HOP
PROPAGANDA
THE BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE FROM BREWDOG
#40
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 39
OF HOP PROPAGANDA
The calendar has flicked over into
another new year once again, so let’s
look ahead to how we are going to
rock 2017 on Planet BrewDog. This
issue covers exactly how we intend
to do that with some things you’re
really going to want to watch out for,
plus all the news and info on our new
beers, people and collaborations.
We also have a very special Last
Word for this edition – the winner
of the annual BrewDog Photo
Competition. Turn to page 32
to check out the epic shot by
Jamie Day that won the contest.
Congrats to Jamie for being the
pick of our judges!
Until next time, enjoy reading and
(even more importantly) enjoy
your beer,
The BrewDog team.
4
FANTASTIC FOUR: GUESTS
5
#PUNKAGM2017 IS COMING…
6-7
R IS FOR RYE
8-9
SAY HI TO RICHARD
PERFECT PAIRING: JET BLACK HEART
FOCUS ON: CLOUDWATER
[email protected]
14-15
16
BREWDOG YORK IS HERE
17
EQUITY FOR PUNKS BY NUMBERS
18-19
EQUITY FOR PUNKS USA
20-21
TEN REASONS TO ROCK IN 2017
22-25
NOW:NEXT26
27
DIY DOG AND KONNICHIWA KITSUNE
28-29
NEW PUNK MERCH
30-31
THE LAST WORD
32-33
NEXT UP…HP 41
HOPPROPAGANDA
13
BREWDOG VS. CLOUDWATER
THE FIRST TIME…
LIKE WHAT YOU READ, OR WHERE YOU ARE READING IT?
HERE’S HOW TO LET US KNOW!
10-12
34
ISSUE 40 / CONTENTS
HOP PROPAGANDA
FANTASTIC FOUR: BREWDOG
FANTASTIC FOUR
FANTASTIC FOUR
BREWDOG
GUESTS
OUR LATEST BREWDOG RELEASES, LIVE IN OUR ONLINE
SHOP AND BREWDOG BARS RIGHT NOW…
BUT WE ALSO HAVE SOME AMAZING BEER FROM SPECIALLY CURATED
GUEST BREWERIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD IN OUR BARS.
HERE ARE FOUR IN PARTICULAR TO SEEK OUT…
ZEITGEIST
BREWDOG VS CLOUDWATER
BAM NOIRE
NORTHERN STAR
DEEPLY ROASTY SCHWARZBIER WITH AN
UPLIFTING HIT OF WEST COAST HOPS
TOPICAL (AND TROPICAL) IPA STYLE OF
THE MOMENT BREWED WITH CLOUDWATER
TART, FLAVOURFUL BELGIAN-STYLE ALE
WITH LASHINGS OF DARK FRUIT CHARACTER
COFFEE-LACED DARK-EDGED MASTERPIECE
FROM THE NEW NORTHERN POWERHOUSE
STYLE:
BLACK
LAGER
4.7%
IBU:
32
IN A WORD:
IDIOSYNCRATIC
IN A NUTSHELL
DARK CASCADE
STYLE:
NEW
ENGLAND IPA
6.8%
IBU:
30
IN A WORD:
DEMOCRATIC
IN A NUTSHELL
JUICE REMADE
STYLE:
FARMHOUSE
ALE
4.5%
FROM:
JOLLY
PUMPKIN
SPECIAL MOVE:
BARNYARD
HAYMAKER
A BEER THAT’S...
ARABLE
STYLE:
PORTER
5.9%
FROM:
NORTHERN
MONK
SPECIAL MOVE:
NORTH STAR
JOLT
A BEER THAT’S...
AMENABLE
TROPIC THUNDER
HOP SHOT
EVOLVER IPA
STONE BERLIN IPA
THROWBACK DRY CARIBBEAN STOUT WITH A
LIFT OF CITRUS FROM ADDED ORANGE PEEL
SAVAGELY BITTER AND WARMING CITRUSLASHED QUADRUPLE INDIA PALE ALE
BRETTANOMYCES-FERMENTED IPA WITH A
TRULY STUNNING DEPTH OF CHARACTER
WEST-COAST CLASSIC TRANSPLANTED BY
STONE’S NEW GERMAN FLAGSHIP
STYLE:
STOUT
7%
IBU:
25
IN A WORD:
EMPHATIC
IN A NUTSHELL
PIRATE BLOCKADE
STYLE:
IPA
22%
HOP PROPAGANDA
–4–
ISSUE 40
IBU:
200+
IN A NUTSHELL
HOP GRENADE
IN A WORD:
QUADRATIC
STYLE:
PALE ALE
5.8%
FROM:
WILD
BEER CO
SPECIAL MOVE:
BRETT
SILHOUETTE
A BEER THAT’S...
UNREADABLE
STYLE:
IPA
6.9%
HOP PROPAGANDA
–5–
ISSUE 40
FROM:
STONE
BERLIN
SPECIAL MOVE:
REINHEITSGEBLAST
A BEER THAT’S...
SQUEEZABLE
Saturday 8th April, Aberdeen.
After releasing tickets earlier than ever,
we still have a few left so if you are a
card-carrying BrewDog shareholder and
would like to join your fellow investors
for #PunkAGM2017 head to the
BrewDog forum at equityforpunks.com
and sign-up to secure your space!
#PunkAGM2017
is Coming! F
ebruary may be the shortest month of the
year but for our legion of Equity Punks it just
got a whole lot longer. That’s because the
days on the calendar are being ticked off, one by
one, towards our eighth annual Punk AGM – set to
return once again to the Aberdeen Exhibition and
Conference Centre in April. And we have a fantastic
line-up for anyone still wishing to secure their place
with us for the celebration of all things BrewDog!
