Devine Rebel 2010
BrewDog

Regrettably brief impressions:

BOTTLE: Batch 406. Bottled 11/02/15. 11.2 fl oz format. Blue and white pry-off crown cap. Blue and white label.

13.80% ABV. "25% Malt Beverage aged in Scotch whisky casks, 75% Malt Beverage." "Partially aged in oak Speyside whisky barrels." "Combines an ale yeast and a champagne yeast and showcases a single hop variety." "Flavoured ale."

APPEARANCE: 1 finger's worth of head height, off-white in colour. ~20 second head retention.

Brown-amber body colour. Dull; not vibrant at all. Semitranslucent but nontransparent. No yeast/lees are visible within.

AROMA: Caramel, prune, fig, dates, withered plum, toffee, marshmallow. Not much in the way of Speyside whisky barrels, oak, vanilla, or the like.

Aromatic intensity is above average.

I find no off-notes, but there are hints of oxidation. Suggests a gooey chewy ale with alcohol warmth and high sweetness in spite of its highly-attenuated champagne yeast.

No overt hop aromatics or yeasty aromatics.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Dark fruit is emphasized, but comes off a bit cloyingly sweet. The beer finishes dry and coarse, dragging unpleasantly on the palate.

Caramel, gooey dark malts, prune, date, raisin, grape, plum, residual sugars, barrel sugars, fig.

Full-bodied, with a poor overall presence on the palate. Drags. Well-carbonated, though, I guess. Should be smoother, wetter, and softer. As-is, it's scratchy and harsh.

Where's the Speyside? The oak barrel? Completely absent.

No overt hoppy or yeasty flavours.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, or astringent.

OVERALL: Fails to showcase Speyside to any measurable degree whatsoever. It's also not very good, to be frank. The mouthfeel is harsh and horrid, and the taste is not only imbalanced but lacks vivid and expressive flavours. Not a gestalt or harmonious ale, and the champagne yeast gimmickry fails to set it apart. Forgettable fare - especially in contrast to regular Devine Rebel, which I rather enjoyed.

D+ (2.32) / NOT RECOMMENDED

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Slowbeer

A - dark brown copper. Murky. Short lived head

S - caramel, butterscotch, burnt toffee, brown sugar

T - burnt notes to fore, caramel, toffee. Somewhat dry, rather than sweet initially but sweet notes on back palate.

M - surprisingly over carbonated initially , less so as bottle goes down. No noticeable alcohol for high ABV.

O - a lot to like, but a lot misses the mark. Did not age well, as some astringent notes and where is the speyside barrel ageing? Going off leaving beers in cellar, must admit.

 

 

really interesting beer here, punishingly strong, but pleasurable to drink. its a blend of speyside aged barleywine, and some aged simply in stainless. the pour is a nice leathery brown color with a creamy tan head with fine retention. the nose is peated whiskey immediately, and booze. the almost 14% abv doesn't creep in at all, it slaps you in the face. tons of English caramel malts giving off toffee aromas, and there is a well aged quality to this 2010 bottle, refined. the flavor is just like the nose, with the scotch whiskey really taking center stage. its got a smoke element too, and a finishing sweetness that even all this booze can barely cut through. its like the grandfather of barleywine, old school and set in its ways. I appreciate the collaborative effort on this one, and think it fits both brewerys penchant for the bold and daring. full body but maintaining its carbonation well. im glad I got a bottle with some age on it, as I could not imagine how caustically hot this would be fresh. it really could use another few years at least to mellow even more. overall a treat for me, as someone always interested in envelope pushing barleywines. probably tough to source now, but I recommend this one, even if the alcohol is a little over dramatic.

Picked this up at my favorite beer store in Belgium, Dranken Geers in early 2011 and it's been in my cellar ever since. Murky brown pour with a half finger bubbly head that fades quickly with no lacing. Malty, sweet, almost medicinal nose with hints of caramel, molasses, brown sugar, dark fruit, subtle oak, and lots of booze. The taste is big and bold and hot. Earthy and woody with a ton of booze along with hints of caramel, dark fruits, white pepper, and an almost vinous character. The mouthfeel is thin and medicinal with a really strong bitter off-putting finish. Overall this was pretty disappointing. Not only was the alcohol not disguised at all, but it dominated in a very unflattering way.

 

 

Reviewed in 2011

A very special thanks to cstromberg57 for this one! Poured into a snifter. Label says bottled on: 11/02/15 but it says 2010 right under the title. Odd.

A- Pours a ruddy, semi-opaque dark brown with a 1/2 inch head that bears little retention before being reduced to a 1/8 inch ring around the snifter's edge. A good amount of surface foam and very decent lacing.

S- Quite hoppy smelling. A somewhat glassy aroma comes with the booze fumes. Light caramel.

T- Bright and strong. Medicinal with partially sweet malts but not as much hops as in the nose. Tastes of raisins at times but mostly just very potent. Definitely a sipper.

M- This is where the beer gets too crazy for me. Very spritzy and full of action, yet it has a very dry residual feeling. Makes the whole flavor profile too intense. I chalk it up to the medium carbonation, though. If left in the bottle longer, I think that would go away.

O- Good thing I got two of these so that I can give the other bottle another year which is what I think this one needed. Very good, just not what it could be.

 

Bottle purchased from Slowbeer in Melbourne.

Pours a brilliantly deep red hue, with an amazing oily weight to the body. Head pours out immediately bright yellow, but settles to a beige ring of fine, wistful bubbles. Not much in the way of lace. Still it's an impressive looking beer.

Nose is deep and boozy, with sugary, faintly malty, but more port-like hints of sweetness. Slight peppery, oxidised cardboard characters along with some slightly smoky whisky and woody oak notes. It feels hot already, but let's give it the benefit of the doubt for now. It's impressive, in any case.

Taste is indeed, big, robust and impressive, but also excessively hot, with a cutting boozy heat strafing through the centre of the palate. The oxidised character comes through strongly on the back, leaving some peppery sharpness and a flat, lightly phenolic finish. Sweetness is muted, and the feel is battered into a whimpering thinness by the strength of the booze, which is not reined in at all. Phew.

Overall, this is unrestrained and cacophonic. It's big, bold and intense, without any regard for decency or taste. That makes it a harsh and somewhat painful experience.

Pours a dark amber color with a khaki head. The nose is malty with lots of caramel, toast, toffee, and a hint of brown sugar. Some wood and vanilla notes and a hint of whiskey. There is a touch of fruitiness as well as some alcohol. Despite the age of the beer, still somewhat hoppy/bitter. Mild oxidation, caramel, toffee, and toasted bread. Mild oak flavors to it and a subtle fruitiness. As with the nose, just a little bit of alcohol heat.