I need the small mouth brown bottle & the variant without the writing in the top corners of the label (both pictured on the right), if you can help please email me.
Found: Calgary Alberta, Canada
Alcohol content: 11.0%
Also known as: Rock Head
Slogan: "Extreme Beer", "Extremely Smooth, Extremely Strong"
Phone #: 403-398-9463
Website: www.damngoodbeer.ca
Brewery: Mountain Crest Liquors, Inc., Alberta, Canada T3G 4R7
Bruz: This is a really rough tasting 40, so whether or not you like it depends on why you're drinking it. If you want to kick back with a 40, or you're just plain thirsty, then I'd skip this one. If you're looking to get rocked as quickly as possible, then this is your boy! The taste leaves a lot to be desired, and not just due to it's high alcohol content - the actual flavor itself is not enjoyable. But the ABV will get your mind right only halfway thru, so for that I gotta rate this a 7/10 swills.
NOTE: The U.S. version of this was originally called Rock Head, but now it is also called Axe Head!
12/10/09 Mongrel: Cracking the axehead gives off a pretty strong stench. Honestly, at 11% ABV, the first sip was horrible. Lip curling horrible. However, the deeper you go the better it tastes, likely a result of the strong alcohol content. The swill is manageable. Buzz is second to none. If inebriation is the goal, get Axeheads.
For 11%, not bad. Compared to most 40's, ehh. Do it for the experience, at least.
Buzz 10/10
Taste 4/10
Overall 6.5/10
11/25/09 TheFear: Thanksgiving Eve and I'm too sick to go out. So I decide to crack this Axe Head 40. Nice crack. First taste is extremely sweet, but not bad. I think I'm gonna like this one. I was rippin a vid so I was obviously trying to finish this 40 in 10 minutes or less. Didn't happen. I'm not sure if it was the alcohol kickin in, or the fact that it tasted really fuckin good? None the less I decide to slow up and not drink the entire 40 in 10 minutes. Good choice. 30 minutes later I'm still savoring the sickening sweetness of the swill. Don't get me wrong, this is not the best 40 I've ever had. However it is far from the worst. I'll give Axe Head a solid 8/10 swills.
10/14/09 d07c0m: ('merican version)
I had this once before thanks to ders0 about a year ago.
Back then I drank it alongside some Vietnamese food and other 40s so I don't really remember much about it.
Since then I've sampled all the other Minhas 40s including Clear Creak Ice, Thunderbolt, and Perfect 10 and would say that I know a thing or two about this company.
I cracked the one I just drank at about 12:20am EST after sitting in the freezer for a slim 45 minutes.
Despite this it was cold as fuck when I pulled it out (thanks to my house being at about 10 degrees C at the moment, I can't imagine it was hard for the freezer to bring it down to -5 or whatever).
First sip was just as expected but way less harsh.
I totally dig the Axe Head
I am a fan of the +10% range but I wouldn't call myself an, "HG Fan" for some reason.
Although, in the recent past I've been drinking almost exclusively HG Canadian malts and the few US malts in the low ABV range have been good but unsatisfactory in the buzz factor.
Axe Head tastes sweet and alcoholic. I have a sore throat so it was painful to swallow anyway.
Despite this I actually enjoyed this more than 8% OE and a couple other strong malts that I can think of right now.
If it is true that this 40 can be bought for $1.79 then this is the holy grail of (available) malts.
This is the cheapest way to get drunk, hands down.
I love the Axe with all my fury and hope to soon try the Canadian edition (which is probably exactly the same)
A solid 8/10 because it truthfully was enjoyable in taste and exceptional in buzz.
Higher marks only if I were a cheaper date.
7/31/09 LMSCRacer: A big thanks to ders0 for the hook up here.
Opened with a nice crack and strong hiss. I was expecting the worst, but instead was pleasantly surprised. In spite of the 11% ABV I sensed no alcohol harshness at all. A slightly fruity taste for sure, but a much better choice than EE or even Four O. Even the swill was decent. I should note that by the time I finished the 40 I was already feeling it big time. This one gets the highest Racer's Recommendation. An easy 8/10 swills.
