International Arms Race
BrewDog

International Arms RaceInternational Arms Race
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From:
BrewDog
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
76
Avg:
3.23 | pDev: 20.74%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
64
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 06, 2015
Added:
Sep 02, 2012
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by civicm87:
Photo of civicm87
Rated by civicm87 from New York

3.75/5  rDev +16.1%

Jun 17, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.63 by cuvtcuv from Florida

Mar 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Feb 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by wattersmike90 from New York

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 2.25 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by Daniellehto from Sweden

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by KyleStanton from Maryland

Nov 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Lare453 from Florida

Nov 05, 2014
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3.65/5  rDev +13%
From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #70 (November 2012):

"An IPA with no hops by two breweries separated by sea?" Yes, that's the challenge between BrewDog and Flying Dog; a zero IBU IPA. Instead of hops, spearmint, bay leaves, rosemary, juniper berries and elderflower were used to impart bitterness. Unfortunately BrewDog forgot to take "hops" off their label, calling this an IPA was a mistake and they missed an opportunity to educate the masses about this interestingly complex no hop beer.

STYLE: Gruit
ABV: 7.5%
AVAILABILITY: Limited

LOOK: Bright copper, creamy tight lacing

SMELL: Bitters, minty, floral, herbal, rosemary, wet hay

TASTE: Smooth, medium-bodied, semi-chewy, malty sweet, banana, juniper, spicy, spearmint, bitter herbs, leafy, earthy, woody, dry, grainy finish
Oct 31, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by fossage78 from Massachusetts

Sep 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Ajlvt from Washington

Sep 07, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by TheEvilGenius from Pennsylvania

Aug 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

Jul 07, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by ColdWaffles from Pennsylvania

Jul 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by dsshuck from Delaware

Jun 15, 2014
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: poured into an IPA glass to a nice gold hue that's a little cloudy and topped by a finger of dense slightly off white head that fades fairly quickly
S: smells very herbal with a bit of pine. It smells like potpourri.
T: taste is very herbal and tea like with a slight honey sweetness. swallow brings more herbs and a bit of a medicinal taste that's a little fruity
M: this beer is on the lighter side of medium with prickly carbonation and a drying finish
O: very funky for an IPA, but it appears to be spot on for a Gruit. It isn't terrible but it's very different but you have to be expecting different.
Jun 01, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by LehighAce06 from Pennsylvania

May 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by HollyHops from Pennsylvania

May 21, 2014
Photo of DrDemento456
Reviewed by DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

3.74/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Paid about 3 bucks for the single. Seeing it retired I now know it's an old bottle. Still I have not had many to the style.
A - Well it looks like beer hazy honey amber color with a 1/4 inch of head that dissipates before I can even type this sentence. Not much lace.
S - Wow is that herbal and woody! I have not experienced such an intense smell. Like a garden of fresh blueberries and blackberries meets flowers and cinnamon.
T - The taste not so intense. Pretty much as others described like an alcoholic herbal tea. Some cinnamon. Some fruit. Mostly honey sweetness.
M - It's thin but not watery the ABV really clings to the palate masking the body of actual beer.

Well this was quite a tasty find. Leave it to brewdog to make a Scottish Gruit that taste like actual beer. Even the herbs seem to take a backseat after aging. Worth picking up I guess.
May 09, 2014
Photo of longjohnsilver
Reviewed by longjohnsilver from California

3.96/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
The beer shows a decent cream colored head on top of a light amber body, which is a tiny bit hazy.

A honey sweetness lays down the base layer which is complemented by the appearance, which is also very reminiscent of honey. It smells a bit like clover and blueberries, and overall this is the secondary flavor. There is very little in the way of bitterness, except as added by the carbonation.

The beer drinks like an easy walk through a rose garden in the summer, the easy-going sweetness is like 2 teaspoons of sugar in a tall glass of iced tea.

If more standard IPA's took this well balanced approach to the malt then I would be happier to try more of them.
May 04, 2014
International Arms Race from BrewDog
Beer rating: 76 out of 100 with 64 ratings