Raspberry berets might be forever alas this beer is not
Who? – Brewdog / Omnipollo – Brewdog a little known Scottish brewery… and Omnipollo, based out of Stockholm and brewer of some of my favourite beers, including the sensational Noa
Well? – Where to start. Cracking the can you are immediately hit by the fruit bomb, raspberry quite literally bursts out.
Pours beautifully with a distinctive deep pink colour and creamy head. Immediate taste is incredibly tart with the sickly sweet lactose fighting against it. There are some tropical hop notes coming through I’m told it’s mosaic but it’s hard to pick out individually as the raspberry really does have a punch and there are some other aromas muddying the water here… more on that later.
The mouthfeel is surprisingly thin for both a lactose IPA and a beer marketed as a smoothie. The expected creaminess and full mouthfeel could well have rounded out some of the less subtle elements of this one and it feels a bit like an opportunity missed. Overall it loses the fight against the raspberry.
The first impression fades quite quickly and you’re left with a beer that probably has too many clashes to be completely loveable. Vanilla comes through softly but blends with some slight diacetyl notes which only add to the slightly cloying nature of this one. The tartness is a little too ‘synthetic’ in texture and becomes quite difficult when fighting against some of the other characteristics of this beer like the aforementioned vanilla and diacetyl.
Overall I’m not madly in love with this one. I am a fan of a lot of Omnipollo’s beers and have some very high hopes for the Buxton collaboration ice cream beers and unlike some I don’t hate on Brewdog who still produce some interesting beers. I note on untappd and several other review sites this gets more positive reviews and I’m sure that some folk will think this is a fun little beer, but for me there are just too many flaws for me to get behind it.
Roast Smoke & Malt 