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Dead Metaphor
BrewDog
- From:
- BrewDog
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Oatmeal Stout
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.71 | pDev: 7.82%
- Reviews:
- 3
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 24, 2017
- Added:
- Nov 04, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 5
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Andy_Luft:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England
3.9/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.9/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A 330ml bottle with a BB of July 2015, so it's well out of date. ABV is stated as 6.4%. Purchased ages ago from the Brewdog webshop and stored in a cupboard. The label describes it as a chocolate breakfast stout, with Brazilian Sertão coffee, oatmeal, lactose and Venezuelan black cacao included among the ingredients. Brewed in collaboration with two beer writers: Rob Derbyshire and Richard Taylor.
A: Poured into a tulip. Possibly bottle conditioned. A very dark brown hue that appears pitch black in the glass. Produces a huge head of creamy light-brown foam with excellent retention; this slowly reduces to a persistent surface layer. Slight lacing.
S: Aroma of rich, fruity malt with hints of dried fruit, prunes, molasses, subtle roasted grain, chocolate, mild coffee, ale yeast, a touch of lactose and faint stewed leaves. I suspect the coffee has faded with time, but overall it seems complex and well-rounded.
T: Tastes of sweet, fruity malt with notes of dried fruit, prunes/raisins, molasses, brown sugar, dark roasted malt, chocolate, mild coffee, ale yeast, subtle lactose and faint stewed leaves. The booze is well hidden. Rich and sweet, with a restrained, malty bitterness upon swallowing.
M: Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with moderate carbonation and good body. Thick and creamy. Aftertaste of sweet dried fruit, fruitcake, molasses, mild roasted malt, light coffee, chocolate, ale yeast and faint stewed leaves.
O: Very nice, and has lasted remarkably well. Great condition given its age - goes down a treat. Looks superb, while the aroma and flavour are dark, sweet and complex. Lovely body. Wonderfully mellow, possibly even better than it would have been fresh. Another top effort from Brewdog.
Nov 24, 2017A: Poured into a tulip. Possibly bottle conditioned. A very dark brown hue that appears pitch black in the glass. Produces a huge head of creamy light-brown foam with excellent retention; this slowly reduces to a persistent surface layer. Slight lacing.
S: Aroma of rich, fruity malt with hints of dried fruit, prunes, molasses, subtle roasted grain, chocolate, mild coffee, ale yeast, a touch of lactose and faint stewed leaves. I suspect the coffee has faded with time, but overall it seems complex and well-rounded.
T: Tastes of sweet, fruity malt with notes of dried fruit, prunes/raisins, molasses, brown sugar, dark roasted malt, chocolate, mild coffee, ale yeast, subtle lactose and faint stewed leaves. The booze is well hidden. Rich and sweet, with a restrained, malty bitterness upon swallowing.
M: Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with moderate carbonation and good body. Thick and creamy. Aftertaste of sweet dried fruit, fruitcake, molasses, mild roasted malt, light coffee, chocolate, ale yeast and faint stewed leaves.
O: Very nice, and has lasted remarkably well. Great condition given its age - goes down a treat. Looks superb, while the aroma and flavour are dark, sweet and complex. Lovely body. Wonderfully mellow, possibly even better than it would have been fresh. Another top effort from Brewdog.
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland
3.82/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.82/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
330ml Bottle from Good Spirits Co, Glasgow (£4.00 approx.):
Black with a thick & creamy, light brown head about 2.5cm tall that settles to a thick lacing.
Roasted malts & rich, dark chocolate with a solid coffee aroma & earthy notes. There's a little sweetness & lactose but the smell is pretty much as you'd expect from a stout.
Dark chocolate & sweetness with some coffee but the chocolate seems more pronounced. A few earthy malts & touches of bitterness with a definite milky taste The taste was a good, well rounded one & it went down well.
Medium bodied, soft carbonation with a semi-sweet mouthfeel & a dry, clean finish that is incredibly smooth going down.
Quite a good stout from Brewdog, it had a good balance and was very easy going down. Not much (if any) oatmeal, the beer almost tasted like a sweet stout at times. A good beer but not much out of the ordinary and not a classic.
Jul 09, 2014Black with a thick & creamy, light brown head about 2.5cm tall that settles to a thick lacing.
Roasted malts & rich, dark chocolate with a solid coffee aroma & earthy notes. There's a little sweetness & lactose but the smell is pretty much as you'd expect from a stout.
Dark chocolate & sweetness with some coffee but the chocolate seems more pronounced. A few earthy malts & touches of bitterness with a definite milky taste The taste was a good, well rounded one & it went down well.
Medium bodied, soft carbonation with a semi-sweet mouthfeel & a dry, clean finish that is incredibly smooth going down.
Quite a good stout from Brewdog, it had a good balance and was very easy going down. Not much (if any) oatmeal, the beer almost tasted like a sweet stout at times. A good beer but not much out of the ordinary and not a classic.
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado
3.56/5 rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Cost was 1400 florent at a bottle shop in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday. Reviewed live, for late breakfast. 330ml brown glass bottle with appealing label art and branded white pry-off pressure cap served at fridge temp into a Zlaty Bazant glass and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated. Reviewed as a Breakfast Stout since the label calls it a "Scottish Chocolate Breakfast Stout." Batch 018. BB: 17/07/15. 6.4% ABV.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: One finger wide. Dark khaki in colour, with some tan hues. Decent creaminess and thickness. Average (~2 minute) retention. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Largely unimpressive for a breakfast stout.
