BrewDog
Encyclopedia
BrewDog is a Scottish
brewery
located in the town of Fraserburgh
, Aberdeenshire
.
s in a variety of styles such as ale, stout, IPA and lager, some of which are also available in keg
and cask ale
containers. The bottled beers are widely distributed to British supermarkets and are exported worldwide to countries including Japan, Taiwan, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, the United States of America and Australia. The kegs and casks are available in a small number of locations throughout the UK.
BrewDog's core range of beers include:
Other BrewDog beers have included:
In 2009, Tokyo* caused controversy when UK watchdog the Portman Group
criticised the availability of a beer of that strength in 330 ml bottles with traditional crown corks. Since then Brewdog has produced progressively stronger beers of very high strength, and has laid claim to the title 'strongest beer ever brewed' on more than one occasion.
Late in November 2009, BrewDog launched a beer called Tactical Nuclear Penguin, with 32% alcohol, which was claimed to be the strongest beer ever made.
In February 2010 Brewdog announced Sink The Bismarck, an apparent 41% A.B.V. to reclaim the World's Strongest Beer title from Schorschbräu, who had produced a 40% A.B.V. version of their Schorschbock.
In July 2010, BrewDog produced a 55% A.B.V. freeze-distilled beer called The End of History, with the bottles packaged in the stuffed
dead bodies of small animals, priced at £500 and £700 each. Only 12 bottles were produced; 11 for retail sale, with the other one going to internet video blog BeerTapTV. BrewDog claim that this set new records not only for alcoholic strength in a beer, but also for price. Advocates for Animals
called the gimmick 'perverse'.
, simply named "Brewdog Aberdeen". A second bar, Brewdog Edinburgh
, opened in March 2011 located on Cowgate. with a third in Glasgow which opened July 2011 . Bars are planned for the Camden area of London to follow in the autumn and in Newcastle before Christmas.
Paradox Grain won a Gold Medal at the 2008 World Beer Cup
in the Wood and Barrel-aged Strong Beer Category.
BrewDog won the Tenon Entrepreneur of the Year Award for demonstrating exceptional vision and leadership at the 2008 National Business Awards for Scotland.
The Physics won World's Best Strong Pale Ale (Sub Category Winner) and Rip Tide won Worlds Best Imperial Stout (Style Trophy Winner) at the 2007 World Beer Awards, an annual competition organised by Beers of the World magazine.
Hardcore IPA won Gold at the 2010 World Beer Cup in the Imperial IPA category.
In 2008 BrewDog were challenged by UK drinks industry watchdog the Portman Group
. Portman had claimed BrewDog to be in breach of their Code of Practice. BrewDog denied these allegations and countered that Portman was impeding the development of smaller brewing companies. After an 8 month long dispute and a preliminary adjudication which had ruled against the company, in December 2008 BrewDog were cleared of all breaches of the Code of Practice and were permitted to continue marketing their brands without making any changes to the packaging. In protest to their targetting, BrewDog introduced "Speedball", saying "...we thought we would give them something worth banning us for..." . Speedball was promptly banned by Portman before being renamed as Dogma.
BrewDog were also described as "...one of the prime movers..." behind the campaign which changed the law in 2011 to allow new beer measures in Britain.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
located in the town of Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around north of Aberdeen, and north of Peterhead...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
.
History
BrewDog was founded in 2006 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie. The brewery at the Kessock Industrial Estate in Fraserburgh produced its first brew in April 2007. It claims to be Scotland's largest independently owned brewery producing about 120,000 bottles per month for export all over the world.Beers
BrewDog produces bottled and canned beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
s in a variety of styles such as ale, stout, IPA and lager, some of which are also available in keg
Keg
A keg is a small barrel.Traditionally, a wooden keg is made by a cooper used to transport items such as nails, gunpowder., and a variety of liquids....
and cask ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
containers. The bottled beers are widely distributed to British supermarkets and are exported worldwide to countries including Japan, Taiwan, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, the United States of America and Australia. The kegs and casks are available in a small number of locations throughout the UK.
BrewDog's core range of beers include:
- Trashy Blonde (4.1% ABV) - a hoppy golden ale; one of the most widely available cask beers in the BrewDog stable.
- Punk IPA (5.6% ABV, previously 6.0% ABV) - a hoppy and powerful ale in the American style. Their flagship brand.