#PunkAGM2017 will take place
on Saturday 8th April 2017 at the
Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference
Centre (AECC) and will be bigger
and better than ever. We have worked
tirelessly with our friends at the AECC
to increase capacity and have managed
to secure 3,000 more spaces for our
Equity Punks that for previous years!
Yes, we are set to welcome more of our
Equity Punks than ever to join in the
annual AGM and music festival, and to
discover our plans for the upcoming
year and beyond. As always, our AGM
is open to all Equity Punk investors both
new and old, and will feature incredible
freshly-poured craft beer from ourselves
and specially invited guests all set to the
backdrop of amazing music!
We are still working to finalise all parts
of the line-up but can reveal that we
will once again be joined onstage by
the truly awesome Twin Atlantic –
back to wow the collected audience
with their amazing sound. Alongside
will be the incredible Black Honey
who we are stoked to be able to add
to the set to make their #PunkAGM
debut! Also confirmed on the bill are
Glasgow-based rock aficionados
The Bellybuttons and Reading Festival
regulars SuperGlu and Clean Cut Kid.
Looking at what our assembled investors
will be drinking, we will have of course
BrewDog beer pouring all day, including
the potential appearance of a few
very special additions and (of course)
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
HOP PROPAGANDA
–7–
ISSUE 40
Lone Wolf spirits! On the bars we also
have treats from the stunning Buxton
Brewery, all the way from the USA
Rhinegeist and homegrown sensations
Wild Beer Co and Fierce Beer – plus a
special appearance from new German
arrivals Stone Berlin!
Equity Punks – be sure and secure your
tickets whilst you still can…
Alongside the beer and music the wide
variety of street food will return, as will
the hoppy oasis that made breakout
rooms cool again – the Boyd Orr room
is back. There will also be the usual
tasting sessions, merchandise stall and
online shop for all your beer needs –
plus we are working on some special
new additions for #PunkAGM2017 –
so stay tuned!
EQUITY PUNKS –
BE SURE AND SECURE
YOUR TICKETS WHILST
YOU STILL CAN…
As last year, we have set a ticket price,
but the £15 fee will be refunded in
beer tokens on the day. Plus one’s are
welcome but must attend with their
shareholding buddy! Spaces at the
AGM are first come, first served and for
this year we are donating the £15’s from
any no-shows to BrewGooder. Although
we have a larger capacity for 2017 the
places will go quickly. So head to the
Forum, sign-up and we’ll see you in a
couple of months!
We are talking about Rye.
It really doesn’t look tricky to
use. Holding a handful of these
cheerful little grains reveals only
the fact that they are smaller
than their cousins the barley.
There are a few clues to be had
though, as a portent of what
they may be like to brew with.
For one, they are seriously hardy
grains, growing in poor soil, cold
conditions and in places where
others can’t get a foothold
(hence why rye bread is often
a staple of parts of Europe with
harsh winters). Chew one of
the grains and it’s pretty bitter –
Pliny the Elder (the scholar not
the beer) noted that rye "is a
very poor food and only serves
to avert starvation.”
R is for rye
If the flavour profile and
robustness should make brewers
sit up and take notice prior to
dialling in that 80% rye brewday,
the fact that they usually
come across it de-hulled and
un-malted yet it still has to be
milled should be the final factor.
Crushing barley cracks the hulls
to allow brewing liquor to reach
the inner starches. Crushing
rye allows the liquor to interact
with it but crucially breaks the
grains apart to prevent them
simply pulling the water into
their structure and slowing
everything down. The internal
structure of rye means left to its
own devices it will take up the
liquor and not release it. And
there the problems start.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
Rye has gained its ‘problem
ingredient’ reputation amongst
brewers and homebrewers
because of this fact that it
contains much more protein
than barley, and the betaglucan sugars released –
coupled with the lack of a
naturally-filtering husk – mean
brews with plenty of rye can get
sticky, or even stuck. A stuck
mash is a rite of passage for
brewers but not something that
they want to have happen too
many times. It wasn’t for nothing
that Tempest’s foray into using
rye ended up with them
naming their 7.2% Red Rye
IPA ‘World of Pain’ due to the
marathon brewday it called for,
back in 2012.
So rye’s unique internal
structure can result it in
retaining water rather than
giving up its starches, and this
leads to the mash and the lauter
slowing to a trickle, or stopping
altogether. Very often this
gloopy porridge will dry out so
much that it starts to resemble
something akin to brewers’
concrete – and the only option
is to start the recirculation
again with water at a higher
temperature to try to break
things down a bit. Of course,
prevention is better than cure,
so many brewers add rye in small
quantities (10-20% of the total
malt bill) or also introduce rice
hulls to act as a natural filter bed
and replicate the part of the
process the hull-less rye cannot.
FOUR BREWS THAT HAVE
NAVIGATED THIS PROBLEM-GRAIN
Of all the potential additions
they can deploy, one in
particular is treated with
respect by brewers the world
over. A cereal grain that looks
very similar to barley (they
are closely related) but with
differences that become highly
apparent. When used to the full
extent of its capacity, this grain
adds a complementary hint of
warming spice to a beer. When
over-extended however, it can
destroy the brewday altogether
and leave the brewer with
nothing but a lot of cleaning on
their hands.
RYE O RYE
W
hen it comes to
brewing ingredients,
each and every one
of them has pros and cons for
the brewer to consider before
including them in their recipe.
