Over the holiday season I was lucky enough to be invited to try Scotland’s Brew Dog Tactical Nuclear Penguin.  At 32% ABV, this is the strongest beer ever brewed, surpassing high-octane brews like Sam Adams Utopia and Dogfish Head 120-Minute.  Brew Dog has been getting a lot of press in the UK of late, where they have raised the ire of health and safety types for (allegedly) encouraging over-consumption and other delinquent behaviours.

All hype aside, I wondered if a beer this strong would be palatable.  At this strength did it still have the characteristics of beer?  Would the flavour be dominated by the burn of alcohol?  In short, was it any good?

What I can tell you is yes, Tactical Nuclear Penguin is definitely beer.  It’s thick and black and there’s basically no carbonation.  You don’t need to bring the glass to your nose to pick up on the intensely smoky aroma.  Yes, you do feel the warming of alcohol as it goes down, but it does not dominate.  It packs a real wallop for the first sip or two but, baby, you are in flavour country.  Billed as an “über-imperial stout”, this tastes like a smoked stout that has been reduced to its very essence.  The flavours – and the warming effects of the alcohol – come at you in waves.  By the end of the 1/3 glass that I drank my gums were numb and my tongue was tingling.  Talk about mouthfeel!

Sadly, Tactical Nuclear Penguin is not (yet?) available for sale in Ontario.  I’ve read that it may make it into the U.S.A. sometime in the spring.  If it does, don’t expect it to be cheap, as a 330 ml bottle goes for 35 UK pounds (about 70 CDN).  But even at that admittedly high price tag it would be worth tracking down to share with a couple of close beer lovers or to greedily savour on your own on a cold winter night.

In the meantime, local beer agents Roland & Russell have brought Brew Dog’s Punk IPA into the LCBO as a winter seasonal.  I strongly recommend it to any of you out there who love hop-forward beers.  Here’s hoping that they can bring in more from this UK upstart that appears to have shown that extreme brewing is not strictly the domain of American craft breweries.

Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn continues to make inroads into the Canadian market, especially here in Ontario where they’ve had no fewer than five different products on the shelves of the LCBO in the past year. Their latest offerings are the Triple Matured Oak Aged and something they are calling the “Conoisseur Oak Collection”, which is a gift pack containing three I&G beers – Oak Aged IPA, Rum Cask and Original – and an I&G branded glass. The IPA and Rum Cask are exclusive to the pack.

First up from the gift pack is the Oak Aged IPA. This version is different – and at 7.7% ABV – stronger than the standalone limited edition I&G IPA from last year. The I&G take on an IPA is inspired by the English approach to the style, so no hop bomb here. The typical I&G aromas of toffee and butterscotch is present, with a hint of yeast on the nose. The finish is bitter, but not detectably hoppy. This one puts me in mind of an old ale, like a young Fuller’s Vintage. I’m wondering if the high ABV and extra hopping might make this one suitable for aging.

Next up is the Rum Cask (7.4% ABV). This one pours with a nice rocky head and carries the distinct scent of fresh raisin bread. It’s really interesting to see how the different casks interact with the base I&G beer. In this case you get something not far from a dark Belgian ale (e.g. Abbaye des Rocs) with a colour to match. The Rum Cask goes down like liquid fruitcake and would make for a good sipping beer.

Last up from the gift pack is the Innis & Gunn “Original”. I’ve had this beer many times since it first came on the market here in Canada and it is a good “go to” beer as even the most beer-impoverished LCBO tends to have it in stock. It’s worth noting that this particular batch really bigs up those butterscotch and toffee flavours one expects from an I&G beer. The ale base comes through, finishing long with a hint of cinammon at the end.

Finally, we have the Triple Matured Oak Aged. It’s a nice russet brown colour, definitely some booze on the nose here. I found the Triple Matured a bit more subtle than the others with a slightly woody character and a bit of anise in the finish. At 7.2% ABV this is another good candidate for sipping on a cold night.