Queboid, from HardKnott, is reviewed by Chris Hall.
“…it fires as straight and true as a laser, right through and between our conventional ideas of ‘beer styles’ and ‘science’…”
Queboid
Hardknott, Cumbria
ABV 8%
There’s something to be said for just doing whatever the hell you want. Hardknott’s Queboid would normally fall into the category of those occasional misfires by BrewDog. A combination of light and dark grains, IPA-style hopping, and at a Belgian triple strength, it should just be one of those things that was a great idea but cannot exist in an Einsteinian universe. Instead, it fires as straight and true as a laser, right through and between our conventional ideas of ‘beer styles’ and ‘science’ and hits upon something rather extraordinary.
Queboid is rather rambunctious and unstable once out of the bottle, and gives you an angry, red-to-amber glare, foaming fiercely with menace. There’s a delightful hop haze to it and a thick, glass-lacing head that explodes with aromas. Queboid’s eclectic recipe does not hold its cards close to its chest, and all manner of chocolate, raspberry, mango, lychee, coffee and grapefruit notes come charging up your nostrils, jostling for attention.
The flavour is just as ferocious an onslaught, but never muddled. All the above aromas translate exactly into flavours in the glass, through an intense, fast and furious exchange of Belgian red, American IPA, and dark lager, all tied together with a fresh, sharp conduit of booziness. Nothing is in order; all the flavours and ideas transfer rapidly and interchangeably like an unruly debate. The finish is a bit of thinker too, but no less incredible.
Hardknott Queboid is controlled chaos to the finest, most delirious degree. It’s pure, drinkable science which is certain to delight and astonish.
