Nanny State - BrewDog

dgilks

Australia

4.13/5  rDev +39.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Massive piney, lemony passionfruit hop aroma. Lots of citrus and delicious smelling hop character. Mild notes of spice as well. One of the best beers I've ever smelled.

Clear dark amber colour with a creamy, dense light tan head. Great head retention.

Like cold and exceptionally strong black tea. Rounded tea flavour. Lots of bitterness. Mild citrus. A hint of resin. I actually like this. A lot. A bit more hop flavour would be great but the tea like flavour and balance works for me.

Medium-light body with moderately-high carbonation. Good but a bit astringent and tannic.

A really interesting beer and something completely out of the ordinary. A tasty beer and well worth trying even if only for the novelty.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 10:46:31 | More by dgilks

MrHyde1886

Italy

4/5  rDev +35.1%

04-24-2013 05:28:11 | More by MrHyde1886

Ciocanelu

Romania

3/5  rDev +1.4%

02-25-2013 10:07:13 | More by Ciocanelu

Mattias

Sweden

2.5/5  rDev -15.5%

01-26-2013 21:53:18 | More by Mattias

Liquoric3

Germany

2.65/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Dark golden colour wih a nice 2 finger white head. Low carbonation and decent lacing on the glass, The smell is pretty good you get Mango, lemon, tropical fruits and some hop bitterness.
The taste on the other hand is disappointing, No fruit aromas present like the smell indicated, only some hop bitterness combined with foul water flavor, my friend even tasted smelly feet. Body was medium with some hop bitterness lingering on the palate.
Sorry that was my first and last Nanny State.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 11:08:44 | More by Liquoric3

FLima

Brazil

3.33/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Had it the later version – after 2009 - with lower IBU (45) and lower alcohol. The initial version had around 4 times more IBUs and twice as much alcohol.
Dark Amber color with low head with medium retention.
Aroma is pretty good, citric and fruity with notes of passion fruit.
Hoppy flavor with a strong bitterness that keeps strong in the aftertaste, which is also dry and watery.
Medium carbonation with small bubbles. Body too thin.
I am afraid it was quite watery given the very low alcohol. Some malt presence would help as well. Interesting as an experience and good alternative to beer juice drinkers (non-alcoholic).

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 17:44:52 | More by FLima

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

This was pretty impressive, the beer poured out as a nice looking copper color with a foamy white head on top. The lacing is really good on this, very sticky and maintains a great retention. The smell has a nice aroma of malts and hops. The taste of the beer is malty and hoppy also. The flavors are quite nice for a beer with a low ABV. The mouthfeel is drinkable. Overall the beer is good, I would easily say this is the best low ABV beer I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 16:08:37 | More by Knapp85

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

2.05/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Reddish to murky brown colour with tinges of orange in it as well. It is topped buy a foamy white head about the width of a thumb.

Hopped up to begin with along with some floral notes and a touch of tea which I wasn't expecting. It is quite strong at points and there is some background pine and a bit of grapefruit.

Bland right at the start with touches of hops and pine but these are pretty minimal. There is a lot of bitter that follows this and again some floral notes but that's about it really. Not a great taste and in fact barely drinkable.

Incredibly dry on the palate along with being quite bland and almost watery if that is even possible. The beer is light bodied with low to mild carbonation.

Started out really well and I was beginning to think there was actually a low alcohol beer out there that would be able to compete with some pretty good pale ales however the second I took a taste of it I knew that wasn't the case. A pretty poor beer, up there with the worst if taken on taste alone.

1001 Beers Blog: http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 22:16:49 | More by flyingpig

bsuedekum

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev +18.2%

06-04-2012 03:20:43 | More by bsuedekum

Halcyondays

California

3.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From a 12 oz. bottle, courtesy of DoubleJ,

A: Pours a medium-brown with a crisp white head with good head retention.

S: Lots of hop character. Flowers, pine, cedar bark, black tea.

T: Really it tastes like iced tea, bitter with no sweetness, no malt to be found. Hop tea basically with carbonation.