So with all this extra activity
needed, you might well be
asking yourself why on earth
do brewers bother using rye at
all (this is what they often ask
themselves whilst pounding
the outside of their lauter tun
with both fists). Well, if the
risks in its use can be mitigated
rye imparts a fairly unique
set of flavour characteristics
on your final beer. It gives
a commonly-noted spicy
aftertaste that can be almost
peppery, along with a dry
tartness (which is paradoxical
to their sugary, sticky nature).
Rye also adds body to beer,
and can produce a natural
haze in levels similar to that
obtained by using wheat.
All of these attributes add up to
a number of classic beer styles –
from German roggenbiers of old
to rye-infused pale ales of the
modern age, when used within
its means. If kilned first, it adds
a caramel or even chocolate
note to export-strength old
ales, bitters and porters. When
noting down possible switch-ups
for Jack Hammer as part of our
Hammer Heads series, brewing
our piledriver of bitterness with
rye was one of the first up on
the flipchart – and Rye Hammer
duly delivers a rounded spicy
dryness to the citrus-forward
ruthless IPA. Rye can certainly
be a temperamental grain, but
if you can avoid the pitfalls it
can make all the difference to
your beer....
RYE ALSO ADDS
BODY TO BEER,
AND CAN PRODUCE
A NATURAL HAZE IN
LEVELS SIMILAR TO
THAT OBTAINED BY
USING WHEAT.
ALBINO SQUID
ASSASSIN (7.4%)
FOUNDERS
RED’S RYE (6.6%)
Our tentacled terminator
packed a punch from
generous rye additions
Caramel malt acts as the
partner to the rye in this
draft-only modern classic
CROMARTY
RED ROCKER
(5.0%)
CLOWN SHOES
CRASHER IN THE
RYE (11.5%)
Red rye extravaganza
marrying spice with pine
from the hops perfectly
Bourbon and Rye
Whiskey-aged oatmeal
milk stout. A behemoth
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
W
e have some
pretty epic
things in the
pipeline for 2017 here
at BrewDog. One of the
projects we are most
excited about – and
have been for a while
– is the development
and construction of our
standalone sour beer
facility (Codename:
BrewDog Overworks).
Say Hi to
Richard!
We have already
started excavating the
foundations for it, in a
previously vacant plot
directly over the road
from DogTap – work
began on the 16th of
January. But we realise
that to fully do sour
beer justice, aside from
the facility itself we
needed someone at the
helm from the cutting
edge, with incredible
experience of brewing
and creating sour beer
in a world-leading
brewery.
And we found just
that person to be our
BrewDog Overworks
Brewmaster.
We are hugely excited
to announce that we
have taken on board
Richard Kilcullen,
former head of Sour
Production at one of
America’s foremost craft
breweries – Wicked
Weed – to head up the
Overworks.
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 10 –
ISSUE 40
Richard combines over
a decade’s worth of
brewing experience
with a lifetime obsession
with homebrewing
old-world styles and
wild ales, picking up
imported sour beers and
propagating the yeast
for his own experiments.
A day one appointee
at Wicked Weed, he
moved up from assistant
brewer to overseeing
the multi award-winning
barrel programme in only
three years.
Anyone who has been
lucky enough to visit the
Funkatorium in person,
or try Wicked Weed’s
bottled beers in the UK,
knows the astonishing
skill and talent displayed
in the brewhouse on
a weekly basis. So if
anyone knows why sour
beer has taken off, it’s
Richard.
“Overall, people seem
to appreciate the
delicate balance of
extreme, new flavours
and traditional, timeconsuming, more natural
and romantic methods
used in Sour beer
production,” he says. “It
seems that drinkers, in
looking for the newest
flavours are beginning
to look back across the
less known historical
trends in beer like those
of the Flanders and
Lambic regions.
RICHARD COMBINES OVER A
DECADE’S WORTH OF BREWING
EXPERIENCE WITH A LIFETIME
OBSESSION WITH HOMEBREWING
OLD-WORLD STYLES AND WILD
ALES, PICKING UP IMPORTED SOUR
BEERS AND PROPAGATING THE
YEAST FOR HIS OWN EXPERIMENTS.
With Richard leaving
North Carolina for Ellon
our new sour facility
simply could not be in
better hands. Speaking
of which, are we going
to see Richard in the
surrounding landscape
trying to harness the wild
flora of Aberdeenshire?
“One of my greatest
passions as a brewer is
incorporating the local
flavors and flora into my
beers. I look forward to
finding native yeasts and
microbes everywhere
from the heather-strewn
fields, the oldest of
orchards, and maybe
some of the icy peaks
in the Highlands as
well. The Scots are no
strangers to wild yeast
and barrel aging and I
hope to tap into that
tradition to give BrewDog
beers an identity all their
own.”
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 11 –
ISSUE 40
We love sours. Richard
loves sours. But we all
know that they can
be something of an
acquired taste at first.
That first sip of a sour
beer can take your
breath away (quite
literally) – see page
27 – so how would
Richard describe the
flavours these beers
have to potential
new converts?
“The term "sour" beer
is a bit of a misnomer,
I sometimes feel it is
too one-dimensional
to encompass the
complexity of these
types of barrel aged
beers. In general, these
beers take months to
create and you can
taste that time and
layered development.
To me, these "cultured"
ales create a sense of
place and terroir that
you can never get from
conventional beer. You
get the natural barnyard
notes of wild yeasts, the
vinuous notes of aged
hops, the bright acidity
of fruit fermentations
and the minerality of the
local water, all playing
together in a layered
beer that begs you to
take your time and think
while you enjoy it.”
One of those key wild
additions is the mighty
Brettanomyces. This
naturally occurring
yeast gives those
characteristic ‘barnyard’
notes to a beer. But it
can take over if left to
run amok – so we asked
Richard how much of
its influence is left to
chance and how much
can be controlled.
