THE BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE FROM BREWDOG
#35
LET’S HEAR IT
W
ELCOME TO THE
LATEST ISSUE OF HOP
PROPAGANDA – THE
ONLINE AND PRINT MAGAZINE
FROM BREWDOG! ONCE AGAIN
WE THROW OPEN OUR PAGES
(BOTH REAL AND VIRTUAL)
TO THE LATEST CONTENT
FROM OURSELVES AND SOME
AMAZING CRAFT BREWERIES IN
THE UK AND OVERSEAS.
ABOVE: ISSUE 34
OF HOP PROPAGANDA
For issue 35, we are devoting the entire
edition to a canned beer special!
Yes, we’ll be looking at anything and
everything that makes its way to your
glass via the medium of a hissing
ringpull. If it’s encased in aluminium,
it’ll be in these pages. We’ve even
removed and strung up a selection of
widgets to celebrate!
So, we take a closer look at our
futuristic canning line at our Ellon
HQ, as well as a broader look at
why canned beer has come back to
prominence. Plus, we go to America to
hunt down the first craft beer that was
can-only, share fond reminiscences of
our first tinny, and bust some canned
beer myths, graphical style.
4
FANTASTIC FOUR: GUESTS
5
BREWDOG'S WORLD RECORD
OUR CANNING LINE
PERFECT PAIRING: (CANNED) JACK HAMMER
8-10
11
P IS FOR PEACHES
12-13
FOCUS ON: WILD BEER CO
14-15
THE MYSTICAL JACKALOPE…
16
…AND THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY MOOSE
17
INFOGRAPHIC: CANNED BEER MYTHS
18-19
TO THE (SOUTH) COAST!
20-21
CAN DO: WHY METAL IS BACK
22-25
NOW:NEXT26
So until then, crack a can open, sit
back and enjoy! Thanks for reading!
THE FIRST TIME…
The BrewDog team.
EIGHT OF THE BEST
28-29
SHUFFLEBOARD FOR THE OLYMPICS!
30-31
THE LAST WORD
32-33
NEXT UP…HP 36
LIKE WHAT YOU READ, OR WHERE YOU ARE READING IT?
HERE’S HOW TO LET US KNOW!
HOPPROPAGANDA
6-7
[email protected]
27
34
ISSUE 35 / CONTENTS
HOP PROPAGANDA
FANTASTIC FOUR: BREWDOG
FANTASTIC FOUR
FANTASTIC FOUR
BREWDOG
GUESTS
OUR CANNED RELEASES. BREWDOG CLASSICS
READY TO GO AT ANY MOMENT…
WE RECENTLY REFRESHED OUR GUEST BEER LINEUP TO CONCENTRATE
ON A SERIES OF BEERS THAT COVER EVERY STYLE, IN THE VERY BEST
WAY POSSIBLE. AND SOME OF THOSE ARE FOUND IN METAL...
DEAD PONY CLUB
PUNK IPA
GAMMA RAY
SCULPIN GRAPEFRUIT
LOW AMPLITUDE, HIGH VOLTAGE CITRUS
HOP HIT
TRANSATLANTIC FUSION OF TROPICAL
AND CITRUS BITTERNESS
JUICY AMERICAN-STYLE PALE CRAMMED
WITH FRUITY AND FLORAL HOPS
THE ULTIMATE US WEST COAST IPA,
WITH A KICK OF CITRUS
STYLE:
SESSION PALE
3.8%
IBU:
40
A BEER FOR:
ALL DAY
SPECIAL MOVE:
WEST COAST KICK
STYLE:
IBU:
INDIA PALE ALE 35
5.6%
A BEER FOR:
EVERY DAY
SPECIAL MOVE:
BLITZKRIEG BOP
STYLE:
US PALE
ALE
5.4%
FROM:
BEAVERTOWN
A CAN THAT'S:
AUTOMATIC
IN A NUTSHELL:
TAKE CHARGE
STYLE:
IPA
7.0%
FROM:
BALLAST
POINT
A CAN THAT'S:
PANORAMIC
IN A NUTSHELL:
ELECTRIC CHARGE
THIS. IS. LAGER.
JACK HAMMER
BLACK HOUSE
TEN FIDY
FIVE WEEK COLD-CONDITIONED; A STYLE
RECLAIMED
HUGELY-HOPPED PILEDRIVER OF
GRAPEFRUIT BITTERNESS AND PINE
CALIFORNIAN OATMEAL STOUT BREWED
WITH BREWERY-ROASTED COFFEE
BOUNDARY-PUSHING, IMMENSELY
FLAVOURED RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT
STYLE:
LAGER
IBU:
40
4.7%
SPECIAL MOVE:
SLOW CHILL
A BEER FOR:
MATCH DAY
STYLE:
IMPERIAL IPA
7.2%
HOP PROPAGANDA
–4–
ISSUE 35
IBU:
100
A BEER TO:
CALL IT A DAY
SPECIAL MOVE:
RESIN UPPERCUT
STYLE:
STOUT
5.8%
FROM:
MODERN
TIMES
A CAN THAT'S:
ENERGETIC
IN A NUTSHELL:
SUPERCHARGE
STYLE:
IMPERIAL
STOUT
10.5%
HOP PROPAGANDA
–5–
ISSUE 35
FROM:
OSKAR
BLUES
A CAN THAT'S:
TITANIC
IN A NUTSHELL:
DEPTH CHARGE
HOW TO INVEST IN BREWDOG
WANT A FRONT-ROW SEAT TO THE CRAFT BEER
REVOLUTION? HERE’S HOW TO RESERVE YOURS...
