What happens when two craft brewers get together? They brew beer together.

Back in August 2010 (which was also when I was in Scotland for a business trip), the guys from Indiana's Three Floyds took a trip to Fraserburgh, Scotland to brew a collaboration beer. They named the result Bitch Please. To be honest, they could have just put this rage comic face on the label and it would have been named the same thing by default.



Before we get into the beer, let's talk about the creators of this beer a little bit first. As you've probably already figured out, BrewDog is a craft brewer based in Scotland. They're a rebellious brewer and have gained notoriety for brewing beers with extreme alcohol content. Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32% ABV), Sink the Bismarck! (41% ABV) and The End of History (55% ABV) were progressively stronger in order to claim the title of world's strongest beer. The End of History was particularly interesting not only because of its huge alcohol content but also because only 12 bottles were made. Each bottle was put into in a stuffed squirrel or short-tailed weasel (stoat). These 12 bottles sold for over $700 a piece.

I'm not as familiar with Three Floyds; I don't believe their beers are carried here in Texas. It was founded by brothers Nick and Simon and their father Mike (hence the name Three Floyds). Their goal is to also make abnormal beers, so pairing up with BrewDog was a natural. Looking through their beers, I would like to try some of them. Anyone want to hook me up?

So let's talk about Bitch Please; it's a barley wine aged in used Jura single malt whisky barrels. For those of you unfamiliar with whisky production, after going through the distilling process the liquid referred to as "new-make spirit" is put into barrels to age. Usually these barrels were previously used to age bourbon or sherry (Glenfidditch puts the same single malt into bourbon and sherry barrels to age then blends them together when bottled). By the time BrewDog and Three Floyds got ahold of these barrels, they were probably used at least twice. The wood of the barrel was infused with the liquids that were inside and impart that flavor onto the barley wine. Bitch Please was aged eight months in the whisky barrels.



This one pours a cloudy reddish brown with a quickly dissipating tannish head. Smoky oak scent with some caramel notes. Smoky wood flavor immediately hits the tongue and a whisky alcohol flavor to it. Definitely not your usual beer but it's quite good. Whisky and smoke flavors linger on the palate for a while. This is definitely a sipping beer; the flavor is strong and it does clock in at 11.5% ABV.

Be warned, this one runs around $12 for a 12 ounce bottle; it's definitely not a cheap beer. I don't think this one is for everyone, but if you're a whisky fan or you just enjoy that smoky flavor you might enjoy this one.