Stone Brewing/BrewDog Bashah

A collaboration between Stone Brewing from California and BrewDog from Scotland, Bashah is billed as a Double IPA. It is one of the most interesting DIPA's I've had the pleasure of drinking. Nathan grabbed a single of it, at $6 a bottle, and on a family Saturday night in, Phil (my super-awesome dad) decided to hit up the beer selection. I figured him for more of a PBR fan, or Brooklyn Winter Ale. This was his choice -- we talked him out of a sip of the quaff before he killed it.

Boy, am I glad we did. This is one of the most interesting beers I've had in awhile.

I'm a hophead, through and through. I can tell my Simcoe from my Centennial. I know my American Pale Ales from my IPAs; my IPAs from my DIPA's or Imperial IPA's (by the way... those are pretty much interchangeable in the brewing industry). My Two-Hearted from my Hopslam. You get the picture.

I can't tell you about the appearance or the head, as Phil is a self-described "bottle baby". (It runs in the family, what can I say?) But the aroma was fantastically hoppy... a hophead's dream. What followed that initial, heady, hoppy sniff was pure heaven in a bottle.

About the only way I can describe it is a Reverse IPA. It was extremely hop-forward, both in the nose and the first sip. It was a lovely blend of seemingly American hops. And then, in the middle- and after-taste, you get hit with a big fat whack of malty goodness. It was really, really good. Really.  I'm used to DIPA's, where you may lose the maltiness completely, or at least where the hops take the center stage. This was so perfectly balanced, and I loved that the malt came out ON THE BACK SIDE! What pale ale does that?!?!

I only wish that I had had more than one sip... but it was killed very quickly.

4.9/5 caps

-Jennie

I agree that it was a fantastic brew. I, too, was hoping to enjoy half of it, but Phil snagged it, and, well, Phil was worth it. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. The only thing I can add to Jennie's review is that I've had a few collaborations and variations from Stone, Saison Du Buff (Dogfish, Victory and Stone collaboration) being my favorite thus far. This rivals it. It was a fantastic brew and wish it was more readily available financially. Her rating seems just. although I will call her bluff on being a hophead some day, tick tock, Jennie, tick tock.

-Nathan-