EQUITY FOR PUNKS IV
SMASHES
£10M
MARK!
THE WORLD EQUITY CROWDFUNDING RECORD IS OURS
I
t’s been five months since we launched
Equity for Punks IV, our new generation of
business model giving people who love our
beers the chance to invest in our company and
own a part of BrewDog. With our community of
craft beer evangelists, we want nothing more
than to change a world still dominated by bland,
industrial beer. And we have reached another
milestone in that quest.
And set a new world record in the process.
Equity for Punks IV has now passed the £10m
mark – a ground-breaking figure for equity
crowdfunding. According to MarketWatch, the
previous high for an equity crowdfunded project
in the world totalled $6m raised – so we have let
fly a wrecking ball in that direction, to the tune
of over double the amount. So make that two
wrecking balls. And we are not finished yet.
Every penny raised will be invested in our
business to help grow BrewDog for those who
have become shareholders. Our Equity Punks
are the heart and soul of our company, and
we are stoked that the number of people who
have invested has now reached 35,000. It’s like a
Shares cost £47.50 each, and the minimum
investment is two shares (£95). To invest and
receive these benefits (plus the rosy glow of
simply becoming a shareholder) there are two
ways in which you can join our army of BrewDog
Equity Punks.
AT HOME
Go online and visit www.brewdog.com/
equityforpunks. There you can download the
prospectus, see all the information online, and
purchase shares using credit or debit cards.
IN A BREWDOG BAR
Go over to the bar and visit one of our staff
members! They can supply you with all the
information you need, plus all our bars stock the
forms enabling you to become an Equity Punk
there and then!
We believe that the best way to develop BrewDog
and further grow our business is to offer you, the
people who enjoy our beers, the chance to be
involved in BrewDog’s future. And we will continue
to put the people who really care in control.
football crowd cheering us on as we turn the key
in the brewery lock each morning.
We will continue to use the investment of
our Equity Punks to develop our eco-friendly
brewery at Ellon, as well as our new state of the
art facility in Columbus, Ohio. We’re actively
looking at opening new bars (and stand by for
an announcement on that subject at the end of
this week), as well as employing more amazing
people to add to our workforce, and continuing
to make the very best beer we can.
As other craft breweries capitulate and
hand their businesses to industrial brewing
conglomerates, we will continue to invite the
people who drink our beer to own a part of
BrewDog, and involve them in the running
of our company. This world record for equity
crowdfunding is a marker in the sand for beer
fans, amidst so many recent black marks for the
craft brewing industry.
Putting the people who care in control is what
we are about. And that won’t change. Ever.
HOP PROPAGANDA
–6–
ISSUE 35
i
This is issue 35 of Hop Propaganda, not a prospectus. Please visit brewdog.com/equityforpunks to read
the prospectus and find out more about investing in BrewDog. Investors should only subscribe for shares
on the basis of information contained in the prospectus, and should note that invested capital is at risk
and that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance.
Pages 6 and 7 of this issue of Hop Prop constitute a financial promotion approved by Blears Limited
(FCA no: 610217).
HOP PROPAGANDA
–7–
ISSUE 35
SAY HELLO TO OUR
CANNING LINE
CANNED BEER HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE THE DAYS OF MIDDLING
SUPERMARKET BITTER AND ANONYMOUS EUROLAGERS. THE GAUDY ERA OF
WIDGETS HAS BEEN AND GONE; THE HISSING PLASTIC WASPS CONSIGNED TO THE
HISTORY BOOKS. WE LOVE MODERN CANNED BEER BECAUSE IT FOCUSES SOLELY
ON TWO SPECIFIC THINGS – THE HIGH-TECH, SPACE-AGE CANNING PLANTS THAT
ARE NOW AVAILABLE – AND THE FACT THAT THE BEER BEING PUT THROUGH THIS
MACHINERY AND INTO ALUMINIUM IS FAR, FAR BETTER THAN THAT REACHED FOR
BY YOUR DAD, WATCHING SATURDAY AFTERNOON WRESTLING ON ITV.
O
ur first adventures in
canning were sparked
by an online poll on
our blog in the autumn of 2010,
which yielded a landslide result
in favour of embracing the
metal (in terms of packaging;
our brewhouse jukebox had
embraced that years earlier).
This aluminium referendum
led to James making the
journey from Fraserburgh to
Blackburn – possibly the first
time in human history anyone
has done that – to Lancashire
brewery Daniel Thwaite’s.
Starting in March 2011 with our
flagship post-modern classic
IPA, we launched canned craft
HOP PROPAGANDA
–8–
ISSUE 35
beer into the UK market. It was
great to give BrewDog fans the
chance to take Punk with them
when they went travelling, or
to festivals, or whatever. There
was just one problem. We
brewed the beer to our exact
specifications at the ‘Broch, then
shipped it all the way to England
– there was a disconnect there.
We wanted to regain control. It
took a while – but eventually we
managed to get our own canning
line installed.
And not to put too fine a point
on it, it’s freaking amazing.
We don’t do things by halves
at BrewDog, so having finally
HOP PROPAGANDA
–9–
ISSUE 35
managed to bring canning
back in-house we connected
up the largest craft canning
line in Europe. Our Ellon HQ
now sings to the tune of a
German-engineered 40-head
filler, a Swiss-made seamer that
attaches rolls of Dutch lids
to our futuristic, light-weight
Crown cans from the most
exotic place of all, Leicester. We
can now oversee every aspect
of the canning process, ensuring
the beer gets to you in the very
best shape possible.
