Dead Pony Club, produced by BrewDog and served at their 2012 AGM, is reviewed by Chris Hall.
Dead Pony Club
BrewDog
ABV 3.8%
While BrewDog are well-known for apocalyptically-hopped brews that rip off people’s faces and dance on them, they have yet to really nail down a zesty, friendly summer quencher. Anyone who has had four pints of Punk IPA on a warm day can testify to this. BrewDog have decreed that the people shall have summer refreshment (whether there’s a summer or not), and so have brewed a 3.8% ABV pale ale to fill a rather large gap in their range.
Things seem straightforward enough at first glance. Here we have a pleasant, gold-to-amber pale ale with a lively head, glowing with all the brightness summer never delivers. To keep the strength down, a light caramalt body is the base for this ale, but to keep flavour high, a devilish hop-cocktail of Simcoe, HBC and Citra has been used. The dry hopping is evident enough from the nose, which has a lovely, resinous piney note and a light lychee and grapefruit aroma. This may all suggest some kind of diluted version of Punk IPA, but keep faith.
The carbonation and body are softer, smoother, faster and lighter than most BrewDog beers. Caramalt can be cloying, but is used deftly here, using just enough to counter the sharp, grapefruit flavour and keeping things quenching. The finish is soft, yet unmistakeably BrewDog; lots of citric tang and soft, hoppy spice. Yes, I’m sorry everyone, but I’m going to have to say it again: yet another beer of the summer.
