Monday 23 January 2012

Freezing In Camden... Tactical Nuclear Penguin

http://www.brewdog.com/bars/camden
I'm sitting in a brand new pub in North London's Camden Town, sipping at an aptly named pint of Zeitgeist. Zeitgeist is the phenomenal black lager from Scottish punk brewers Brewdog - and it is in their new pub in which I sit. I'd only recently read about this new drinking establishment and being a massive fan of their hoppy produce I had to have a peek. The pub is simple with lots of zesty wood and metal and a row of taps emblazoned with the Brewdog logo. In fact the branding is incredible, from pint glasses through to the generous beer menu the place just screams Equity for Punks. Furthermore the food menu was put together by a Masterchef winner, they offer free pints in exchange for board games and they sell the strongest beer known to mankind. Naturally I reacquainted myself with most of the range; from the 5am Saint through to the outstanding Punk IPA (that I recommend wholeheartedly). At the end of the night there was only one beer left that needed to be drunk. Now the Sink The Bismarck bottling was sold out, but Brewdog's first high alcohol beer was good to go. This malt menace was the cartoony Tactical Nuclear Penguin. This beer is frozen three times and the ice (water has a higher freezing point than alcohol) is scooped off, leaving a beer with a higher alcohol content. Served in a charming glass this was a ballsy end to punktastic evening. I only need to try the food now...

Tactical Nuclear Penguin
32% - Brewed by Brewdog - High Alcohol Beer
Nose: Toffee and heavy malt aromas dominate to begin with but with big, rich, fruity sherry notes banging through later.
Palate: Incredibly thick, almost sugary, with a pungent woodyness shoring up a heavy but velvety beer.
Finish: So long, with burnt toffee followed by that fruity sherry character from the nose.
Overall: I could only drink one of these in one session due to the hugely rich flavour. However in terms of complexity it was fantastic; like a beefy oxidised sherry. This is a brilliant beer to have if a whisky before closing time doesn't appeal. Rock on!

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