Oh, and we can fill 34,000
an hour. Yes, our newest toy
doesn’t half hustle along. Every
single one of the cans that
PERFECT PAIRING
JACK HAMMER
(CANNED)
comes through – even at that
speed – has been filled by
volumetric valves in a ‘clean
room’. Filtered air, operating
under positive pressure, ensures
nothing gets into the beer that
shouldn’t be there. Cans are
amazing at keeping Oxygen out
(check out the mythbusting
infographic on page 18-19) – but
only if you minimise O2 pickup
at the moment you flood beer in
and fill them up.
And that’s where our seamer
comes in. It attaches the lid to
the body with zero tolerance
for error, and packs a ‘bubble
breaker’ which vastly diminishes
the most obvious chance
Oxygen has to hitch a ride
into the can (sneaking on the
surface of the beer before the
top is attached). As the name
implies, this clever feature whips
away the O2 impregnated foam
microseconds before the cap is
sealed, replacing it with a layer
of CO2 which sits on top of the
beer like a pillow.
WE CAN FILL 34,000
AN HOUR. YES, OUR
NEWEST TOY DOESN’T
HALF HUSTLE ALONG.
Unsurprisingly, it’s all controlled
by computers, and our
Packaging legend Graeme
Wallace now has more toys than
a Christmas at the Kardashians.
Like that family, it’s tough to
pick a favourite, but Graeme
is still finding new ways to
amaze everyone at HQ with
the software programme that
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 10 –
ISSUE 35
inspects the thickness and seam
depth of each can, ensuring
there is no variation as each
comes off the line before being
twisted and dried twice, ready
for the automatic palletiser and
stretch wrapper.
Having this space-age piece of
kit (or more accurately dozens
of pieces of kit) is something
that we have wanted to do
ever since we posited the idea
of canning our beer, almost
five years ago. We made that
suggestion to give you guys
more choice and more freedom
to enjoy our beers – and we
installed our own canning line to
guarantee that beer is packaged
in those metal sleeves in the
best way possible. So everyone
wins! And James never has to go
to Blackburn ever again.*
* Well, not unless he wants to…
BEER AND FOOD GO TOGETHER BETTER THAN
ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN EAT AND DRINK AT
THE SAME TIME. WINE LIKES TO CLAIM THE
HIGH GROUND, BUT BEER HAS SUCH A WEIGHT
OF VARIETY BEHIND IT.
Yes, it may have you spluttering into your
perfectly poured resinous piledriver, but the
cake-tin also has a place at the beer and food
pairing table. Carrot cake works even better
with Jack Hammer than it does with more subtle
IPA’s – the super-sweet icing is balanced by the
huge hopload, taking away that tooth-aching
sugariness after each and every mouthful.
When popping back the ringpull on our
ruthless India Pale Ale, to which foodstuffs do
you then turn? Well, aside from the usual spicy
offerings, cheeses, or flash-fried meats – what
about something a little more unexpected.
Like, say, carrot cake?
At the same time, if your carrot cake contains
orange zest or juice, the full-forward citrus
flavours of the beer complement this
component perfectly. So, next time you’re
having afternoon tea…hold the tea and reach for
the (Jack) Hammer!
P IS FOR PEACHES
"PEACHES COME FROM A CAN /
THEY WERE PUT THERE BY A MAN /
IN A FACTORY DOWNTOWN /
IF I HAD MY LITTLE WAY /
I'D EAT PEACHES EVERY DAY /
SUN-SOAKIN' BULGES IN THE SHADE.”
- Peaches, Presidents of the USA.
N
ext time you find
yourself idly scanning
the shelves on a
visit to the supermarket,
consider this puzzler. What’s
the quintessential foodstuff
dispensed in cans that might
find its way into a beer?
After all, there are precious
few baked bean barley wines
in existence. Tuna beer is
something that not even cats
would drink. And soup? Adding
Mulligatawny or Minestrone to
your Mash would be a Mistake.
No, the archetypal tin-based
treat that can end up in a beer
has to lie more towards the
sweet and fruity end of the
canned spectrum – and that
particular something would
have to be peaches.
Those experts on ‘golden suds’
at Budweiser may have used that
particular ingredient to poke fun
at craft beer in the “let them
drink pumpkin peach ale” line of
their now-infamous Super Bowl
advert – but even before legions
of small-scale brewers decided to
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
answer back by running with that
particular style, the golden orbs
have been used in beermaking.
The subtle sweet flavour
imparted by peaches can really
lift a number of different beer
types, but are largely used for
the lowland European styles
of farmhouse ales, wheat beers
and Belgian strong ales. This is
actually not without a certain
irony; the Latin name for
peaches – Prunus persica – was
christened by learned European
botanists who believed them
to come from Persia (they
are actually native to China.
Whoops!).
But, as with most things, brewers
didn’t let something as fiddly
as scientific nomenclature
interfere with their work, and
quietly got on with the task of
working out how they could
get the peachy flavour to
equate to something tasty after
fermentation. And, as per usual
when it comes to beer, it was in
Belgium where this talent first
came to the surface.
Brouwerij Lindemans have
been producing their range of
Lambics since the 1820’s, for
much of that time concentrating
on the classic styles of Gueuze
and Kriek. Their mastery of
fruit led to the first brew of
Lindemans Pêche in 1987.
