Abstrakt AB:03
BrewDog

Abstrakt AB:03Abstrakt AB:03
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From:
BrewDog
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.57 | pDev: 16.81%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
20
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 18, 2021
Added:
Dec 23, 2010
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  5
Imperial Ale Aged for over 2 years in whisky casks with raspberries and strawberries.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by olradetbalder:
Photo of olradetbalder
Rated by olradetbalder from Sweden

3/5  rDev -16%

Dec 04, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.25/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Shared 375 ml bottle at local tasting, thanks to abemorsten. Reddish brown colour, moderate to low off-white head. Strong and intense aroma of ripe and over-ripe raspberries, strawberries and oak. Mouthppuckering and astringent dry flavour of oak, over-ripe raspberries and stale strawberry jam, hints of whisky and hops. Uh, well - INTERESTING, to say the least.
Mar 18, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by zestar from California

Oct 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by spycow from Illinois

Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by spicelab from Australia

May 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by danieelol from Australia

Jan 29, 2013
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

2.63/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Bottle generously shared by Chris (largadeer). Chris is a true friend who enables my love affair with terrible beers. Thanks! Served in a taster glass.

A - Quick-dissolving white foam settles to nothing. Transparent amber body.

S - Very strange - I get a lot of tropical fruits, but in more of a tripel malt/yeast combo rather than as adjuncts. I don't think the strawberries and raspberries have held up so well over the last two years, so there's just more of a nebulous sweet caramel malt flavor. I don't detect any whisky flavor from the barrel-aging, and only recently discovered this was a barrel-aged fruit beer from looking at the official description.

T - Again, a ton of sugar malts. Honey, caramel, and some nebulous fruit flavors. I guess the alcohol is well-hidden, but this really bears little resemblance to advertised description and the supporting 'Imperial Ale' lacks much in the way of character.

M - Low carbonation, sticky medium-full body, and a moderately juicy texture. A bit of alcohol warmth, but thankfully no fusels like AB:02.

D - I managed to finish my sample, so this is immediately superior to some of the other Brewdog offerings I've tried, but it's still not terribly good. Perhaps this had more character fresh as it's merely dull at this stage.
Aug 20, 2012
Photo of woosterbill
Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky

2.93/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
375ml bottle into a 25cl Duvel tulip. Thanks to Dan for sharing.

A: Hazy orange body under a finger of fine, frothy white head that rather quickly settles into a ring.

S: Heady, strong, boozy aroma of raspberry, strawberry, and some prominent alcohol. Not much barrel presence, and not all that special.

T: Boozy, fruity, bitter. Raspberry up front, more strawberry thereafter, and heavily alcoholic throughout. Not good.

M: Lively, creamy medium body. Nice.

O: Disappointing - the bad was every bit as prominent as the good, and the good wasn't even all that good. It somehow seemed way boozier to me than the 15% Abstrakt 04. Huh.

Cheers!
May 19, 2012
Photo of drgarage
Reviewed by drgarage from California

3.25/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Bottle 945 of 3200, bottled on August 9, 2010.

A: Pinkish brown. Hard to describe without showing a picture. Basically looks like equal parts Lindeman's Framboise and Brekle's Brown.

S: Herbs and raspberries. Oddly medicinal, but in an intriguing way. Is it mint? Difficult to say.

T: Big raspberries, shifting toward a more astringent berry, like juniper of goose. Intriguing, and demanding of another sip, though it never really improves.

M: Well-carbonated, but with a stickiness that's a little too much like cough syrup for comfort, especially given the medicinal tones that continue to come through.

O: OK, but not the imperial framboise I was hoping for. After 18 months of age, I don't get any of the whisky character advertised, but the ambition is still palpable. Well worth your time, if only to set some boundaries on what it's possible to produce in beer, which is always a very good question. No regrets.
May 05, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Apr 15, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Apr 14, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by kjkinsey from Texas

Apr 14, 2012
Photo of TMoney2591
Reviewed by TMoney2591 from Illinois

2.15/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Bottle #2853/3200, bottled on 9/8/10. I don't know what a generic "imperial ale" is, but this one was aged in whiskey casks for over two years with strawberries and raspberries. Right on... It pours a ... whoa! this boy be a gusha! The second the cork came out he was forcibly bubblin' his way to infamy (in my book, anyway), gettin' hisself all over everything he could before I slapped 'im onto a paper plate (the only thing handy). After settling, he showed himself to be clear ruby topped by a short-lived finger of cream-tan foam and populated by a massive swarm of thick floaties. The nose comprises (yeah, I just changed tenses...deal with it!) slightly medicinal (or, at least, plastic-seeming) raspberry syrup. ...And nothing else...though, as things warm up, a touch of whiskey-soaked oak comes through in the distance. The taste strikes the tongue immediately with boozy raspberry plastic backed-up by straight whiskey (and we ain't talkin' top-shelf stuff here, mates). It burns shortly but strongly, leaving a medicinal aftertaste. Boo this. The body is a light medium, with a moderately fizzy carbonation and a lightly syrupy feel. Overall, a poor beer, one that just comes together in a mish-mash of pain and unfulfilled promises. Shame, really...
Jan 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Dec 29, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by GRG1313 from California

Dec 01, 2011
Photo of Evil_Pidde
Reviewed by Evil_Pidde from Sweden

4.1/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Pours brown with lots of red hints. Head is rather short and golden. Almost no lace.

