For what happened last time round – Fanzine, the Sixteenth

All served as 330ml cans, the latest set of Fanzine beers were as follows:

Caramel Carousel

Double Agent

Clouded Clarity

Remember,your local BrewDog will be serving these three beers on draught for a limited time, so if you haven’t managed to subscribe to this box, get down to one of their bars!

I was surprised to receive this fanzine box today; it typically arrives on the Wednesday and I have had it in my head ALL DAY that it is a Tuesday. In addition to this, Storm Diana has hit the Western regions of Glasgow and my box was potentially exposed to the worst of it: the packaging was literally sodden (a Scottish colloquial term for “incredibly wet”). Nonetheless, I was able to peel the outer cardboard layer away and luckily enough, the poor weather had started to chill my cans!

Mandatory “Caramel Carousel” Facts

Untappd Rating: 3.67 (at time of writing)

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: 30

Style: Scotch Ale

Tagline: Salted Caramel Scotch Ale

Descriptive Comment: Pay the man. Take the ride.

The tan-orange container produced a deliciously dark beer, giving a hint of ruby red when visualised under the light. It had a small foam head, which dipped in the centre of the glass. On the nose, the prominent scents from strongest to weakest were chocolate, toffee and finally salt. On sampling, a sweet toffee was the first flavour I noticed, before the chocolate started to come through. Despite being dark in appearance, the beer continued to deliver plenty of sweetness; this may have been too much, but then a rich saltiness lifted it,becoming the lasting note on the palate.

Diagnosis: 3.25/5. “Caramel Carousel” is a beer that gives a lot in terms of flavour, though I feel chocolate might dominate a touch more than caramel. Personally, given the depth of sweet and saltiness, I’d like some bitterness to balance this out.

Mandatory “Double Agent” Facts

Untappd Rating: 3.86 (at time of writing)

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: 10

Style: IPA

Tagline: Oat Cream Double Dry-Hop IPA

Descriptive Comment: Agent provocateur

My excitement for this beer, poured from a pink can, grew exponentially when I caught thesmell from a distance: even when standing approximately a meter away, I got a citrus and grapefruit scent. Upon closer analysis, I noticed a creamy aroma, reminiscent of a milkshake IPA. It had a cloudy mid-orange appearance, with avery soft bright white foam head, appearing as though someone had actually layered a spoonful of cream on top. On sampling, I was instantly transported to my first ever Milkshake IPA, by ‘The Garden Brewery’. It tasted juicy, sweetand comfortingly familiar. It started with a bright grapefruit zing, which then faded into an easy-drinking sweetness. The beer was incredibly light, with a beautifully soft mouthfeel. The sweetness and alcohol warmth gave this beer a dangerous drinkability, fitting with the name – its strength was deceptive, meaning the beer could have been undercover as a less-alcoholic brew!

Diagnosis: 4.25/5. “Double Agent” made me really want more. Time to dig out my growler! I’m actually going to be close to my local bar this weekend and this beer is definitely worth the detour!

Mandatory “Clouded Clarity” Facts

Untappd Rating: 3.19 (at time of writing)

ABV: 4.2%

IBU: 25

Style: Lager

Tagline: Hazy Lager

Descriptive Comment: Fully focused flavour

I loved the oxymoronic title: as lagers are typically regarded as “plain”, I was excited bythe thought of a beer that retained the characteristic crisp attributes of a lager but had a stronger flavour profile. When growing up, I loved lagers (particularly on holiday in a sunnier climate), but I have grown out of them recently due totheir lack of complexity on the palate.

A light-yellow liquid poured from a neon teal can and true to the name – it was hazy! It had a medium white foam head, which teased and mushroomed above the lip of the glass.The aromas coming from the beer were of a generic lager, with no pronounced scent. The biscuit flavours came through upon sampling, producing the initial dominant flavour. This then drifted into hoppy floral notes, providing another layer to this lager. The biscuit and floral tastes collided at the end, competing against one another, with the floral bitterness out lasting the malt tones. It had a high carbonation level, with a full-bodied mouthfeel.

Diagnosis: 3.5/5.“Clouded Clarity” certainly befits this beer. It has a good depth of flavour toit, so would I be disappointed if this were to become a regular on BrewDog’s line-up? Definitely not.

Box Rating: 3.67/5

Fanzine Rating to Date: 3.47/5

Do you wantto join the Fanzine experience AND want a £10 voucher for the BrewDog website? Then sign up to Fanzine via the link below, select referred by a friend, and use“Dr Beer” in the referral section! The associated email is: thebeerbloguk@mail.com

Subscribe to Fanzine

For more Fanzine stories, hit here to see the complete journey to date.