The beer – which is often
sold as Pêcheresse (pictured
above) – is fermented twice;
first spontaneously by windborne yeasts, and then from
the addition of peach juice as
the fruit sugars rouse dormant
micro-organisms.
In this modern world of
imperial-this and double-that,
Lindemans’ peach Lambic rolls
in at a hugely respectable 2.5%
abv, well below the level of
other peach beers around – or
more precisely, peach beers
that emanate from America. Yes,
our cousins across the pond
took the fruit-infused beer
styles and ran with them (or,
at least, ran up the alcohol by
volume) – producing beers such
as Short’s Brew 8.3% Imperial
Peaches and Crème.
This particular beer goes to a
degree that Lindemans’ does
not – in that it uses real, fresh
peaches in the brew (half
a pound per gallon of beer
produced, no less). And that
is the rub of the issue when
it comes to brewing with this
particular fruit – how you
choose to add it. In turn, that
decision is usually determined
simply by the form of peaches
you can get hold of.
Short’s Brew are based in
Michigan, and along with others
like Georgia’s Terrapin Beer
Company are lucky enough
to exist in a part of the world
where peaches grow to a huge
extent – all they have to do is
reverse a pickup truck into the
right tree and hey presto. Other
breweries? Well, if you’ve ever
been to Belgium and spotted field
after field of peach trees, your
guidebook was probably penned
by an early European botanist.
Which begs the question – do
they brew peach beer in Persia?
Or China, even?
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 13 –
ISSUE 35
PEACHY KEEN
THREE PEACH BEERS,
THREE DIFFERENT STYLES
ODELL TREE
SHAKER (8.0%)
Imperial Peach IPA brewed
with Colorado peaches.
LINDEMANS PÊCHE
LAMBIC (2.5%)
Sparkling, crisp and
enormously fruity.
DOGFISH HEAD FESTINA
PECHE (4.5%)
A ‘neo Berliner weisse’
fermented with peaches.
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
FOCUS ON: WILD BEER CO
Let’s face it, beer is an
agricultural product. Inner-city
breweries are appearing in ever
greater numbers, and producing
some incredible results, but
from where is it they get their
ingredients? Barley, hops,
wheat, fruit – all come from the
land. From the country. Existing
away from these sources is
no disadvantage these days
(other than the financial), yet
the welcome surge of urban
beermaking has done nothing
to dilute the spirit of those
located in quieter, more rural,
parts of the UK. Parts such as
Lower Westcombe Farm, on
the banks of the River Alham in
Somerset. Wild Beer Country.
It may only be twenty-five
miles to Bristol, but more than
any other brewery around at
the moment, Wild Beer Co
embrace their countryside
location; you get the feeling
that their ties to the land are
utterly fundamental. As they
approach their third anniversary,
co-founders Andrew Cooper
and Brett Ellis have shown no
sign of unpicking these ties; one
of their latest beers – The Blend
2015 – is a culmination of three
years of ageing five different
beers fermented by wild, windborne yeasts. It is as rural as
beer can get.
Wild ingredients form the
backbone of Wild Beer
Co – a range of styles and
interpretations, each given
a twist that serves to imprint
their location on the beer.
For instance, another recent
beer was a Gose produced
with added preserved lemons.
Rather than bring these in from
elsewhere, the guys cured
their own over winter, in salt
and lemon juice, before adding
to the brew. It’s clearly no co-
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 14 –
ISSUE 35
incidence that brewer Brett had
trained as a Chef in his native
California from the age of 17.
Maybe this is as much of an
influence on the beers of Wild
Beer Co as their location. It
certainly serves to explain why
so many of their releases are
aged and blended – this latter
skill being something extremely
difficult to master. The
experience gained from years of
formulating recipes in a kitchen
dovetail nicely with the ability,
and confidence, to produce a
beer like their very first – the
stunning Modus Operandi. Not
many new breweries open with
an unfiltered 7% old ale aged
in oak barrels inoculated with
Brettanomyces.
But then, not many breweries
have the self-assurance forged
from that connection with their
location – Andrew and Brett
have been conducting trials
BIBBLE
FRESH
MADNESS IPA
INDIGO CHILD
SESSION PALE ALE
NEW WORLD PALE
IPA
Mosaic and
Amarillo–hopped
everyday session pale
Each brew contains
fresh US/NZ hops
for an immediacy of
flavour
Late-hopped tropical
frenzy of a perfect
West Coast IPA
GOOSEBERRY
SOUR
4.2%
5.5%
6.8%
with the local wild ingredients
for literally years; honing that
knowledge of how to harness
wind-borne yeasts, woodresiding bacteria and wild
fruits and herbs. It’s no surprise
that foraging has also formed a
common theme to their beers –
as our team from BrewDog Bristol
discovered during the making
of 2014 CollabFest saison Rosa
Canina, a beer made with wildgrowing rosehips, elderberries,
rowan berries and rosemary.
One of the biggest influences on
anyone making a living on or near
the land is the transfer of time
through the seasons. Wild Beer
Co don’t merely embrace this
with their differing ingredients,
the passage of time has been
applied to beers that have been
WILD INGREDIENTS
FORM THE BACKBONE
OF WILD BEER CO –
A RANGE OF STYLES
AND INTERPRETATIONS.
finished and bottled – and there
is no better demonstration of this
than their most transformative
beer; Evolver IPA. A pale ale
fermented with Brettanomyces,
when drunk fresh it tastes
like a familiar zippy, refreshing
hopped-up pale, but over time
the Brett begins to act – first with
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 15 –
ISSUE 35
Stunning tart, floral
collaboration with
Italians Toccalmatto
8.0%
a subtlety, and then changing the
entire complexion of the beer.
