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!

Birthday Bonanza - Highland Park 1990

Mmm... cake...

As a kid, birthdays were about the amount and size of presents; the spread of crisps, cakes and cocktail sausages on the table; and the abundance of music based party games. I think finally I have grown out of this mentality. I say I have outgrown these childish pleasures but on my last birthday, despite beginning the day with smoked salmon and going to the pub I still found great delight in opening a present to find a brand spanking new Lego Creationary game. The game is essentially Pictionary with Lego, this (alongside the satirical War On Terror boardgame) is one of my favourite games of all time. Even after years of suppressing any desire to muck around with a Lego set, my natural talent for putting blocks together came back in a fantastical reawakening.

My Lego laser cannon

However, despite spending quite a long time playing with Lego, I did find some time to act my age. I went to the brilliant Bree Louise pub near London Euston to indulge in a proper portion (Definition: more than I could eat) of bangers and mash (my pub favourite), a selection of their exceptional beers and of course a glass of whisky. The whisky selection was fairly impressive with a good number of interesting malts scattered around the pub classics. I chose the Highland Park 1990. This is an export-market whisky that I hadn't yet seen, and knowing the accessible nature of Highland Park I was quick to buy a glass. Cap the day off with a large dinner, wine and the film Leon, the day retained some grown-up sensibility... Then I built a Lego laser.

Highland Park 1990
40% - 20 Years Old
Nose: Clover honey and fresh cut grass create a fresh nose with a touch of salt, smoke, nutmeg and citrus providing interest.
Palate: Lindisfarne mead struck me first with a slight herbal and lemony character coming through. The body was pleasantly light without being insubstantial. Perfect for after a pile of sausages and mash!
Finish: Clean and herbal with light peat smoke rounding off this supple whisky.
Overall: Very good at what it does, clean cut flavours, light and relaxing. It doesn't ask much from the drinker and is ideal for when you want to enjoy a malt without wading through intense flavour combinations. I'd certainly consider buying a bottle.