BrewDog – A Breath Of Fresh Beer in Norway
Ok, Norway is famous for a few things and high alcohol prices is unfortunately one of them. Beer can be bought in supermarkets but only beer up to and including 4.7%abv alcohol. As a Scotsman living in Norway, this poses somewhat of a problem; overpriced, weak, mainstream and boring beer.
Luckily however, the state run Vinmonopolet has recently been spoiling us with greater (and stronger) beers from around Europe.
At my last trip to the “Wine Monopoly” I couldn’t help but notice Scottish flags stuck to the beer shelf.
My country was calling me!
Taking a closer look I saw a very curious looking bottle interestingly named PUNK IPA by a company called BrewDog.
Being a “HUGE” fan of the multi Award Winning Deuchars IPA which is brewed in my home city of Edinburgh, I thought (and hoped) this new and exciting PUNK beer would taste like something close to my beloved Deuchars.
The label read:
“This is not a lowest common denominator beer.
This is an aggressive beer.
We don’t care if you don’t like it.
We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness.
It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or the sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium craft-brewed beer.
You probably don’t even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and only the finest fresh natural ingredients.
Just go back to drinking your mass-produced, bland, cheaply made, watered down lager and close the door behind you.”
Well, enough said, I was very impressed by the BrewDog honesty policy and before I even finished reading the label a solitary bottle of PUNK IPA was in my basket and I was supporting my fellow countrymen!
Even for Norwegian standards, I thought the price was actually reasonable, 35kr per 330ml bottle (around £3.80).
The beer itself was lush, the malty origins were obvious, but the lemony, spicy crisp aftertaste came as a nice surprise. The 6% alcohol content meant that it had a comforting sting in its tail.
A tasty fresh IPA and a ”breath of fresh beer” in an overtaxed and under-explored Norwegian beer market.
BrewDog – the company that brought you the strongest beer in the world!
From the BrewDog website:
Beer was never meant to be bland, tasteless and apathetic. At BrewDog we are setting the record straight. We are committed to making the highest quality beers with the finest fresh natural ingredients.
Our beers are in no way commercial or mainstream.
We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness. We are unique and individual.
A beacon of non-conformity in a increasingly monotone corporate desert. We are proud to be an intrepid David in a desperate ocean of insipid Goliaths. We are proud to be an alternative.
- www.BrewDog.com
- BrewDog on YouTube
- IPA – Wikipedia
- Vinmonopolet Punk IPA (Norwegian)