This, more than anything
else, sums up the ethos
of Wild Beer Co. Take the
quintessential craft beer
flagship style, produce it
on a farm using the most
unpredictable and influential
form of wild yeast, and let it
change utterly in the hands of
the drinker. The beer evolves
(as the name suggests) into
something unique as the
Brett tips the balance into
a funky, earthy farmyard ale
that makes you consider
anew what beer styles mean.
And more than that, it gives
renewed appreciation for
the relationship that exists
between brewing and the land.
THE MYSTICAL
JACKALOPE…
If you’ve ever watched those nature programmes
where animals are re-introduced into the wild after
rescue or treatment, you’ll know how it goes. An
early start, a bouncing pickup, and a gate-like door
raised on a shrouded cage or wooden box.
Recently, in beer form, we joined with this ritual by
emancipating into the wilds a creature straight out of
North American legend.
HINTERLAND IS A BEER LONG IN THE
CREATION, AND EVEN LONGER IN THE
APPRECIATION.
In the remote backwoods, the un-noticed and
unexplored areas, roams the Jackalope. Adorning
our new release, Hinterland, it is a mythical animal
of folklore – breeding only during lightning flashes,
mimicking human singing, and loving to drink its
favoured American whiskey.
At night, it is said that Jackalopes can be milked, as
they sleep belly up under the light of the moon. Their
milk is medicinal and can be used to treat a wide
variety of maladies – but finding an animal to approach
is as hard as it gets; Jackalopes are notoriously shy.
None have ever been captured in the wild.
Hinterland is a beer long in the creation, and even
longer in the appreciation. A 9% abv oatmeal milk
stout brewed with vanilla pods and cocoa, it is a
eulogy to the depths of the imagination – and what
dwells therein. With our BrewDog Jackalope designed
by Johanna Basford, it is truly a release to savour.
On the aroma, deep reverberating roasty bitterness
and sweet dark chocolate. Also in evidence,
woodsmoke, rich vanilla, mocha and marzipan. When
tasting, Hinterland reveals itself as the beer moves
from cellar temperature to something warmer, yielding
all of the above plus dried fruit, rich ganache and
ending on a resoundingly warming finish redolent of
chocolate liqueur or plum brandy.
This particular Jackalope is now roaming the wilds,
and if you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse, then
it’s likely that you too will find yourself suddenly lost
in the Hinterland…
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 16 –
ISSUE 35
...AND THE LEGEND OF
THE HOLY MOOSE
In the lands of the long, low light, there dwells
a mysterious, seldom-seen creature. The Holy
Moose. On his broad, furred shoulders; the
weight of craft beer in those lands is supported.
Behind his fearsome antlers, the defence of
this modern way of life is waged. But even
today, he is a threatened species. The forces of
bland, industrial beer have gripped the Nordic
region with fingers as strong as iron. The local
population are in thrall – or at least, they have
been, until now.
Our mission to provide a banner which the Holy
Moose can rally around has arrived.
lemon and grapefruit from the hops to a hugely
refreshing, (yet cool and discerning) finish.
Wherever you live, follow the people of the
Nordic lands. Turn your backs on the tasteless, and
pledge yourself to the majesty of the Holy Moose.
DISCOVER THE WISDOM OF THE
HOLY MOOSE! > bit.ly/HolyMoose
We have created a beer to honour the people
of Scandinavia and the Nordic lands who yearn
for an alternative – the definitive BrewDog beer
for this region of clear air and dark afternoons.
The Holy Moose led us to the key ingredients
from each of these proud nations – foraged from
the carpeted forests under his watchful, knowing
gaze. For Denmark? Blueberries. Finland? Sea
Buckthorn. In Norway, he found us Lingonberries.
And Sweden, the emblematic Cloudberry.
With his spirit watching on, our brew team have
used these ingredients to produce an intensely
fruity IPA – a riot of tart berry flavours pitched
against the citrus waves from Citra, Centennial and
Mosaic hops, together with the earthy blackberry
elements of Bramling Cross and Challenger. The
Sea Buckthorn and Lingonberry add a lightly
sharp sourness to the palate, building with the
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 17 –
ISSUE 35
CANS
3
4
LIGHTWEIGHT
ENVIRONMENTALLY
FRIENDLY
BACK TO THE FUTURE
FOR THE LONGEST TIME, BEER IN CANS HAD A DUBIOUS REPUTATION. IT WAS VIEWED AS CHEAP, PACKAGED
BADLY, AND DRUNK BY PEOPLE THAT DIDN’T REALLY CARE. IN RECENT YEARS THOUGH, CANNED BEER HAS
UNDERGONE A RENAISSANCE – TURNS OUT IT WASN’T THE RECEPTACLE THAT WAS AT FAULT; IT WAS THE
BEER WITHIN. PACKAGE AMAZING CRAFT BEER IN METAL, AND IT WILL REACH YOU ALL THE BETTER FOR IT.
BUT WHY? FINGERS ON RINGPULLS AS WE LOOK AT JUST WHAT CANNING CAN DO FOR YOUR FAVOURITE BEER.
1
2
KEEPS OUT
LIGHT
Aluminium is a l00% “infinitely recyclable’ material
which, as you can probably guess, means every part
can be used again without loss.
Cans are lighter than bottles, which is good for
brewers as lighter packaging reduces costs and means
more can be moved in each shipment.