M: Very light-bodied, it is refreshing in an interesting way. Has some creamy carbonation characteristics.

O: I like weird experiments like this in the beer world, drinking this will never let you take for granted the role malt plays even in the most unbalanced of West Coast IPAs. For low alcohol beer though, this kicks the crap out of O'Douls.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 18:24:29 | More by Halcyondays

DoubleJ

California

3.55/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

You gotta love BrewDog's response to its critics who blasted Tokyo* for containing 18% ABV. A near beer with lots of hops, this "IPA" was given to me as a gift from Sergio while I was in Brazil two months ago. On to the beer:

Dark copper color with solid lace and retention. Ok, whatever. Let me smell it...it's got a good nose. Flowery, some passionfruit. No malt whatsoever.

Halcyondays suggested this is like an iced tea with hops instead of tea leaves. I think he's right on. Iced hops? Lots of crisp hops and very bitter, but the bitterness is on the refreshing side, especially as more of it is tasted. Yeah, we have a sense of the malt, but onlya very hint of it. The body is very light (water anyone?) with some carbonation and crispness to liven it up.

Not all experiments turn out for the best, but I must say I did like Nanny State...the beer, not the group of people made of ignorant control freaks. If I needed to quit drinking, this would be a great step to get there...or would it?

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 01:37:32 | More by DoubleJ

aztraz

Sweden

3/5  rDev +1.4%

04-05-2012 14:12:19 | More by aztraz

Jerriko

Washington

1.5/5  rDev -49.3%

03-31-2012 16:44:19 | More by Jerriko

w00ddy

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev +1.4%

03-04-2012 10:51:56 | More by w00ddy

MaryCeleste

Sweden

3/5  rDev +1.4%

12-16-2011 20:13:45 | More by MaryCeleste

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.88/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3.5

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Dec 2011. ABV is 0.5%. I remember hearing about this beer after Brewdog were attacked by the Scottish government for supposedly promoting irresponsible drinking. This was their response. Two fingers up to the establishment I say!

Poured into a Sam Smith's pint glass. A clear coppery-amber colour with good carbonation. Yields a large head of white foam with good retention - this eventually reduces to a nice surface layer. A huge hit of aromatic hops greets your olfactory senses - notes of resinous pine and citrus with an undertone of sweet caramel malt.

Tastes of aromatic hops with some weak malt and a bitter finish. Notes of pine. The hops are there, but the malt is barely present. The bitterness isn't excessive, but the absence of a decent malt backbone leaves it unbalanced. Mouthfeel is equally poor - very thin and watery. Tingly and astringent, but the effect on the palate is more like black tea than beer. Aftertaste of aromatic hops.

Well - it's a good stab at a low alcohol beer. It will end up damned with faint praise, but I doubt there's another low-ABV brew out there with so much hop character. It looks great and smells nice, but falls down hard with the flavour and mouthfeel. Bonus points for effort - alcohol-free beer doesn't get much attention over here. Worth trying once.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 23:05:31 | More by jazzyjeff13

grapetonix

Sweden

3.35/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: like a dark amber ale. Medium head. Crystal clear.

S: hops! too much, tells you something about what you're gonna drink. Not a bad smell just disgustingly overpowering at times.

T: hops! and a little citrus and grass. too much again but it's very drinkable and enjoyable.

M: fresh, easy to drink. Needless to say no hints of alcohol here. Just the right amount of carbonation.

overall: Probably the most drinkable N/A beer I ever tasted and definitely more enjoyable to drink than a generic watery alcohol containing lager. Would not feel ashamed in bringing this to a party or event. Keep up the good work BD!

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 15:53:42 | More by grapetonix

hoser

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +35.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Yes officer I have been drinking tonight as a matter a fact I have a fuck of a lot to drink tonight, I think 12 beers but I can't remember. Yes I will take a Breathalyzer and a blood test. Yes my breath does smell like hops. No your machines aren't broken, I forgot to mention the beers I was drinking are 0.5% alcohol by volume.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 18:11:30 | More by hoser

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev +37.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A heavily hopped .5% provocation. It works!

