An Evening of BrewDog Beer Tasting in London

If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll know that I am a complete beer lover. I just love discovering the different beers each country I visit has to offer. Plus I’ve been known to bring home a crate or two from my travels!

As much as I love exploring beers from other countries, there are also many delicious beers from home for me to enjoy. One brand I have become particularly fond of over the last few years is BrewDog as it’s becoming more popular and easily available. So when a friend messaged me about going to a BrewDog beer tasting evening I couldn’t say no.

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Who Are BrewDog?

BrewDog are a Scottish based company started by two guys and their dog. Bored of the industrially brewed beers and stuffy craft beers that were dominating the UK beer market at the time, they started BrewDog in April 2007. Their mission was simply to encourage other people to become as passionate about craft beer as them. By 2008 they were Scotland’s largest independent brewery and by 2009 they had become the UK’s fastest growing alternative beer brand. Today they have bars all across the UK as well as in Spain, Italy, Sweden, France, Germany and even Japan.

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The BrewDog Beer Tasting

We arrived at BrewDog Soho slightly early so headed straight to the bar. Once we said we were here for the beer tasting the lovely lady behind the bar pointed out where our class would be and offered us a drink that wouldn’t be on tonight’s menu; Dead Pony Club.

The BrewDog beer tasting sessions are kept small and intimate. Our session was scheduled to be us and another couple but the other couple didn’t turn up so we ended up getting a private beer tasting. The sessions are about an hour and a half long where a BrewDog expert explains the BrewDog story, the brewing process and the ingredients used while we sample five of the BrewDog beers. These beers were:

1. Punk IPA – Abv 5.6%

There was no better start to the BrewDog beer tasting than the beer that began the beer revolution. This Indian Pale Ale was the drink that made BrewDog stand out from the crowds. Layered with new world hops to create an explosion of tropical fruit with a spiky bitter finish it has always been one of my favourite BrewDog beers to have.

2. Kingpin – Abv 4.7%

Kingpin was BrewDog’s reinvention of a larger to bring a taste sensation for the 21st Century. With your first sip you can expect a wave of robust, full-bodied malt character to hit before the spicy citrus notes hit you. The Kingpin experience ends with a bitter finish that makes you want to go back for more.

3. 5am Saint – Abv 5%

This bitter sweet chaos is another one of my BrewDog favourites. 5am Saint is a mixture of 5 malts with hints of berry and caramel riding alongside marmalade and chocolate. With all these different flavours dancing on your tastebuds in no wonder this is one of BrewDog’s headliner beers.

4. Jet Black Heart – Abv 4.7%

I never used to be a huge lover of stout so this is a drink I wouldn’t have ordered at the bar myself. This is why beer tastings are a great way for you to explore new drinks as this turned out to be my favourite beer of the tasting! This sable stout is black as night but smooth as hell. Jet Black Heart is a milky stout with roast malt flavours of coffee and chocolate. Flaked oats and wheat add to the velvet smooth finish. All I could think about while drinking this was how great it would go with a nice tiramisu!

5. Elvis Juice – Abv 6.5%

What I loved about the BrewDog beer tasting is that we got to select the final beer. After talking with the experts about what our beer tastes were they made a few suggestions of what we might like. I decided to try Elvis Juice. This American IPA has a bitter edge that will push your citrus tolerance to the brink and back.

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After The Beer Tasting

After tasting our five beers it was time to sit back and enjoy some meat and cheese boards. Because the other couple never showed up for the tasting it meant me and my friend got to enjoy twice as much food. Perfect for two foodies and the perfect ending for such a fantastic evening.

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The Verdict

If you’re new to craft beers, BrewDog are a great way to start. Their bars are popping up in more and more locations and the beers are sold in most British supermarkets now. Or take this beer tasting class and experiment with the different styles of beers to see what your favourites are.

As you have probably realised by this point, I loved my evening of BrewD og beer tasting. The BrewDog staff were fantastic. They really knew what they were talking about and you could hear the passion when they spoke. I learnt a lot of the beer making process that night and got to try a range of BrewDog beers.

Thank you ladies for a lovely evening!

Key Information:

• BrewDog can be found all around the UK. Head to their website for more information
• The beer tasting takes around 2 hours
• Cost is £20 per person
• Tastings are available on different days at different bars
• Most BrewDog beers are vegan friendly

Plan Your London Trip

Need some inspiration to help plan your London trip? Maybe these will help

• Sushi Making Class
• Disney Themed Afternoon Teas
• The Secret of Leinster Gardens
• Spa Day & Peter Rabbit Afternoon Tea
• Soho Twilight Food Tour
• Cheap Afternoon Teas in London
• How to Enjoy London in the Rain

Brewery Tours

Love visiting breweries? Check out these other awesome brewery tours around the world

• Svalbard – Svalbard Brewery (the world’s northernmost brewery)
• Killarney – Killarney Brewing Company
• Glasgow – Tennent’s Wellpark Brewery
• London – Meantime Brewery

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