Put simply, recycled aluminium is identical to that
freshly smelted – when you finish the can and do the
right thing, it will reward you with another! (kind of).
Also for drinkers they are much easier to transport
to picnics, camping and barbecues – portable beer;
good to go!
5
KEEPS OUT
OXYGEN
6
CHILLS
BETTER
DOESN’T
TASTE LIKE
METAL
UV light is damaging to beer flavour, as it alters the
integrity of the alpha acids in the hops, making the
beer smell and taste ‘skunky’.
Cans are also air-tight (if they aren’t, you soon know
about it). The seals keep oxygen at bay, maintaining a
beer’s freshness.
If you love your beer cold or happen to live
somewhere warm then canned beer will chill down
a lot quicker than glass bottles.
We don’t get many skunks in the UK, but we don’t
want beer to give us an idea of the olfactory damage
they can do. Clear glass offers no protection; cans
offer the best. No light = no ‘light-struck’ beer!
O2 mutes the flavours, dulls everything down, and
strips flavour from hop compounds to leave the beer
tasting like damp cardboard. Cans keep the beer
tasting as the brewer intended!
It’s worth remembering if your local beer retailer has
cans out on bare shelves – you can control the
serving temperature.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
Modern cans have come a long way in their technology.
When compared to bottles, not only do they not
break as easily, but blind taste-trials have shown no
discernible difference exists between the flavour of a
beer poured from a metal can or a glass bottle.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
THIRTY TAPS OF CRAFT BEER
FROM BREWDOG AND SPECIALLY
CURATED GUESTS, PLUS A HUGE
RANGE OF BOTTLES. ALONGSIDE
THIS, A RANGE OF AMAZING
FOOD...SEE YOU AT THE BAR!
Our fans along that particular shoreline have to
be amongst the most patient BrewDog supporters
anywhere. It took us some time to get over the
line, but they have finally been rewarded with a
fantastic hop hideout that they can call their own
– BrewDog Brighton is now open!
TO THE
(SOUTH) COAST!
INSIDE BREWDOG BRIGHTON
52-54 GRAND PARADE,
BRIGHTON, BN2 9QA
[email protected]
BREWDOGBRIGHTON
@BREWDOGBRIGHTON
@BREWDOGBRIGHTON
Located on the corner of Marlborough Place
and Kingswood Street at 52-54 Grand Parade,
we have given the outside of the building the
full BrewDog-on-Sea treatment. Maria and her
amazing team are fully ready for the people of
Brighton & Hove to head down and welcome the
latest arrival to the beer scene in this eclectic
and energising city!
That welcome will take the form of thirty taps of
craft beer from BrewDog and specially curated
guests, plus a huge range of bottles. Alongside
this, a range of amazing food including British
charcuterie from Trealy Farm in Monmouthshire,
homemade pickles, and a range of made-to-order
hot sandwiches such as fish Po Boys, pork belly
Bhan Mi and smashed avocado with white beans
and cumin. See you at the bar!
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
CAN DO
METAL IS BACK
A
T THE OSKAR
BLUES BREWERY IN
BREVARD, NORTH
CAROLINA, THERE IS A
QUESTION SO COMMONLY
ASKED THAT THE BREWERS
WHO GIVE TOURS HAVE A
JOKE ANSWER READY AND
WAITING. IT CROPS UP SO
OFTEN – WHEN SOMEONE
LOOKING AROUND THE
FACILITY ASKS IF OSKAR
BLUES BOTTLE THEIR BEERS –
THAT GUYS SUCH AS HEAD
OF BREWING OPERATIONS
TIM MATTHEWS HAVE AN
INSTANT REPLY AT HAND,
DELIVERED WITH A GRIN.
“WHAT’S A BOTTLE? OH,
YOU MEAN LIKE A GLASS
CAN?”
The staff have been fielding
questions in a similar vein for
over a decade. Back in late
2002, brewery founder Dale
Katechis decided to launch
what he called the ‘Canned
Beer Apocalypse’; his company
would begin consigning their
flagship beer – Dale’s Pale Ale
– into aluminium using a oneby-one filler he bought on a trip
to Canada. Nowadays, every
beer they make is either canned
or kegged – people who take
the tours never have to raise
their voices over the sounds of
clinking glass from a bottling line.
Canned beer isn’t new to the
United States, of course. The
first canned beer was released
there, in 1935, in a collaboration
between the Gottfried Krueger
Brewing Company and the
American Can Company.
Krueger’s Cream Ale and
Krueger’s Finest Beer hit the
shelves (with Equity Punks
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
enjoying a preview the night
before) to resounding success
– apparently 91% of their
customers approved. Canned
beer was here to stay.
Like any beer that is packaged,
sold and transported, to be
successful both sides of the
coin need to work perfectly.
The can itself needs to be
airtight, pressurised and sturdy –
reasons why the canned drinks
industry started over a hundred
years after foodstuffs were
regularly appearing in metal tins.
And the other half? The beer
inside the container needs to
be worth opening it for. And
that is where the problem has
lain for a while.
We’re not sure what Krueger’s
post-prohibition beers were
like (RateBeer wasn’t invented
KATECHIS DECIDED
TO LAUNCH WHAT HE
CALLED THE ‘CANNED
BEER APOCALYPSE’...
NOWADAYS, EVERY BEER
THEY MAKE IS EITHER
CANNED OR KEGGED.
until American GI’s arrived in
Europe during the war*). But
once larger breweries than
Gottfried’s discovered the
technology of canning, the
beers released became more
and more mainstream as the
major breweries got in on the
act, until the peak of those war
years, when canned beers were
shipped to Europe in the millions
for the soldiers.
