BrewDog - Alpha Dog

Boozing up Ribena like an inner man-child who's just been playing in a garden filled with football, tyre swings and tits, and now needs something to quench his thirst. BrewDog just can't stop making nostalgic, easy to drink (until you pass out,) intensely interesting beers, and Alpha Dog is no exception. Described as an existential red ale, it certainly lives up to that as you can't help but be reminded of something from your childhood, for me it was playing in the garden and drinking Ribena, for you it might be playing in the... Park, and drinking... Robinsons blackcurrant squash. It even gives you the sensation that you've put a bit too much water in your squash before it hits you with a malty afterglow. It's not just boozy Ribena as I originally stated, though, it's got several more layers to it than that, because although the feel and opening taste are akin to Ribena, the colour is a deep crimson and the aroma is hoppy with hints of red fruit.

Have I mentioned yet how easy it is to drink? Because it's like drinking freakin' unicorn farts! (Which I imagine taste better than they sound... If they exist... Which they don't) I may have mentioned in passing how drinkable it was but I don't think I did it justice, it goes down like Luis Suarez if he had egg shells for knee caps, my beer glass went down faster than Lance Armstrong after an ill advised move from his management team that mostly involved him wearing a giant cardboard sign saying "Doping r da gr8st! Da Frnch smel liek cheez!" The moment you pour this is the moment it's gone. Buy several and then buy several more five minutes later when you somehow 'misplace' the ones you bought in the first place.

I got this one under the advisement of The Bottle Shop and it's quite clear that they know their stuff.

Food Suggestion: This is definitely a light summery beer and the food should match it. I'd pair it up with some sort of quiche or tart with vine ripened tomatoes or asparagus.

Drink this if you like: Red ale in general, if you're a fan of Red Top by The Old Dairy Brewery or anything similar then you'll go mad for this. I guess if you're a massive fan of squash or Kool Aid then you'll get along with this just fine too.