There is BrewDog everywhere now. Their beers can be found across Europe – not only in specialist shops, but in well stocked supermarkets from Norway to Portugal.
This means that their main focus is to market their more accessible beers and to produce them in large quantities.
But they are still pushing boundaries, still collaborating with the most innovative of craft breweries around the globe.
The Basha is a collaboration with Stone Brewing, and a few months ago they released two special versions of this, both barrel aged with Scottish berries added.
My favourite of the two has black raspberries added to the beer before aging in a Highland Park cask. It has a lively carbonation. It has a solid head the color of caffe latte. The aroma is powerful, with raspberries intervowen with smoke. Lovely fruit flavour, too, clean fresh raspberries shining through the smokey whisky. A little vinegar. Dry finish.
The other version is aged with tayberries. This is more sweet and sour, the berry character is more playful. It does not have the same carbonation, meaning a heavier beer. Very pleasant sipping, but not quite the same world class as the other one.
Both are limited editions, of course. Grab them if you can.
Correction: “in well stocked supermarkets from Norway to Portugal” should read “in well stocked supermarkets from Norway to Portugal except Germany”
So true, Germans are stubbornly klinging to their Reinheitsgebot, making it impossible for more innovative Brewers to get more than one foot in he door.
However, I’d like to point out that BrewDog have just officially introduced their beers to the German market (in December 2010). As I understand it, they will start with offering the beers in some bars in Berlin, and I am not entirely sure that selling the beers in stores is part of he plan. But hey, that’s a start!
Bier Zwerg in Cologne sell some of their beers, as well as Williams Bros stuff. It’s one source I use when desperate (bit pricey, but probably still cheaper than delivery costs from the UK).
But there are brewers in Germany doing something “different”, just not very many. Was able to try a few last May. Never thought I see a German barley wine