* We think.
These major players in brewing
had one thing in the locker that
none of the smaller, regional
or family brewers had. Mass
distribution. Their routes to
market meant they could take
a cornerstone of the canned
beer industry, reduce costs
and consolidate and come to
rule almost entirely. Thus, as
the decades rolled by beer
cans came more and more
to contain one single style –
American Light Lager.
eponymously-titled Pale Ale
became the first beer from a US
craft brewer to be commercially
canned; Dale Katechis, founder
of Oskar Blues.
Thirteen years ago, Dale’s Pale
Ale appeared in aluminium cans
from their small brewery just
north of Denver, Colorado. One
of the main reasons for them
going down this road was what
lay pretty much at the end of
theirs; the Rocky Mountains. The
lightness, portability and ease of
opening and consuming meant
canned craft beer became
a massive hit with outdoors
enthusiasts.
That still holds true to this
day – and increasingly, now, on
Now, you know how we feel
about that here at BrewDog,
so there’s no real need to go
into it again. But you probably
also know that we are not alone
in that viewpoint – and this
brings us back to the man who’s
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
this side of the Atlantic as well.
Admittedly, British craft beer fans
are hardly likely to take a couple
of cans up into the Continental
Divide – but drinkers here are
appreciating the handiness and
convenience of modern-day
beer cans like never before. And
the realisation seems to have
struck that just because you’re
going somewhere, you don’t
need to pick a lowest common
denominator to accompany you.
The days of ranks of
supermarket-induced slabs of
lager are still here, of course –
but they are being picked apart,
at the edges. Sure, if you have no
qualms about the taste of what
you are drinking there are many
more options. But if you do, those
options are progressively more
entertaining – and all you have to
do is make a cursory search of the
internet or social media to find
a sudden flurry of home-grown
canned beer out there.
Within the last few months,
Roosters, Wild Beer Co,
Harbour, Northern Monk, Weird
Beard, Dark Star and Moor
Beer have all released their first
canned beer offerings, joining
more established metalheads
such as Forepure, Camden,
Beavertown and a certain
brewery from Aberdeenshire.
So why have so many UK
breweries suddenly taken the
plunge and invested in encasing
their beers in aluminium?
Well, one of the reasons is the
increased prevalence – and
quality – of mobile canning lines.
But surely the other is simple,
‘First Day of Economics Class’;
Supply and Demand. People
are realising that cans offer a
considerable point of difference
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
to bottled beer – and are simply
voting with their wallets and
purses. And that has to be a
good thing, right?
ALL CANNED BEER
DOES IS PROVIDE
ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT BEER DRINKERS
HAVE WANTED FOR
DECADES – AN
ALTERNATIVE.
Plenty of people over on this
side of the pond head out for
days where they hanker after
beer in a portable format, and
others have grown to appreciate
that cans completely cut
light-strike from the equation,
removing skunked beer from
their – or more typically,
supermarket – shelves (although
those viewpoints are not
mutually exclusive, of course).
All canned beer does is
provide one of the things that
beer drinkers have wanted for
decades – an alternative. Bottled
beer isn’t going away; canned
beer has simply arrived to give
a different outlet. And if the
recent raft of UK releases is
anything to go by, it’s an outlet
that is only going to become
more important as time goes on.
Maybe in the near future, the
‘Do you bottle your beers’
question Oskar Blues answer
in the negative will also be
answered that way by a growing
number of breweries this side of
the Atlantic, as well…
1935 - THE DAWN OF CANNED BEER
24TH JAN
31ST DEC
CANNED SALES
CANNED SALES
2,000
200,000,000
FIRST CANNED BEER
RELEASED (KRUEGER’S)
ELEVEN MONTHS LATER
(ALL BREWERIES)
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
NOW:NEXT
AS THE NUMBER OF NEW BEERS INCREASES AND INCREASES, IT CAN BE HARD TO KEEP
UP. BUT HERE’S THE THING. IF A NEW RELEASE CAN BE AGED, BUY ONE AND FORGET
ABOUT IT – THAT WAY YOU’VE REDUCED YOUR INTAKE BY HALF AS MUCH! ALTHOUGH, IT
IS ONLY EXACERBATING THE SITUATION FOR LATER. BUT THEN, ISN’T THAT A PERFECT
PROBLEM TO HAVE? TAKE THESE TWO FROM BEAVERTOWN, FOR EXAMPLE…
DRINK THIS NOW:
THE FIRST TIME
QUELLE SAISON (4.1%)
Cans are made to be drunk instantly – the very fact that
you don’t have to search through the kitchen for that
trusty bottle opener gives them a sense of immediacy.
And Beavertown’s utterly compelling saison could be
the poster child for a beer to consume the moment
it’s at your preferred temperature.
Everything tastes better outside. At least, that’s
what they say about pub lunches, picnics,
barbecue food and the like. But, so too, does
beer. The portability of cans has made them a goto item when on-the-go, pretty much ever since
they were invented. Leave that bottle opener in
the draw and spread your wings, my friend.
Essentially Beavertown’s session IPA (Neck Oil)
fermented with saison yeast, ‘Quelle’ has that
expected peppery kick but with a beautifully
complementary blast of lemon citrus from the
dry-hopping. Any age on this would dim both
of those twin highlights immeasurably. Our
advice? Maintenant.
