Beer #59 - W/C 11 April 2016
BREWERY // BrewDog almost require no introduction. In 2007, finding inspiration in the American craft beer movement, Martin Dickie & James Watt decided to start brewing beer in Aberdeen which was different to pretty much anything else in Britain at the time. Dickie had some experience, having worked at Thornbridge where he helped develop the recipe for the exceptional Jaipur. Fast forward to today and BrewDog are a Worldwide phenomenon with 45 bars and more opening all the time. Their brash attitude and PR stunts (such as throwing taxidermy fat cats out of a helicopter over London't financial district ) certainly get them a lot of press - positive and negative. More important than all that though is the innovative attitude they take to brewing excellent and reliable beer. Last Month BrewDog released DIY Dog, a book of recipes for every beer they have brewed to date. The Guardian recently wrote an excellent long form article about BrewDog which you can read here.
TASTING NOTES // American style craft beer hadn't really arrived in Britain in 2007 when BrewDog launched their flagship beer. Real Ale had legion fans but Punk IPA was something different. The cocktail of hops from NZ and around the world gave the beer a complexity, a fresh and bitter flavour which actually was completely new at the time (well, newish). A new wave of beers followed from breweries embracing a fresh way of making beer as well as BrewDog themselves who release more than one beer a week. Today, Punk IPA does not taste as revolutionary as it did back but it is a damn fine west coast American style IPA. Savour the fruit bowl aroma and flavour from the oily, resinous hops and you'll get orange, pineapple, lychee, pine and more. And yes, we are aware of the irony of drinking a beer in New Zealand that was brewed in Aberdeen, inspired by Californians with hops from New Zealand.
BREWERY // BrewDog
BEER // Punk IPA
STYLE // American IPA
ORIGIN // Aberdeen
ABV // 5.6%
MALT // Extra Pale
HOPS // Chinook, Ahtanum, Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe, Nelson Sauvin
IBU // 35
TEMPERATURE // Cool- 6-9C
FOOD MATCH // Gorgonzola. Haggis Spring Rolls. Lamb Jalfrezi. Banoffi Pie
GLASS // IPA Glass
Beer Style Blog - Read more about different styles over on the BLOG.