“Wild things can't be
controlled or they
wouldn't be wild and
therefore wouldn't be
exciting. The best you
can do is give them what
you think they need,
and like any wild thing
don't fall into a false
sense of security. Keep
eye on your Brett and
don't rush and usually
you'll be okay...usually.”
Finally the
conversation turned
to the fundamentals
of producing sour and
wild beers. The Wicked
Weed Funkatorium is
a world-leading sour
brewery, so what has
he learned there that
he can bring to the
BrewDog Overworks?
“There is one
fundamental to
producing these types
of beer that cannot be
faked or taught; that is
patience. It is ironically
something us Americans
are not particularly
known for, but it is the
most crucial element to
creating complex barrel
beers. These beers
cannot be rushed, they
don't care about your
production schedule or
your release date. If you
listen patiently and give
them what they need
to develop, they will tell
you when they're ready
but they will always do
it on their own time and
tell you with their own
language.”
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 12 –
ISSUE 40
When we set out to
bring someone into
the BrewDog crew to
lead our new forays
into the world of
wild and sour beer,
farmhouse ales and
mixed fermentations
we really couldn’t have
imagined we would end
up with someone with
the skill, experience
and knowledge
Richard brings to the
Overworks. He is the
perfect person to bring
this exciting new facet
for BrewDog to life. For
confirmation of that,
look no further than
his overall philosophy
about craft beer.
“I love seeing the rise
of region-specific
styles and trends
and the fierce pride
beer drinkers have
for them and I hope
that continues,” he
says. “The craft beer
industry is one of the
most supportive and
symbiotic industries
out there; if we pay
attention to what
people want, and
produce it with
integrity and care, we
have nowhere to go
but up.”
Perfect
Pairing:
Jet Black
Heart
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.
I
f March is anything, it’s
the month when all beery
attentions turn to the darker
side. Everyone everywhere will
be encouraged to sink a pint
of stout – and despite the usual
example cited – we also love
this idea. That’s because stout is
a massively flavourful beer style,
when brewed well, and also
because they are a perfect foil for
a huge range of different foods.
Whether roasty and dry with
coffee flavours in a classic
British stout to baselines that
are deep and chocolately in
their oatmeal milk cousins, the
spectrum of flavour possessed
by stout opens up even more
at mealtimes. Take our inky
leviathan Jet Black Heart –
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 13 –
ISSUE 40
pitch black and roasty as hell,
it is the ideal pairing for one of
this country’s quintessential
pub-based comfort food staples;
Shepherd’s Pie.
With a rich gravy, any beer
squaring off against it has to have
a full body – and the oats add
that depth and creaminess to
complement perfectly. As an
oatmeal milk stout, this mouthfeel
is also accentuated and serves to
go really well with the fluffy mash
on top of your pie. And the maltlet roast pairs up with the beef at
the same time (even more so if
you brown it beforehand to yield
added colour).
So when stout month appears –
reach for those pie dishes!
Focus on:
Cloudwater
T
here’s never been a
better time to be a craft
beer drinker, with new
breweries opening all the time
around the country and bottleshop shelves groaning with
the weight of their collective
output. Yet this amazing amount
of choice as beer consumers
means that all of the breweries
arriving on the scene face a
harder battle than ever to stand
out from the other new kids
on the block. It can be done
though, and for a case in point
you need look no further than
a quiet corner of an industrial
estate in Manchester.
There in one of Britain’s
formative beer cities, a small
group of likeminded beery
souls established a brewery
that has blasted onto the scene
and made more people sit up
and take notice than pretty
much any other brewery that
launched over the last couple
of years. Cloudwater Brew Co
are already household names (in
houses where beer is consumed,
at least), having started out in
the waning months of 2014, and
there are several reasons behind
their success – not least their
barnstorming DIPA. But two
others definitely stand out.
Firstly, their unique hook.
Founder Paul Jones and his
growing team switch out their
entire line-up every three
months, changing their beers
with every season. With no core
range – although some like the
aforementioned double IPA
transition throughout the year
– this gives the brewing team
at Cloudwater total freedom
to work with newly-arrived
hops and whatever additional
ingredients are in season.
Everything is replaced, even
the artwork on the bottle
labels completely changes
every quarter.
HOP PROPAGANDA
– 14 –
ISSUE 40
reason for their immediate success also tips a hat
towards the spiritual – the ability to focus on the
detail down to the tiniest level, in order to better
appreciate your role in the grander scheme of
things. This is something that all brewers do,
but Paul and his team truly excel at.
CHANGE THINGS UP
FOUR OF CLOUDWATER’S
GREATEST HITS
Right from the beginning – in fact, before the
beginning – Cloudwater have taken this attitude.
It took Paul eight months to find a location for the
brewery before he settled on that industrial unit a
few minutes’ walk from Manchester’s busiest railway
station. Anyone who followed the brewery on social
media from their inception onwards was greeted not
with promises of incredible beer or teaser shots of
labels, but detailed updates on the state of the resin
floor, or the newly-connected pipework.
Many breweries have seasonal
beers of course – not least
ourselves – but few go to this
length and then head in a new
direction again three months
down the line. It’s a fascinating
approach, and it is one that
mirrors the philosophy that
sparked the brewery into life
in the beginning. The name
Cloudwater derives from the
literal translation of the Zen
Buddhist term unsui, taken from
a Chinese poem “To drift like
clouds and flow like water.”
Obstacles to be overcome
are parted like clouds; flowed
around like water.