- 77 Lager (4.7% ABV) - a pilsener-style lager
- 5 AM Saint (5.0% ABV) - a red ale
- Hardcore IPA (9.2% ABV) - an extremely hoppy and strong double IPA
Other BrewDog beers have included:
- Zeitgeist (4.9% ABV) - a black lager
- The Physics (5.0% ABV) - an amber beer
- Paradox (10% ABV) - a whisky cask aged stout available in differing editions depending on the source of the aging cask
- Rip Tide (8% ABV) - an imperial stout, also occasionally available in a 4%abv form
- Bashah (9% ABV) -(Black As Sin Hoppy as Hell) a hybrid of imperial stout, Belgian abbey ale and IPA, made in collaboration with Stone Brewing
- I Hardcore You (9.5% ABV) - an imperial IPA, made by blending Brewdog's Hardcore IPA and MikkellerMikkellerMikkeller is a so-called "phantom"microbrewery founded in 2006 based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company brews at a variety of host facilities in several different countries, including Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the United States....
's I Beat You - Dogma (7.8% ABV) - a heather honey infused ale
- Tokyo* (18.2% ABV) - A very strong imperial stout
- Nanny State (1.1% ABV) - a very weak but extremely heavily hopped bitter, brewed as a reaction to criticism of the high strength of their beers
- Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32% ABV)
- Sink The Bismarck! (41% ABV) - at the time, the strongest beer ever produced. A quadruple IPA.
- The End of History (55% ABV) - the beer formerly known as "the world's strongest beer".
- Ghost Deer (28% ABV) - The world's strongest naturally fermented beer
- the AB: series of experimental beers
In 2009, Tokyo* caused controversy when UK watchdog the Portman Group
Portman Group
The Portman Group is a trade group composed of alcoholic beverage producers and brewers in the UK.-History:It was set up in 1989 as part of a campaign to raise awareness of alcohol-related issues, and its members account for the majority of alcohol products sold in the UK...
criticised the availability of a beer of that strength in 330 ml bottles with traditional crown corks. Since then Brewdog has produced progressively stronger beers of very high strength, and has laid claim to the title 'strongest beer ever brewed' on more than one occasion.
Late in November 2009, BrewDog launched a beer called Tactical Nuclear Penguin, with 32% alcohol, which was claimed to be the strongest beer ever made.
In February 2010 Brewdog announced Sink The Bismarck, an apparent 41% A.B.V. to reclaim the World's Strongest Beer title from Schorschbräu, who had produced a 40% A.B.V. version of their Schorschbock.
In July 2010, BrewDog produced a 55% A.B.V. freeze-distilled beer called The End of History, with the bottles packaged in the stuffed
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
dead bodies of small animals, priced at £500 and £700 each. Only 12 bottles were produced; 11 for retail sale, with the other one going to internet video blog BeerTapTV. BrewDog claim that this set new records not only for alcoholic strength in a beer, but also for price. Advocates for Animals
Advocates for Animals
OneKind is a campaigning animal welfare charity based in Edinburgh and operating worldwide. The organisation works through high-profile public campaigns, political lobbying, investigations, formal research and public education....
called the gimmick 'perverse'.
Bars
In October 2010 Brewdog opened their first bar in nearby AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, simply named "Brewdog Aberdeen". A second bar, Brewdog Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, opened in March 2011 located on Cowgate. with a third in Glasgow which opened July 2011 . Bars are planned for the Camden area of London to follow in the autumn and in Newcastle before Christmas.
Awards
BrewDog won the 2008 Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.Paradox Grain won a Gold Medal at the 2008 World Beer Cup
World Beer Cup
The World Beer Cup, known as "The Olympics of Beer Competition", is one of several major international beer competitions. It was founded by Association of Brewers President Charlie Papazian....
in the Wood and Barrel-aged Strong Beer Category.
BrewDog won the Tenon Entrepreneur of the Year Award for demonstrating exceptional vision and leadership at the 2008 National Business Awards for Scotland.
The Physics won World's Best Strong Pale Ale (Sub Category Winner) and Rip Tide won Worlds Best Imperial Stout (Style Trophy Winner) at the 2007 World Beer Awards, an annual competition organised by Beers of the World magazine.
Hardcore IPA won Gold at the 2010 World Beer Cup in the Imperial IPA category.
Marketing
BrewDog's provocative marketing has been a key aspect of the business, and has gained them substantial international coverageIn 2008 BrewDog were challenged by UK drinks industry watchdog the Portman Group
Portman Group
The Portman Group is a trade group composed of alcoholic beverage producers and brewers in the UK.-History:It was set up in 1989 as part of a campaign to raise awareness of alcohol-related issues, and its members account for the majority of alcohol products sold in the UK...
. Portman had claimed BrewDog to be in breach of their Code of Practice. BrewDog denied these allegations and countered that Portman was impeding the development of smaller brewing companies. After an 8 month long dispute and a preliminary adjudication which had ruled against the company, in December 2008 BrewDog were cleared of all breaches of the Code of Practice and were permitted to continue marketing their brands without making any changes to the packaging. In protest to their targetting, BrewDog introduced "Speedball", saying "...we thought we would give them something worth banning us for..." . Speedball was promptly banned by Portman before being renamed as Dogma.
BrewDog were also described as "...one of the prime movers..."