7/20/09 havinafett: Goddamn. This stuff is immediately placed among the best 40s I've ever had. I expected this to taste absolutely terrible the alcohol % being what it is. The closest thing I've ever drank would have to be a four o coming in at 10%, and although that was a few years ago, I remember it tasting far worse. But thats the thing, this stuff didn't taste bad at all. I felt like I was drinking some kind of special microbrew the entire time. Yeah there was some alcohol bite, but not enough to put me off to the flavor of this thing. Like others have said, it had kind of a fruity quality to it. I had it in the freezer for about an hour and a half and when I started it was ice fucking cold. The bottle had frosty goodness forming right as I was getting into it. I took my time with it and enjoyed it. About 3/4 of the way through I had a great buzz already. The last of it was significantly warmer than it was when I started but still pretty cold. The alcohol bite was definitely more apparent, but nothing too horrible. I remember drinking the last drop and thinking, "goddamn. I'm drunk now." I tried to write a review right afterwards but everything I wrote was crap and overly dramatic about how good it was.
If I could get this around me I would drink it often. Try this if you can.
10/10 all around.
Huge thanks to RustyThePelican for the chance to drink this.
2/24/09 cavaliersunbird: Axe head is must drink! first couple swigs are always alittle "sour" kinda a fruity, but it warms on ya (or maybe its the alcohol 11%)
The swill is just that swill, tastes real sour like the first couple swigs, freeze it and slam it! 8/10 swills and the buzz factor is 2nd to none!
7/23/08 dj oe 800: - holy shit. like no other malt i've tried, doesn't even hold a candle to four o or camo silver ice. league of it's own. this is ice fucking cold - been in my minifridge for a few days, then in my freezer for a half hour. i can already tell the worst thing i can do is let it get any warmer than this.
- that being said, it tastes mad good. it has a real genuine taste to it - as a microbrew, it has that crazy "microbrew" taste to it, although who knows if they didn't adjunct the fuck out of it anyway. holy shit, i can taste the alcohol. oh fuck. i'm going to be faded off this like it's camo silver ice.
- just above the label, and the taste has lost a good deal of sharpness. i heard about this phenomenon. and i'm kinda disappointed, because i liked the initial flavor. but, what's happening now with it is definitely a harbinger of doom, to say the least.
- just noticed that there's an actual axe head in the logo on the label. i would suck as a detective.
- third of the way through and am noticing a budding buzz.
- alcohol taste much stronger, but the "overall gross" character is no worse than before. even if this forty ends up ending like pure sewage, i'll be good and tight and not care in the least.
- actually, i think the taste is so strong that it knocked my tastebuds out. yeah, that's what happens to everyone who drinks this. remember how in cartoons when someone wants to knock someone else out with a big hammer or some shit, even though it would kill 'em in real life? yeah. axe head knocks out your tastebuds with an axehandle. that's a fact.
- on the downside, i'm getting full. my burps taste like i've been drinking gatorade, which is a plus, i guess.
- past halfway, have a decent buzz going. if this shit wasn't filling me up, i could just pound the bejesus out of the remainder; taste is not an issue. aftertaste, though, is a pain in the ass.
- ripping horrible jabba the hutt burps now. i am feeling a little tipsy. it feels like i drank five pints of pbr, and i'm only 2/3 of the way through this jawn.
- getting more buzzed by the minute, because i'm taking a huge pull off the bottle every minute.
- i must smell like a wino by now. granted, a wino who showers on a regular basis, but still...
- in the swill zone: swill is gross, but managable. i've drank an entire forty of hurricane that was in the trunk of a car at the peak of july and which was HOT, so i can handle most swill -- although "handle" doesn't translate into "enjoy," but this swill is about average for swill, esp considering what it is.
- just finished it. man alive was that a trip. i've got a respectable buzz, too, but for some reason i'm not THAT buzzed, if you catch my drift. axe head, in terms of strength and rarity is a big deal. but in terms of taste and grossness, is, as the saying goes around here, NBD.
- drink one if you see it. shit's the stuff of legends.
also, how could i forget, much love to rustythepelican for this one.
2/9/08 nickmoulton: Ive been trying to find one of these for a while now..I dont think they sell them around my area..Anyways, my buddy has this at his college and hooked me up ...I experienced my first Axe Head last night..First impression, wow this is probably the coldest forty I have ever dranks.. The beginning was kind of harsh..Reminds me somewhat of St Ides..As I continued, I realized that it really wasnt bad for an 11%...Holy shittt the buzz factor is awesome..It got much more easier for me as I drank..It tasted unexpectedly sweet..Swill wasnt great, but it wasnt horrible either..This forty ended up better then I thought it was going to, 6..maybeee 7/10
2/8/08 SanJose40Drinker: For 11%, this shit is not bad. tastes like high gravity shit, but not too bad at all. A taste test would tell you this shit is not high alc %.
got me fuckin drunk off my ass too
I agree with bruz thast all CAMO's taste wayyyy worse, and are a bit weaker. Too get wasted this shit is fucking great, buy it and drink it all the time.