Transition is a central theme
of Buddhism, a continuance of
movement to a final destination
whilst ignoring any outward
distraction (and then of
course to do it all again). So
in that respect it comes as no
surprise that Cloudwater take
this outlook – and the second
FOUNDER PAUL JONES AND HIS
GROWING TEAM SWITCH OUT
THEIR ENTIRE LINE-UP EVERY
THREE MONTHS, CHANGING THEIR
BEERS WITH EVERY SEASON.
BERGAMOT
HOPFEN WEISSE
(6.0 %)
IPA MOSAIC
EXP 431
(6.5 %)
Stunning modern
wheat beer infused
with pithy, oil-rich
Bergamot lemons
Spicy, juicy
exponent of a beer
designed to be
drunk as fresh as
possible
FRANÇOIS
BIERE BRUT
(6.0 %)
DIPA V11
(9.0 %)
Many breweries tweet photos of their new floors
of course, it’s a social media staple (see also: new
fermenters arriving on flatbed trucks; full mash tuns
being emptied and regular appearances from the
brewhouse dog/cat/robin). Not many of them take so
many images of the floor that the contractors stop and
ask why they are so fascinated with their work though,
but that is what Cloudwater are all about – focusing
on the detail, working out the best way to do things. It
is an attitude shared by all the best breweries.
Coupled with their attention to detail – and of course
the amazing character and balance of their beers –
are just some of the reasons why Cloudwater have
captured the attention of craft beer fans and really
managed to stand out from the crowd, even now
when the beer shelves are becoming ever-full with
incredible beer from around the world. With their
focus set, Cloudwater have everything in place for
truly impressive things to follow over the year ahead –
three months at a time.
Small-batch (but
larger bottle) saison
aged in François
white wine barrels
Enormously
tropical beer in the
series re-writing
the rulebook on
imperial IPA
BrewDog vs. Cloudwater
OUR LATEST BASTION FOR THE BEER-LOVING
PEOPLE OF YORKSHIRE
T
alking of
Cloudwater, a
collaborative
brewday was a chance
we could not pass up.
We love sharing ideas
and joining forces to
unleash something
truly special, and Paul
is on the same page…
“Collaborations always
give us the chance to
see a little of the inner
workings of another
brewery, absorb and
exchange ideas, and
spot yet more ways to
overcome surprisingly
common challenges.“
The challenge that was
set to the combined
brewteam was to
recreate one of the
true styles of the
moment – a New
England-style India
Pale Ale.
Hops will always be in
fashion, but the way
they are deployed
changes almost from
year to year. Recently
there has been a
new addition into the
pantheon of India Pale
Ale – a move away from
the biting, resinous IPAs
of the West Coast of
the USA. Pioneered
by breweries in New
England such Hill
Farmstead, Trillium
and in particular The
Alchemist in Vermont,
the new kid on the hop
block is a very different
type of beer – but no
less amazing to drink
(and to brew).
New England IPA is
characteristically hazy,
which is the initial point
of difference you get
when pouring one into
a glass – but the key
aspect they have is the
hop flavour. Yielding
tropical and stone fruit,
these beers are more
subtle than the highIBU hop bombs of the
West Coast; yet what
they lack in intensity
and bitterness they
more than make up for
in flavour and depth.
BrewDog vs
Cloudwater is a 6.8%
New England-style
India Pale Ale, hopped
with Mosaic in the
whirlpool only. Without
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
any big-hitting additions
of hops in the boil, we
carried the flavour by
heavily dry-hopping
the brew with Citra and
Mosaic. Topping out at
around 35IBU, we also
used oats in the recipe
to deliver the trademark
smooth mouthfeel – and
made it truly authentic
by propagating a one-off
culture of Vermont yeast,
specifically for the brew.
We caught up with
Paul to ask him why this
new style of IPA is so
approachable. “With
their juicy, fruity aroma,
low bitterness, bold
flavours, and sumptuous
mouthfeel, they are
both incredible gateway
beers for anyone just
getting into modern
beer,” he said. “They are
also deeply satisfying
to committed beer
enthusiasts that know
their Summit from their
onions. It's a treat to be
able to make juicy IPAs
and present them to near
enough everyone.”
BrewDog
York
is Here!
130-134 MICKLEGATE, YORK YO1 6JX
[email protected]
BREWDOG YORK
@BREWDOGYORK
@BREWDOGYORK
With a vast array of breweries and places to find their
craft, Yorkshire has a number of fantastic scenes for
anyone after a beer or three – and we love that our
bars are firm fixtures for the thirsty people of Sheffield
and Leeds. But we are always looking to give people
more chances to enjoy our beer – and with that in
mind we have spread our wings into North Yorkshire.
BrewDog York has an 800 year-old landmark to guide
anyone towards it who may be lost within the jumble of
streets to the west of the River Ouse – our latest UK
bar to open is a stone’s throw from Micklegate Bar. This
historic royal entrance is a perfect neighbour, and it
makes our bar an ideal location for a refreshment break
for anyone navigating the walls.
Speaking of which, inside our hand-picked crew are
ready and waiting to dispense 14 taps of craft beer
from ourselves and specially selected guest breweries,
alongside a range of wines and spirits. For anyone who
needs to head somewhere else but needs something
to take with them (such as a train beer, for instance),
BrewDog York offers a full growler service on any of
the taps and has a selection of bottled beers to go as
well. Plus it serves our justifiably famous pizza menu for
anyone who needs something to sustain them!
We couldn’t have put it
better…
HOP PROPAGANDA
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HOP PROPAGANDA
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HOP PROPAGANDA
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Equity for Punks
USA is Here!
