Invite – click here.

I was casually chatting on the Love Beer Cambridgeshire group and happened to mention that despite starting my craft beer journey well over a year ago, that I had never actually visited a Brewdog bar.

I was promptly messaged by one of the team at Brewdog who was looking to correct such a blasphemy. He invited me in to visit for their ‘beer school’ experience to explore the Brewdog range and find out more about the company.

Brewdog, is usually people gateway into craft beer. This is mostly because Brewdog is the biggest craft beer brand in the UK and is sold in places other breweries simply aren’t (like your local supermarket). You will have likely noticed their bars all over the UK and across the world. It amazes me how I have still not managed to visit one up until this point, especially since I have walked passed their bars so many times. I was very excited to finally end this injustice and find out what all the fuss is about!

As you would expect, there is a wide selection of Brewdog beers available. I also noticed a few small independent breweries from the local area on their list too. It is great to see a big corporation like Brewdog support local breweries. I noticed Waterbeach based sour producer ‘Pastore’ on the board, as well as one of my personal favourites ‘Brewboard’, from Harston. There are 30 taps available and a fridge full of beer cans.

I joined a group of others at a table, where I also met the chap leading the session, Adam. He explained the lesson which would consist of 6 beers, all served at 1/3 pint glasses. The range would consist of a variety of different types, from lager to stout (and everything in between) giving us a good idea of what Brewdog has to offer. He would then go on to speak about each beer in detail as they came out and answer any questions we might have along the way.

Beers are accompanied with a cheese board during the tasting, with a specific cheese paired up to each beer. I had literally just come from a review of Pizza Pilgrim around the corner, so decided to give the board a miss.

The bar looks quite small from the outside but it really opens up at the back. It also has an upstairs, offering extra seating capacity. There is a lot of street art and slogans reminding customers about their business model, including paying their staff a ‘real living wage’ and their commitment to offering vegetarian and vegan food.

1. We started off with a west coast pale ale called ‘Planet Pale’. This is a citrusy ale with a slightly bitter taste on the pallet. I must admit, this was the sort of easy drinking sessionable beer I would drink daily, especially since I like a bitter taste. 4.6%
2. Next, was the ‘Hazy Jane’, a New England IPA. This is one of the most common Brewdog beers available which you may have noticed in your local supermarket. It gets it’s name due to being unfiltered, giving it a hazy/cloudy look. I must admit, I have not been a fan of this beer when I have picked up a can during my weekly shop but tasting it from the tap is an entirely different experience. Adam also credited the jump in quality to the keg only being 2 weeks old but either way, it tasted fantastic. The tropical fruit notes were much more prevalent and it was significantly smoother with more depth of flavour. I could see myself drinking this more often. 5%.
3. We were then given a sample of their iconic ‘Punk IPA’ – This is Brewdog’s original ale and has been going for 15 years. The recipe has changed many times to meet the market demand but this version is dry hopped with hints of grape fruit. I think it was quite similar to ‘Planet Pale’. Some people said starchy? Others claimed an aftertaste of resin? I could not taste anything like that myself (likely a result of decades of phals and vindaloos 🤣). It still has its famous spiky bitterness but I do remember Punk IPA being more floral in the past, which seems to have gone. 5.2%
4. Next was ‘Lost Planet’. One of Brewdog’s lagers – Hints of honey and mint? Light, fresh, easy and very sessionable, as you would expect. 4.5%
5. Last was a double. An Irish dry stout called ‘Black Heart’. This is essentially a Guinness rival. It tasted similar to coffee, likely due to the roasted malts. I was a big fan of this and thought it was as good, if not better, than Guinness (though I can appreciate that Guinness can vary wildly).
6. We then had a sour from a brewery called ‘Vault City’. I thought this was absolutely excellent, which is particularly impressive as I am a bit hard to win over with sours. This was a strawberry flavoured sour and incredibly refreshing. 5.2%  

I also learned that they do a takeaway service. This is poured and sealed into beer cans to take on the go. Adam remembered that my favourite beer is ‘Beasticus’ by ‘Brewboard’ and informed me that they had some on tap, so naturally I picked one up! A perfect way to end the evening!

That concluded my Brewdog ‘beer school’ and my first ever Brewdog experience. It was a great way of being introduced to their range and gave me a small sample of the different types of beer they have on offer, while also educating me on the company’s history and business model. Adam was very informative and offered a very casual laid back experience, who was not only knowledgeable but communicated well. This is a great way for someone interested in learning about craft beer to get a solid foundation in what it is about and the types of beer out there.

For anyone looking for a Brewdog Beer School session, they are available on Thursday’s and Sunday’s in Cambridge. They cost £25 per person including the cheese board. For more information, click here.

Thanks for reading!