A tale of three punks

Some of you may have read my excited tweet at the weekend when I found some of the old batch of Brewdog Punk IPA (6%) alongside some of the new stuff (5.6%).Of course its a few months out of date now but I decided I'd pick up a bottle or two for old times sake. I decided I'd do a comparative review of the two..is there a discernible difference or no?  (For more on the two Punks see Mark's blog here).

What else should arrive today but Sunk Punk, the new zany idea from the brewdog boys; "so why not make it a three-way?" I hear you cry...alright then, if you insist!

Three Punks itching to be opened.

Squaring Off:Punk 6 vs 5.6

First up, in the blue corner, the new comer, brash and nasally aggressive Punk 5.6! A rich caramel, mango and fruit salad jack aroma with a hint of marshmallow.Pithy and marmeladey up front with a hint of soft-rind cheese and a good bitter punch with a fairly brief and drying finish.

5.6% Punk vs 6% Punk

Rocking up in the black corner and noticeably lighter in colour is the venerable Punk 6! Certainly less forward on the nose with a slightly soapy tinge. noticably more bitter straight away but perhaps more balanced in the malt versus hops stakes, though the fresh tropical fruits of its' youth have long since faded,being replaced by a richer Duchy original shortbread with the orangey bits in. The bitterness pervades in the finish but there's plenty of malt sweetness to even it out.

Sunk Punk with lovely hand-drawn
label by the talented Johanna Bahsford

 
Then along comes the master, Sunk Punk @ 7.1% ABV. Noticeably darker than the other two with a good punch of tropical fruits without the sickly perfume of  Hardcore. Much more bitter than either Punk or Hardcore and maybe a hint of salt, but that’s probably the expectation of such. With no idea of what sea buck-thorn would taste like, I'm not sure if it makes its presence known in here. The pithy bitter finish that drys the mouth makes you soon ready for the next sip...

...That would be all very well if mine host hadn't clumsily thrown the majority of the drink over the kitchen side. The moral of this story being to check that the hot water is on before deciding to have a shower...or don't pour Punk whilst holding a towel. There was more than enough to review it fairly though and I have a second bottle for more leisurely consumption.

All three beers are completely different animals, with the Sunk Punk certainly being the most moreish. Is this worth the price tag(£9.99)? Perhaps not, but to be able to try this unusually fermented beer it probably was. As for which of the regular Punks is best? The newer version pips the older to the post for me, though perhaps not entirely fair due to the affects of age, which as we know is not kind to hop-forward beers.

I was first to rate this beer on rate beer and perhaps first to blog a review but I certainly look forward to reading other peoples' interpretations.