Stone Brewdog Bashah

This would have been a great beer for the last Session about Framing the beer.  Stone and Brewdog make some excellent beers.  Their juxtaposition collaboration was excellent.  The label claims that it is a "Black Belgian Style Double IPA".  OK.  I'll try it.  I had high hopes when I took my first sip.

Oddly enough, it reminds of the Charkoota Rye that a reviewed last week.  It tastes like a smoked porter, but not quite as gross as the Charkoota.  My friend Bengal Scott tried it and said that it tasted like "flat coffee".  World-Wide-Kev thought that it was awful as well.  However you want to describe it, it does not taste like a belgian ale.  It also does not taste like an IPA.  I've had a 50/50 mix of good belgian and IPA style beers at the Columbus Mircobrew Festival and I know that it can be a good combination.  Major disappointment.

Label BS: What does it mean? Yes, what indeed does it all mean. Meaning of course is elusive and illusive. It can’t or shouldn’t be found on the bottle. Definitely not from this bottle, unless the meaning is Life Sucks!  Should it? Yet what if it was? Would you begin to look for pearls of wisdom or life direction on a beer label.  Perhaps it has been there all along.  Since meaning is a mear illusion, perhaps we shouldn’t let it have any influence on our destiny. This particular beer refused to succumb to the illusion of meaning or allow capricious parameters to have any influence on its own fermented fate.  Maybe if it had succumbed, it would have tasted better.  succumbing is underrated.  Are you even asking the right question? Are you feeling frustrated in the emptyness? If so that could be because Craig got to this beer before you, and thus there's a reason for that emptyness. Its empty. And if so perhaps there indeed is not any meaning for you here after all. Style over Substance , or Substance over the scriptures of Style?  How about flavor over bullshit.  The latter thank you very much. Twice.

Grade: F