IN 2010, WE RIPPED UP THE RULE-BOOK AND LAUNCHED
EQUITY FOR PUNKS, INVITING THE PEOPLE WHO CARED
MOST ABOUT WHAT WE DO TO SHARE IN OUR FUTURE
GROWTH AND JOIN US FOR A ROLLERCOASTER JOURNEY AS
WE SET ABOUT CHANGING THE UK BEER SCENE FOREVER.
S
ix years and four rounds
later, we have now
amassed 55,000 Equity
Punks across the globe.
They have invested over
£26m in our fledgling business
and projected us to the next
level both internationally
and at home in our heartland
of Scotland.
But with BrewDog Columbus
we have a second heartland –
across the Atlantic.
Our ground-breaking
crowdfunding model has helped
shorten the distance between
ourselves and tens of thousands
of craft beer fans, so in our most
ambitious project to date, we
are shortening the gap across
the ocean with BrewDog USA.
As well as the good people of
America, we are inviting the
rest of the planet – including
the UK – to own a share of the
American side of our business,
as we look to bring freshlybrewed BrewDog craft beer
to the land that inspired the
founding of the entire company.
You can buy a part of BrewDog
USA for just $95, or equivalent
in your local currency, via the
amazing new BankRoll platform
at www.equityforpunksusa.com.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
Investing in BrewDog USA
brings with it a raft of benefits
as well as an equity stake in
our business. You’ll have your
say in how our company is run,
the opportunity to attend our
USA AGM, and claim awesome
perks such as exclusive
barrel-aged beers (including
a roadkill-toting bottle of the
End of History), the chance
to brew a beer with James
and Martin, tours and tastings
and much more – check out
equityforpunksusa.com for all
the details!
equityforpunksusa.com
If you are one of our existing
army of Equity Punks, by
investing in BrewDog USA you
will increase your shareholding
in our US Company. Alongside
gaining access to those
American-specific benefits
we will also dispatch to you an
extra thank-you for supporting
our desire to change the world
of beer on both sides of the
Atlantic (and beyond); a special
code that can be applied to
our UK online shop and will
double your existing Equity Punk
discount, for one order only.
These ‘DoubleDogs’ can
therefore score up to 40%
off the usual price of our
freshly-brewed craft beer and
epic merchandise in one fell
swoop - plus we’ll send you a
DoubleDog pin badge to let
the world know your allegiance
to two flags (and amazing craft
beer). America is the land
of Double Cheeseburgers,
Double Espressos and Double
IPA – so as all are lifted to new
heights by being multiplied, we
have taken it upon ourselves to
add our shareholders to this list
with the DoubleDog rewards.
We couldn’t have even
envisaged BrewDog USA
without the ongoing support
of our existing UK and
European Equity Punks. With
their front-row seats to the
craft beer revolution, they are
part of our plan to take the
business we own together to
another continent. Together
we are committed to nothing
less than combining the two
greatest projects we have
ever undertaken; our groundbreaking crowdfunding model
and the construction of a
brewery on another continent.
Why are we doing this? Equity
for Punks is about community. It
is about connecting us with the
people who love our beer. It is
about building a new type of
business. It is about taking beer
lovers on this amazing journey
with us. It is about working
together to build something
we can all be proud of. And
all of that will be amplified by
the flick of a switch in our new
Columbus brewhouse.
DOG BLESS AMERICA.
i
No money or other consideration is being solicited, and if sent in response, will not be accepted. No offer to buy
the securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received until the offering statement is
qualified, and any such offer may be withdrawn or revoked, without obligation or commitment of any kind, at any time
before notice of its acceptance given after the qualification date. Any response to this web page or e-mail sent to us
regarding the matter or any indication of interest involves no obligation or commitment of any kind. The most recent
version of the Preliminary Offering Circular may be obtained from Kendall Almerico by writing to 1101 King St #610,
Alexandria, VA 22314 or by calling 703-684-4333.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
W
E HAD AN AMAZING TIME OF IT IN 2016, DIALLING SO MANY AMAZING
PROJECTS IN OUR CONTINUING QUEST TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE AS
PASSIONATE ABOUT GREAT CRAFT BEER AS WE ARE. AND YET, WE HAVE
SO MUCH MORE IN THE PIPELINE. AS WE ENTER THE TENTH YEAR OF BREWDOG
AND BEGIN OUR NEXT DECADE YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET. SO, WE FIGURED
WE’D TAKE A QUICK RUN-DOWN OF TEN OF THE THINGS WE ARE MOST EXCITED
ABOUT FOR 2017. IT’S GOING TO BE QUITE A RIDE…
1
BREWDOG OVERWORKS
Ten
Reasons to
Rock in 2017
As you read this, our construction team are
currently grinding out the foundations for what will
be the location for our assault on sour beer. Brettfermented farmhouse ales, fruit-infused Berliner
Weisse, sours aged in barrels and oak foudres – we
can’t wait to begin harnessing the flavours that are
captured by wood, yeast and the power of time.
With Richard Kilcullen on board and heading up
our sour programme, 2017 is going to be quite the
year for fans of tart, flavourful beer.
2
NEW BOTTLING LINE
We are constantly looking at ways in which we
can upgrade our brewery – and this year we are
replacing one of our longest-serving pieces of
machinery. Custom-engineered for us in Germany,
in 2017 we are installing an entirely new bottling
line in Ellon – one capable of filling, capping and
loading a staggering 46,000 bottles of craft beer an
hour. With the absolute lowest levels of Oxygen
pickup anywhere. They will be the freshest-tasting
bottles of craft beer to boot.