BODY: Predictably, it's a dark opaque solid black, but not quite the ideal jet black I look for in the best examples of the style. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Appears adequately carbonated. Far from unique or special looking for a breakfast stout. A much dark head and a darker - think ink black - body would be ideal, as would more head retention and far more creaminess. An above average appearance for the style overall.
AROMA: Rich chocolate malts, cocoa dust, oatmeal, nice java/coffee notes, and some lactose sugar. I'd like more of a roasty and/or rich character from the coffee. While evocative, the coffee does leave something to be desired - especially when compared to the coffee aromatics in the best beers in the style. But the cacao is lovely, and this aroma is well within style conventions. I crave the first sip, even though the aroma is merely above average in strength overall.
True to style, no yeast character, overt hop notes, alcohol, or off-notes are detectable. Doesn't seem too sweet.
TASTE: The chocolate/cacao isn't as expressive as the aroma may have suggested, and while there is a nice touch of cocoa dust in the third act, overall I find the chocolate merely above average. It's a biteen too sweet from ample dark and chocolate malts, and really could use some balancing roastiness (either from roasted barley or from coffee). Speaking of coffee, it's rather reticent here - at least relative to the best examples of the style. Some usual java/coffee presence, but little earthiness, no roast, and no burnt or ashy characteristics. Oatmeal does a great job of filling out the body, adding a bit more complexity to the foundation along with the very welcome lactose sugar. This beer sort of idles between a milk stout and oatmeal stout, without ever fully embracing the coffee and chocolate that would really elevate it within the breakfast stout style category.
Above average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour. Good amplitude. It's very cohesive, but the build isn't gestalt. There's room for improvement, but it packs enough complexity and subtlety to please the discerning drinker. Could be more intricate and nuanced, especially where the coffee is concerned.
TEXTURE: Smooth and wet. Unrefreshing. God, I want more of the cocoa dustiness here. What little is present is lovely, but more would be fantastic. And it ought to be a bit more coarse and dry on the palate. Amping up the coffee and roast and toning down the oats a bit would help. More creaminess would also be welcome. It's not the silky feel of a good milk stout, and it's not the dry feel of a good Irish or Imperial stout. This texture does suit the flavour profile well overall, but needs some fine-tuning to really dial in to complementing the flavours as well as possible.
Good overall presence on the palate. Well-executed.
OVERALL: I definitely like it and I'm glad I tried it once, but as usual BrewDog's pricing keeps me from ever being able to justify a second purchase, especially with the myriad of superior breakfast stouts out there - most of which are less than half the price of this - and I'm going by Hungarian prices here. Absolutely a drinkable and enjoyable breakfast stout, and price aside I'd recommend it to friends and trade partners, but don't expect a world class brew.
Low B
Jun 22, 2014No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: One finger wide. Dark khaki in colour, with some tan hues. Decent creaminess and thickness. Average (~2 minute) retention. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Largely unimpressive for a breakfast stout.
BODY: Predictably, it's a dark opaque solid black, but not quite the ideal jet black I look for in the best examples of the style. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
Appears adequately carbonated. Far from unique or special looking for a breakfast stout. A much dark head and a darker - think ink black - body would be ideal, as would more head retention and far more creaminess. An above average appearance for the style overall.
AROMA: Rich chocolate malts, cocoa dust, oatmeal, nice java/coffee notes, and some lactose sugar. I'd like more of a roasty and/or rich character from the coffee. While evocative, the coffee does leave something to be desired - especially when compared to the coffee aromatics in the best beers in the style. But the cacao is lovely, and this aroma is well within style conventions. I crave the first sip, even though the aroma is merely above average in strength overall.
True to style, no yeast character, overt hop notes, alcohol, or off-notes are detectable. Doesn't seem too sweet.
TASTE: The chocolate/cacao isn't as expressive as the aroma may have suggested, and while there is a nice touch of cocoa dust in the third act, overall I find the chocolate merely above average. It's a biteen too sweet from ample dark and chocolate malts, and really could use some balancing roastiness (either from roasted barley or from coffee). Speaking of coffee, it's rather reticent here - at least relative to the best examples of the style. Some usual java/coffee presence, but little earthiness, no roast, and no burnt or ashy characteristics. Oatmeal does a great job of filling out the body, adding a bit more complexity to the foundation along with the very welcome lactose sugar. This beer sort of idles between a milk stout and oatmeal stout, without ever fully embracing the coffee and chocolate that would really elevate it within the breakfast stout style category.
Above average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour. Good amplitude. It's very cohesive, but the build isn't gestalt. There's room for improvement, but it packs enough complexity and subtlety to please the discerning drinker. Could be more intricate and nuanced, especially where the coffee is concerned.
TEXTURE: Smooth and wet. Unrefreshing. God, I want more of the cocoa dustiness here. What little is present is lovely, but more would be fantastic. And it ought to be a bit more coarse and dry on the palate. Amping up the coffee and roast and toning down the oats a bit would help. More creaminess would also be welcome. It's not the silky feel of a good milk stout, and it's not the dry feel of a good Irish or Imperial stout. This texture does suit the flavour profile well overall, but needs some fine-tuning to really dial in to complementing the flavours as well as possible.
Good overall presence on the palate. Well-executed.
OVERALL: I definitely like it and I'm glad I tried it once, but as usual BrewDog's pricing keeps me from ever being able to justify a second purchase, especially with the myriad of superior breakfast stouts out there - most of which are less than half the price of this - and I'm going by Hungarian prices here. Absolutely a drinkable and enjoyable breakfast stout, and price aside I'd recommend it to friends and trade partners, but don't expect a world class brew.
Low B
Dead Metaphor from BrewDog
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
15 ratings
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