is about achieving something which has never before been done and putting Scotland firmly on the map for progressive, craft beers.

This beer is bold, irreverent and uncompromising. A beer with a soul and a purpose. A statement of intent. A modern day rebellion for the craft beer proletariat in our struggle to over throw the faceless bourgeoisie oppression of corporate, soulless beer.’

The Antarctic name inducing schizophrenia of this uber-imperial stout originates from the amount of time it spent exposed to extreme cold. This beer began life as a 10% imperial stout 18 months ago. The beer was aged for 8 months in an Isle of Arran whisky cask and 8 months in an Islay cask making it our first double cask aged beer. After an intense 16 month, the final stages took a ground breaking approach by storing the beer at -20 degrees for three weeks to get it to 32%.

Beer has a terrible reputation in Britain, it’s ignorant to assume that a beer can’t be enjoyed responsibly like a nice dram or a glass of fine wine. A beer like Tactical Nuclear Penguin should be enjoyed in spirit sized measures. It pairs fantastically with vanilla bean white chocolate it really brings out the complexity of the beer and complements the powerful, smoky and cocoa flavours.

A warning on the label states: This is an extremely strong beer, it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost.

In typical BrewDog style the beer comes packed not in an elaborate box or case, but a brown paper bag with a hand-drawn penguin on it. You can buy yours here: http://www.brewdog.com/product.php?id=46

Tactical Nuclear Penguin from BrewDog on Vimeo.

They are offering 20% of their beer for life so Rob of beerlens should be ok!

We are looking for 10,000 BrewDog loving individuals to purchase shares in our company. This is your chance to buy into the BrewDog dream and share in our vision.

We believe the best way to further the growth of BrewDog is to ask you, the people who enjoy our beers, to be involved in BrewDog’s future.

Equity for Punks from BrewDog on Vimeo.

A brewer criticised for making what it claimed is Britain’s strongest beer has unveiled an ale with a 1.1% alcohol content.

BrewDog said it launched Nanny State in response to the outcry caused after launching Tokyo* with an 18.2% alcohol content.

In July health experts said a high-alcohol percentage can cause as much damage as drinking to excess.

A 330ml bottle of Tokyo* contains six units of alcohol – twice the recommended daily limit.

BrewDog, based in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, said the stronger beer will help change the country’s binge-drinking culture because it is so rich that people will consume less of it.

Richard McLelland, the firm’s sales director, said today: “We are very responsible retailers. People in the UK want to buy beer based on flavour not on alcohol content and BrewDog creates bold, dramatic, flavoursome beers.

“We’ve had to control the brewing process to create a very low alcohol content.

“Nanny State’s available in cask just now. It is being bottled at the moment but it should be available later this week.

“Nanny State is mild imperial ale containing more hops per barrel than any other beer ever brewed in the UK.

“It is an extraordinary little ale, jammed full of all the brewer’s favourite hops, giving it as much body and mouth feel as possible, ensuring that low strength does not translate into reduced flavour,” he added.

Mr McLelland said the new beer had such a low-alcohol content that the Government did not class it as a beer and it was not subject to beer duty.

BrewDog founder James Watt wrote on his blog: “Anyone who knows BrewDog, knows beer, or anyone has more common sense than a common (or garden) gnome will know that the scathing and unrelenting criticism we faced was pretty unjustified.

“If logic serves the same people who witch-hunted and publicly slated us should now offer us heartfelt support and public congratulations. However I fear that this, unfortunately, is an arena devoid of logic and reason.”

BrewDog also caused controversy earlier this year when drinks industry watchdog the Portman Group said its drink Speedball should be withdrawn from the shelves because it shared a name with the drugs cocktail which killed actor River Phoenix.

Nanny State will be available online at www.brewdog.com with bottles costing £2.49 each.