3
COLDER AND FRESHER
On the same lines, one of the biggest projects
we have undertaken for some time is ready and
waiting in the wings. Colder and Fresher is our way
of revolutionising distribution of our beer – we are
implementing a completely chilled supply chain
in 2017. So beer, freighted to where it needs to
be, in refrigerated trucks. From there, into chilled
warehouses. Every part of the journey conducted
in cool temperatures to ensure our hoppy
beer gets into your hands tasting amazing.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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HOP PROPAGANDA
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4
8
FRANKLINTON FUNK FOX
LONE WOLF
With BrewDog Columbus scheduled to begin
operation and our taproom therein also throwing
open its doors to the people of Ohio, our entire
foothold in North America is something to get
truly excited about. Stand by for a more detailed
Columbus update very soon – something else
we are planning is a sister operation to our Ellon
Overworks; a sour brewpub located in downtown
Columbus. Get ready for the Franklinton Funk Fox.
Our pure bloodline prototypes gained a huge
following when we launched the twinned gins
and vodkas into the world just before Christmas –
anyone who picked them up to take for a taste-test
drive will be waiting with baited breath for the final
iterations to arrive. They won’t have too long to
wait – get ready for the release of the finalised Lone
Wolf gin and vodka soon. Crafted from scratch in
their entirety under one roof – Lone Wolf is ready
to plant a flag in a world of compromise.
5
JET BLACK HEART NITRO CANS
NEW BEERS
Oh yes. The canning line in Columbus is going
to be fully Nitro powered, able to seal up the
precious cargo with an extra-special blend of
gas that will deliver the ultimate pour of your
favourite stout whenever you need it. So you can
recreate having a Jet Black Heart poured for you
in a BrewDog bar, at home. And if your home isn’t
in the US then don’t worry, as we will ship them
across the Atlantic to our online store and network
of bars (chilled all the way, of course).
9
In 2017 we will be releasing some truly epic beers
– but then, you would expect nothing less for
out tenth anniversary of brewing. Prepare to gird
your drinking fridge with the likes of Paradox Rye,
a collaboration with Beavertown, the rejuvenated
Born to Die and a series of small-batch releases
kicking off with Semi-Skimmed Occultist; a coffee
chocolate and vanilla oatmeal milk stout. Oh –
and for your springtime drinking pleasure, Hop
Fiction in cans.
6
BREWDOG: THE BOOK
Whether craft beer veteran or virgin, we have put
pen to paper and are in the process of dialling in
a BrewDog book. Covering our beers, history and
philosophy it also will branch out into different
styles to try, how to ace beer and food pairings
(with recipes to take into the kitchen) and cover
homebrew with some of our brewing secrets as
well as those of other breweries – many of which
have never been published before. It may even
contain stickers.
7
IPA
10
And finally….we are releasing a new India Pale Ale
in 2017. That’s all we’re saying for now.
NEW WEBSITE AND APP
We have ridden the current version of our online
portal for a few years now, and it’s time to get
everything refreshed. So coming soon we have
a brand new BrewDog website, one that will be
more interactive than ever. We are also upgrading
the experience for users of our online shop and
our Equity Punks – plus we are re-tooling the
BrewDog app and are going to unleash it on the
world – with all kinds of interesting and cool new
features. Stand by for that one!
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
SEND US AN EMAIL TO [email protected]
WHICH OF THESE TEN TITBITS YOU ARE TEMPTED BY THE MOST! AND
IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SEE ON PLANET BREWDOG
THIS YEAR – ADD IT TO THE MESSAGE AND YOU NEVER KNOW!
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
NOW
NEXT
IF EVER THERE WAS A BREWERY WITH AN OUTPUT YOU WANT TO CONSUME
IMMEDIATELY IT WOULD BE THE KERNEL. MASTERS OF THE PALE ALE, FIND THAT
OPENER RIGHT AWAY – UNTIL YOU GET HOLD OF AN EXPORT STOUT THAT IS…
DRINK THIS NOW:
PALE ALE (ABV VARIES)
If you like your pale ales juicy – and let’s face it, who doesn’t – then there’s
absolutely no hanging around when the bottle hits the shelf and then
your grateful palm. Hops that yield huge amounts of citrus will lose
those high-notes over time, so they really don’t require (or deserve)
any ageing whatsoever.
The
First Time...
Kernel are the masters at this - their regularly changing lineup of pales each bring something different to the party
depending on what single or dual-hop they are deploying.
Whatever the Kernel Pale Ale you find, drink it as soon
as is humanly possible for the best flavour(s).
I
DRINK THIS NEXT:
EXPORT STOUT LONDON 1890 (7.2 %)
Brewed to a historical recipe this beer has become a
modern London classic. Whilst it may hark back to the
Victorian heyday of dark beers, it is still very much a beer of
the moment and deservedly occupies pride of place in the
Kernel’s line-up. This is the best stout in London.
As such, it also deserves pride of place in your ageing cellar.
The trademark Kernel bottle-conditioning will lead the beer to a
long and happy development, and the mellow, smooth flavours will
only continue their journey in that direction as long as you can resist
the temptation to open it…
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
f you aren’t sure what to expect, many beer
styles can be hard to get used to the first chance
you get to sample them. Head and shoulders at
the top of that particular pyramid would have to be
wild ales, lambic and gueuze, farmhouse beers and
anything else labelled under the family of sours.
The first sniff of the glass brings that sudden and
surprising whiff of Pickled Onion Monster Munch,
or Sherbet Lemons, or…nothing you can put a finger
on. And the taste! Acidic, puckering and bitter, they
could take the outermost layer off a 2p coin. People
drink these out of choice?