DRINK THIS NEXT:
SKULL KING (8.7%)
On the other hand, Beavertown’s suitably
epic double IPA is a great candidate to cellar
for a while. The intense hoppyness will even
out with time, and the beer will pillow into
barley wine territory (as many DIPA’s do). The
high abv will keep things interesting at the same
time, whenever you open it.
Skull King is a slight tweaking of Bone King – a collab
between Beavertown and Naparbier, and raises an
interesting question; namely, can you age canned beer
as you would bottled? The short answer is yes! Use the
same rule of thumb around abv and storage, and cans will
cellar just as well…
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
Of course, this ease of carriage and concealment
also gives cans a significant advantage in one
other field; that of the sneaky first drink. Once
you’ve managed to acquire some (via an older
brother, fake ID, whatever – we won’t tell) the
rite of passage can begin. Nobody’s first drink
requires a corkscrew.
And talking of fields, unless the parents are
away, that first drinking experience is very often
partaken somewhere outdoors (in a park, unlit
street corner, or if you’re extremely lucky; a
beach), giving you the twin thrills of taking that
first beer and potentially being seen whilst you
are enjoying it.
your mother’s disapproval loomed overhead.
Also, if you grew up in this country those outside
moments were fleeting and wind-blasted at the
best of times. Finally – and most importantly
– once that can was cracked, and the first sip
taken…is this what all the fuss was about? It’s
supposed to actually taste like this?
The First Time is our series revolving around the
many moments that drinking beer can lead to. Do
you remember that first canned beer? Where
did you experience it? And do you wish it was
something better than lukewarm Carling? Tell us
your stories via email or Twitter below. For Issue 36,
we’ll be featuring the question: What beer do you
usually drink at Christmas? (Yes, it is approaching).
But then, it was never really enjoyable, was it?
Let’s face it. For a start, the nagging thought of
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 27 –
ISSUE 35
HOPPROPAGANDA
[email protected]
EIGHT OF THE BEST
SLOW RIDE
NEW BELGIUM
KILLER KOLSCH
BABA
CHAMPION
HOP CRISIS
CANNED BEER IN THE STATES IS MUCH MORE THAN BUD LIGHT AT YOUR LOCAL NASCAR
TRACK. CRAFT BREWERIES OF ALL SIZES ARE PLACING THEIR TRUST – AND THEIR
BEER – IN METAL. HERE ARE EIGHT OF THE BEST US CANNED BEERS THAT YOU’VE NEVER
HEARD OF.* COVERING EVERY CONCEIVABLE STYLE, THEIR VARIETY IS PROOF THAT
CRAFT BEER HAS EMBRACED THE PREVIOUSLY HUMBLE BEER CAN…
* IF YOU HAVE HEARD OF ANY OF THEM, PLEASE DON’T EMAIL IN…
CARDINAL PALE ALE
UINTA
21 AMENDMENT
NEBRASKA
ST
POOL HOP
NINJA PORTER
OL' FACTORY
ASHEVILLE
TWO ROADS
BREW HUB
FROM:
Colorado
FROM:
Virginia
FROM:
Utah
FROM:
California
FROM:
Nebraska
FROM:
Florida
FROM:
North Carolina
FROM:
Connecticut
STYLE:
Session IPA
STYLE:
Kolsch
STYLE:
Schwarzbier
STYLE:
Imperial IPA
STYLE:
American Pale Ale
STYLE:
Session IPA
STYLE:
Porter
STYLE:
Pilsner
TASTING NOTES:
Tropical – Grassy
– Easy Drinking
TASTING NOTES:
Floral – Bready
– Lemony
TASTING NOTES:
Chocolate – Toasty
– Organic
TASTING NOTES:
Caramel – Punchy
– Vanilla
TASTING NOTES:
Citrus – Biscuity
– Bitter
TASTING NOTES:
Grapefruit – Piney
– Mandarin
TASTING NOTES:
Coffee – Chocolatey
– Smooth
TASTING NOTES:
Bready – Spicy
– Floral
4.5%
5.0%
4.0%
9.7%
6.0%
4.5%
5.6%
5.0%
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 35
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 31 –
ISSUE 35
THE LAST WORD
18 BARS, 2,000 MILES, 90K CALORIES,
4 WEEKS. ADAM BRAUNTON’S EPIC
#BREWJOGLE.
In June, Adam took the longest BrewDog road trip of his life
– cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, visiting every
BrewDog bar along the way. Check out his (literal) highs and
lows at www.brewjogle.weebly.com – Adam, we salute you!
HP ISSUE #36
THE CHRISTMAS ISSUE, COMING IN NOVEMBER
THE ULTIMATE SEASONAL – ANCHOR OUR SPECIAL ALE
OUR BREWTEAM DISCUSS FESTIVE BREWING INGREDIENTS
WHY CHRISTMAS IS THE BEST TIME FOR BEER
WHAT TO DRINK THIS CHRISTMAS, AND IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME
WE TAKE A LOOK AT MAGIC ROCK’S NEW BREWERY
THE LATEST NEWS FROM BREWDOG, THE WIDER WORLD OF
CRAFT BEER, AND MORE!
WWW.BREWDOG.COM
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS
ABOUT THIS NEW-LOOK MAGAZINE. PLEASE GET IN TOUCH
USING THE METHODS BELOW. AND UNTIL NEXT TIME, ENJOY YOUR BEER!
@BREWDOG
[email protected]
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 34 –
ISSUE 35
WWW.BREWDOG.COM