BrewDog/Nøgne Ø/Mikkeller Black Tokyo Horizon
Collaborations between big breweries have become a common trend and often result in some really special combinations of talent as the best from each is brought forward to produce exceptional quality beer. The Black Tokyo Horizon is no exception. This beer is the result of a collaboration between
three breweries and their signature stouts: BrewDog’s Tokyo, Nøgne Ø’s Dark Horizon and Mikkeller’s Black. The result is an imperial stout below none. The Black Tokyo Horizon pours the way a stout should: pitch black. There is an extremely thin, tan head that is almost non-existent due to the rather high ABV of 15.2%. A swirl of the glass leads to whiffs of sweet, rich fruits like plums, dates and raisins coupled with a distinctive warming alcohol nose. The taste follows suit with a variety of dark fruit flavours popping out coupled with an amalgamation of flavours such as vanilla and liquorice which are carried by the impressive body and strong alcohol into more bitter roasted coffee and cocoa flavours. This is a beer to sit back sip slowly from a snifter, hands cupped around the glass to let it warm slightly as you enjoy a stout made to make you feel like royalty.
Check out the BrewDog/Nøgne Ø/Mikkeller’s Black Tokyo Horizon on RateBeer here.
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Rare & Limited Bottles: #113 Rogue Marionberry Braggot
A relatively new style to South Africa, a braggot is a class of mead that contains malt which is fermented along with honey as opposed to traditional mead which contains no malt. Mead is considered to be the ancestor of all fermented drinks with traces of honey on fermentation vessels dating back to ancient times. What Rogue achieves in their Marionberry Braggot
is a refreshing culmination of style in what would technically be classed according to the BJCP as an Open Category Mead rather than a braggot due to the introduction of the marionberries grown on Rogue Farms. However, I’ll leave the classification to the judges and move onwards to the tasting! This braggot has a dark, purple-brown pour that carries a thin, tan head, leaving strong lacing down the side of the glass. The nose is that of rich, sweet berries and a touch smokiness. The initial taste immediately hits you with sweet, honey and berry flavours carried by strong alcohol (11.4% ABV) and big body. The finish is interesting as it smoothens out towards the roasted malt side with some dry, earthy, dark coffee notes to wrap it up. Overall, another interesting option from Rogue and well worth the experience for the sake of adventures in beer!
Check out the Rogue Marionberry Braggot on RateBeer here.
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