Well, yes they do. After a few the refreshing,
uplifting fruit and other flavours click, and the
whole thing makes sense. These are truly historical
beers from the global pantheon of brewing –
and yet, the first time you taste one, it just makes
you wonder if you’re being the victim of
a particularly twisted practical joke.
Do you remember your first sour beer? Did it
leave you recoiling in horror or eager to try more?
And if the former of those two options, how long
did it take for you to gain an appreciation for the
sour arts?
The First Time is our series revolving around the
many moments that drinking beer can lead to.
What were your first sour thoughts? Tell us your
stories via email or Twitter below. For Issue 41,
we’re packing a suitcase and asking what the first
beer you drank abroad was…
HOPPROPAGANDA
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
[email protected]
DIY Dog
Martin and I (James) started
home-brewing back in 2005. We
could not find any beers we
wanted to drink in the UK, so
decided the best thing to do
was to brew our own. Armed
with some very old Cascade
hops and a desire to recreate
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, our
brewing adventure started.
In 2007, we got a bank loan,
bought some second hand
equipment and turned our
home-brewing hobby into our
job as BrewDog officially came
howling into the world. Our
original brewery in Fraserburgh
was basically just a giant homebrewing set up with plastic
water tanks and completely
manual controls.
Many of the classic BrewDog
beers were developed during
our home-brewing days, and we
still use a 50L system to develop
new beers and new recipes
here at BrewDog. Homebrewing is very much ingrained
in our DNA at BrewDog as so
many of the world’s great craft
breweries can trace their origins
back to home-brewing.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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brewdog.com/diydog
We have always loved the
sharing of knowledge,
expertise and passion in the
craft beer community and
we wanted to take that spirit
of collaboration to the next
level. So with that in mind, we
recently launched DIY Dog –
our project to give it all back.
With DIY Dog we wanted to do
something that has never been
done before as well as paying
tribute to our home-brewing
roots. We wanted to take all of
our recipes, every single last
one, and give them all away
for free, to the amazing global
home-brewing community.
To get hold of the keys to
our kingdom, just go to
www.brewdog.com/diydog and
enter your email address –
and that’s it. Every single
BrewDog recipe, ever will be
yours. Copy them, tear them to
pieces, bastardise them, adapt
them, but most of all, enjoy
them. They are well travelled
but with plenty of miles still left
on the clock. Just remember
to share your brews, and share
your results. Sharing is caring.
A near decade-long anthology
of BrewDog recipes, scaled
down to make it easier to follow
for those wanting to have a
go at home. DIY Dog is only
available in digital format but we
have decided to re-print one
selected recipe in each edition
of Hop Propaganda – this time
around, we are rocking the
yuzu with the gone (but not
forgotten) Konnichiwa Kitsune…
COPY THEM, TEAR THEM TO
PIECES, BASTARDISE THEM,
ADAPT THEM, BUT MOST OF ALL,
ENJOY THEM.
HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
New Punk
Merch!
EPIC NEW LOOKS FOR FANS OF OUR FLAGSHIP
More than anything else, we get asked for Punk IPA merchandise. We have been planning to switch up
the threads for our best-seller for some time – and our amazing merch team have pulled out all the stops
with this brand new Punk IPA range. Check out our online store at www.brewdog.com/shop or ask your
nearest BrewDog Bar staff member what they have in stock! (aside from Punk on draft, of course…)
HOP PROPAGANDA
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HOP PROPAGANDA
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BrewDog 2016
Photo Competition
Winner
JAMIE DAY
B
ack in midDecember when
the decorations
were still up we launched
our annual contest
to adorn the pages of
Hop Propaganda with a
photograph that sums up
BrewDog in a single frame.
The BrewDog photo
competition resulted in
many, many entries and as
ever picking a winner was
far from easy.
However, once the white
smoke emerged from
the chimney we let our
panel of highly-trained
photography experts
emerge from their
consultation chamber
and hand us the sealed
envelope. Following their
deliberations, Jamie Day
was crowned the victor
with this composition of
Punk IPA bursting forth
from the bottle!
Congratulations to Jamie;
his prowess behind the
lens earned him a truly
awesome Lomo'Instant
Wide Black Camera
from our friends at
Lomography, plus £50 in
Beer Bucks to spend in
his nearest BrewDog bar.
Both of which should aid
his photographic exploits
no end.
Thanks to everyone
who took the time to
enter – in particular
our top three of Jamie,
Radostina Peycheva and
Jim Larm. The BrewDog
Photography Competition
will return just before
Christmas (although
let's not think about
decorations and turkey
just yet).
THE LAST WORD
TAKEN A BEER PIC GOOD ENOUGH TO FEATURE IN THE PAGES OF
HOP PROPAGANDA? EMAIL A HIGH-RES COPY TO
[email protected] AND FIND OUT!
HOP PROPAGANDA
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HOP PROPAGANDA
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ISSUE 40
HP ISSUE #41
COMING IN APRIL
BREWDOG COLUMBUS BREAKS COVER
SHAKING UP BELGIUM WITH THE BRUSSELS BEER PROJECT
FLAVOUR CHEMISTRY: HERE COMES THE SCIENCE
OUR LATEST RELEASES; AND GUEST BEERS
YOUR FIRST EVER FOREIGN BEER – WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
HE LATEST NEWS FROM BREWDOG, THE WIDER WORLD OF
T
CRAFT BEER, AND MORE!
WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS
ABOUT THIS EDITION OF HOP PROPAGANDA. PLEASE GET
IN TOUCH USING THE METHODS BELOW. AND UNTIL NEXT
TIME, ENJOY YOUR BEER!
@BREWDOG
[email protected]
WWW.BREWDOG.COM