1/28/08 willr001: I should explain how i came upon this 40, my lesbo roomate was out with some friends, and ends up getting dropped off blacked out drunk at 3am with a 40 of axehead. Curious, i asked her the next day how she got it, and her response was that she didn't know and i was welcome to it. It is probably easier to get here than most places, as I'm in Minnesota and it's brewed in Wisconsin. I can't say i've drank a lot of forties (pretty much your standard St. Ides, Mickeys, and Old E), at least not since moving out of the dorms, so maybe i'm missing something to compare axehead to, but i will try nonetheless.
For starters, my more mature self wanted to have this served in a glass, as a 40 is a little "ghetto" for my tastes. I usually pour any can/bottle into a nice pint sized beer glass, and at first i though "why not?". I wasn't sure about this move, so i only poured about 4 or 6 ounces into the glass. Color was your typical pissy yellow american beer color, with a soapy head that dissipates quickly. First taste led to pretty severe "bad beer face" and an urge to make anyone around me taste it in order to amuse myself with their reactions. Back in the fridge the bottle went.
Here it is a couple days later and I'm giving it another go sitting here drinking it outta the bottle. Much better choice, i'm assuming due to lack of aroma from a glass. The smell was something, alright. Perhaps the reduced carbonation helps too. Almost drinkable, and getting better by the swill. The only way to describe the taste would be as a mix of beer, licorice, corn syrub and bubble gum with a hint of gasoline. Somehow still drinkable, and i'll forgive it based on the high alcohol content. You gotta put something in it to make it go down, right? After you get past the initial shock at the taste, it actually isn't any worse than any other 40 i've had, and at 11%, gets the job done for rizzle. Finish it before it gets warm though, as i had to throw it in the freezer to get it back down to chill as it warmed up.
I wouldn't pay more than 3 bucks for it, and that would be at a campus liquor store (ripoff). Ppl's quoted price of around 2 bucks, maybe less sounds about right for the taste. If the buzz matters more than taste, i'd pay 3 for it easy. (slightly less than) one of these and i'm nicely toasted. Two would be too much. I'd give it a 7/10 on the uff da scale. (sry, i'm from a norwiegan family) If you can find it in your area, it's worth a shot. If i liked the taste more, i think i'd have found my new favorite drunk-per-dollar drink.
BTW, in the pic, the 5-oclock shadow on the sideburns. I was clean shaved before i started drinking the 40. That's how much of a man drinking it makes you
1/13/08 beam21: What the fuck? This tastes like juice... It's indescribable really, it tastes nothing like any 'beer' I've ever had. The backdrop here is I assume axe head is a replacement for rock head, I've had the lowly (and exceedingly rare) 10% rock head before and it was the worst 40 I've ever had. I made that judgment despite the fact that it was my 3rd 40 of the night. This is better, but it's pretty rough. It's very cold, it's been in the freezer for a couple hours... Strong boozy taste, but not that offensive. I can't speak too accurately on the buzz right now, but I'ma cut the review down cause I think I know where the taste and buzz are going at this point. I'll update if it throws me a curveball. There is no reason whatsoever to drink this 40 in a social setting. It's raw and at this point it serves me well. My eyes are half closed I think. 7/10 depressions.
12/23/07 Alvin Karpis: First off a huge shout out to ders0 for the hook up on the Axe Head. I just drank this after being sick and not drinking for about 2 weeks, so the buzz factor is amazing, it really feels like I just drank 2 40s. The taste is really not that bad, it has a real sweet taste, I want to say like St. Ides but its something else that I cant put my finger on. I know that this 40 is 11% unlike the EE Red and Sour that claim 10%, the buzz factor is unlike I have ever had in a single 40. The swill wasnt that bad either. This 40 would be perfect as the first 40 to swill on your day off. If this bitch was in my city I would drink it on at least one of my days off. Taste 7/10 Buzz 10/10 Overall 8/10. I also caught up on some Coach Powell while drinking this! Thanks again ders
12/13/07 White Mike: Finally had mine last night, thanks ders0
I had no complaints with the taste of this 40. Def had the thick sweet type of taste you would expect from a 40 with that much percentage. But not bad at all. I was able to drink the whole thing down, and even the last few sips that were a little bit warm were easily torrible.
This provided a tremendous buzz, and really kicked my ass. This was really strong.