S: Raspberries!. Also strawberries. Actually very berry. Sweet dakr malt in the back, some dark dried fruits as well.

T: Raspberries again! Actually, I'm writing this rewiev from notes, and the morning after I still tasted raspberries...
Sweet malt with dark dried frutis. Some spices and strawberries.

M: Aftertaste lingers with a dry bitterness, and the raspberries of course. Body is full and carbonation surprisingly rich.

O: A BSDA of a Framboise? This beer has very little in common with Krieks and Framboises - absolutely no Brett in smell or taste. This was a very nice example of a BSDA with a twist of raspberries - not sweet but kind of dry.
Jul 09, 2011
Photo of AgentMunky
Reviewed by AgentMunky from New York

3.62/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured from a 375mL bottle into a BrewDog cervoise glass. Bottle 1397 of 3200, bottled 8 November 2010.

A: There appears to be sediment/mould floating on the top of the beer. (It's been stored on the top shelf of a closet for a couple of months, cool with light exposure.) I am discouraged, but not dissuaded. Like AB:04, I had a devil of a time extracting the cork. Upon finally uncorking, beer spewed everywhere, dousing my desk in a wonderfully fruity smelling nectar.
The beer itself is ruddy amber, with a thin head (after the fizz faded), persistent bubbles, and diffuse sediment. The center is darker than the golden-orange edges.

S: Very berry. Raspberry, strawberry, boysenberry, etc. completely dominate the aroma. Sweet and sugary, it smells more like candy than beer. Really nice.

T: Uhh...Not my favourite, but crazy-interesting. Pretty much what you smell is what you get -- lots of tart, fruity berriness. Honestly, it tastes a bit like puréed raspberries. More sour than sweet, to my disappointment. The sourness is akin to a lambic beer, and I suspect that B. lambicus played some role in this creation. Although AB:03 grows on me, the aftertaste is unpleasantly bitter -- very similar to citrus peel. Just concentrate on the berryburst of a maintaste, and take another sip whenever the fruit fades.

M: At times, thin; sour-dry; and not enough carbonation in my opinion (although perhaps mine escaped as soon as I opened the bottle?).

D: Compulsively sippable, although mostly to re-grasp the ephemeral berry perfection that peaks in the first half of the taste and forget the latter half. I'm really glad I tried this one -- although I feel it was a tad over-priced -- but I couldn't recommend it in good conscience. I will not be having another, even were they able to be obtained.
Feb 22, 2011
Photo of ADZA
Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

4.3/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I am quite intrigued by the naming of the style of this brew as it clearly doesnt come across as one its more an imperial fruit beer i reckon with raspberries and strawberries added but anyway this is bottle number 2939 of 3200 and it pours a pink strawberry champagne hue with beautiful carbonation that leaves a bubbly two finger head subtle lacing and floaties everywhere,the smell is very sweet and jammy its a mix of aromas of strawberries and raspberries and a tinge of fruity alcohol,it has a nice light-medium bodied mouthfeel and has tastes of tart raspberries firstly followed by a light strawberry tinge and the sweetness is totally counteracted by the herbal hoppy bitter finish and for me since i like my fruit beers i really do like this but given its price for a 375ml bottle it wont be a regular more of a celebration drop for me.
Feb 19, 2011
Photo of headlessclown
Reviewed by headlessclown from Australia

4.32/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
375ml bottle poured into a snifter glass
Date on bottle: 08.09.10
Bottle: 2041 of 3200

A: Pours a reddish brown with loads of floaties, presumably from the fruits mixed in the barrel ageing process. A very champagne-like carbonation - a head that dissipates very quickly in a sea of little bubbles.

S: Raspberries more than the strawberries - very framboise-like. Whatever base ale was used for this is lost in the fruitiness.

T: Wow. All I get here is an intense raspberry flavour but not backed up by any tartness/sourness that I would expect from a framboise. Very interesting indeed.

M: As mentioned before, a champagne-like carbonation. Very dry finish. Surprisingly light-bodied for a 10.5% beer.

D: It's like a framboise and a champagne had a love child. Very tasty and very drinkable for the ABV combined with the body and finish. Expensive but worth the investment. One thing I dislike about the Abstrakt series beers is the synthetic cork. Half the battle is getting the damn thing open.
Dec 26, 2010
Photo of hooliganlife
Reviewed by hooliganlife from Missouri

4.27/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
thanks to harv for bringing this back

pours a deep ruby brown with a big fizzy head. lots of little funk floating in this murky ale.

you can really smell the raspberries and strawberries, as they are very apparent. light earthy and whiskey notes.

wow... this is good. the raspberries are more up front than the strawberries from first sip through the finish. the whiskey really blends well here adding a nice complexity. there is a bit of booze through out, adding some heat. malt backbone is quite strong and really holds this together.

this was a bit over carbonated. im guessing champagne yeast was used, it has a dry bitter yeasty flavor but its VERY carbonated. i twirled the glass a lot to knock it down a bit. once the carbonation was tamed, the flavors came out more.

this is really good, very different from what i am used to. this is the first abstrakt i have had, and it will not be the last.
Dec 23, 2010
Abstrakt AB:03 from BrewDog
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 20 ratings