12/07/07 neufutur: Axe Head is a very odd 40. The first few sips of the 40 were good, and it rapidly degenerated into swillness. I stuck this in my fridge for about 15 minutes, and then dug into this one. I'm relatively well buzzed off of one 40 and would be completely done with two. There was little crack to this one, and the swill was about as tasty as the rest of the 40. Thank you to ders for providing one of the rarest 40s out there.
I give the taste about a 7/10 and the swill a 7/10.
11/25/07 ders0: American: I assume this is the same forumula as the Canadian but I'll post the American disclaimer anyways.
Ripping this right now. Not that bad for a 11%. Better than regular evil eye and Camo Ice. Tastes sort of fruity but not too bad. For an 11 it's not bad at all. This is probably the strongest 40 i've ever drank. Is there a 40 stronger than this, I'm not even sure shows my malt wanksterism right there. But yeah for the content it's pretty good.
Just killed it awhile ago. Shit is awesome feel like I drank multiple fours but only one. Axe Head fucking rules as a chill 4. Ridiculously awesome. Rip some axe heads.
4/10/05 ThUgWiGGa: This shit was horrendous
extremely sweet, almost sickening
its not the alcohol taste that gets you, its the syrup-like sweetness
obviously, the buzz is hardcore, but the taste trade-off isnt worth it
not the worst 10/11% 40, but not the best either
3/10
Big John: we have your perfect 10 and Axehead, from Mountain crest brewing. Maybe they import it from somewhere? These can be among the smoothest 40's around. Warm or cold, they go down sweet. However, my local place runs out fast and I have to rely on other 40's to keep me going. You may not be able to get 'em in the US yet, but maybe if you make a run up to Canada. You'll know Perfect 10 by the lady on the label. That's 8.6%. Axehead is 11% and good to go.That's right, 11% ! sez so right on the label If you can't get Black bull, get this, and you won't be sorry. Kinda the same sweet flavor allround, smooth for sure, unlike Black label 10% which is, IMO, pretty nasty but gets you lit up. However, if you're out, you're out, and if you don't have a lot of cash in your pocket.....interested? go to mountaincrest.ca for more info or www.Damngoodbeer.ca if you wanna go the long way
nitz011: First sip, taste strong but not bad. The more sip I take the more smooth it is Taste like a 7% or 8% malt... huh 'strong beer' Compare to Black Bull I think the taste is more smoother and the beer is 1% stronger Not the kind of beer I want to drink everyday... But if this beer was available in Quebec ill drink it occasionally At 11% if you want to get drunk for cheap you can't go wrong with AxeHead I give AxeHead 7.5/10 for the taste and 10/10 for the buzz factor.
RickCarling: Good crack opening the cap. and, Holy shit, this brew tastes wicked! Its utterly delicious! Im about a quarter done the bottle, and i can already feel the buzz comin on. This truly deserves the title of "Worlds strongest 40". Half done now, starting to warm up a wee bit...and i detect the more alcoholic flavor now that its getting a bit warmer. I can feel a bit of heat in my chest and face, probably from this strong ass brew. Ok, its almost done now......shit its warm, but i keep on swillin like a true swilla. The alcohol flavour is WAY more intense now that its warm. I just took a huge mouthful of swill and it nearly made me gag. HUGE buzz goin on now, but its a nice smooth buzz, not harsh like other liquor, even tho the swill tastes like black licorice, which i fuckin HATE. Shit, this is a long ass review...sorry, thats just the beer talkin. Ok, im done it now, and my final score for this bastard is an extremely impressive 10/10 swillz. This brew is dope. Pick one up today!
Sgt JMo Without a doubt this the greatest 40 ever!! I proclaom this the allmighty 40 of 40s! It has the smottthest taste and hardly anty bite but paxks a punch like no other! I followed this with tha st. idedes that I recieved from satan but st. ides is nothing compared to the wonders of the axe head! It is malt liquor bliss!!!!! Never have I been so juiced without having a bad after taste in my mouyth, i give this a 11 ourt of 10 swills!11 Best 40 ever! I love this better than a CAMO, I will give up all props tpo CAMO just to show you fuckers how good the company of mountain crest did on this specatular brew be. Camo s7cks cocke ti the Axe head, BEST 40 ever!!11
They Call Me Dirty D Axe head: best 40 ever This shit has almost zero bite to it. even thouugh its 11%. The fisrt swill sucks but after that yous get used to it. It tastes more alik a 6% 40 than an 11%. I would say its better thaan perfect 10. Way better tahn balk bull. 1% more but way less bitter. If you liek black bull you'll love this. 10 otu 10 swills!