Presentation: 12 oz bottle. Smudged and a bit trite design of semi erased and dusty fonts displaying the brew name in light green. Side notes goes over brew intent, main characteristics, and brewery ethos. Notes best before date and batch (19/12/11 388). Shows Alc. by Vol. (0.5%) Poured into a tulip glass.

A - Clear amber pour, rich foamy head with nice retention and a persistent surface memory, great lacing.

S - Richly hoppy nose, plenty of resin, citric notes, a bit grassy, quite intense and rich…

T - Taste maintains the range without the intensity, hoppy, citric and resinous with that grassy touch, minimal touch of malt.. the softness can felt already but the lingering bitterness and aroma sustain the brew rather well.

M - Medium/light body. Medium carbonation holding throughout rather well and helping soften the sometimes watery mouthfeel.

O - If the point is to prove that a low Alc. and flavorful brew can be done then this one does it. If somewhat thin on the palate, the aroma shines, the flavor stands and the overall experience is quite pleasing.

Notes: Polemic aside it is actually a rather quaffable brew, full of hoppy flavor, so it is not for all palates, but it has a fun edge to it. I would not mind to have a few of these around. Funny how well I´m told this is selling in some places for people looking for the hops without the alcohol...

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 02:41:59 | More by Daniellobo

salvo

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Appearance: you'd be hard pressed to tell this wasn't a high-end IPA. Rich, deep brown with a finger of head that dissipates and disappears, streaking the glass.

Smell is incredible: pure piney, grapefruity hops with a veneer of rich malt.

Taste starts strong and like a west-coast IPA. And then it just disappears, falling off the table like a stone. No finish at all. And that in itself is amazing! Finishes like an unsweetened soda.

Another extreme beer from BrewDog that I have been waiting and waiting to try, and it did not disappoint. Extreme in what it doesn't have: alcohol. Extreme in that it was super-hoppy. Almost hop-tea, which is what I was expecting, frankly. Extreme and I love it, imperfect though it must be. Love to give this another try.

I am very grateful that it was available by the bottle at the new BrewDog bar in Edinburgh in the Cowgait.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 19:34:06 | More by salvo

LittleCreature

Australia

2.13/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Appearance - 4.0
Much darker than I expected. Pours a two fingers of cream coloured head over a clear body of copper-red.

Smell - 3.5
Already it is clear that this is not a regular IPA. Aroma is completely hop driven; fruity (grapefruit) and resinous.

Taste - 1.5
For the first second it seems that BrewDog have performed a miracle - there is a touch of malty sweetness. Unfortunately, this quickly disappears, leaving a very dry, very bitter beer which isn't all that pleasant. Tastes of citrus fruits and a little pine, finishing metallic and bone dry.

Mouthfeel - 1.5
Just like the taste, it seems ok at first, then falls flat. Fine carbonation gives a momentary impression of fullness in the mouth, before the true, thin and watery character takes over.

Overall - 1.5
I would be very interested to know what the IBU count on this beer is. Probably not too high, but it seems very bitter thanks to there being bugger all malt for balance.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 08:26:07 | More by LittleCreature

Trizzle

United Kingdom (England)

2.7/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Lovely dark Amber body, a huge fluffy head retains well and leaves thick slabs of lace.

Lovely hoppy aroma of pine and citrus hops and a vague background of sweetish malt back lacks a little oomph. A faint metallic twang as well.

Where is that malt in the mouth? Almost Non existent. Hoppy water. Plenty of bitter hops, pine and grapefruit, the slightest hint of malt. Is a touch astringent and lingers very peppery and metallic... Towards the bottom of my glass I'm starting to taste past the hops and getting a touch of honey malt. And more metal.

Not a bad shot at a very low ABV boy but I won't go again.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 15:21:22 | More by Trizzle

laituegonflable

Australia

2.45/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a red-tinged amber with light but steady bead feeding a beige, quite dense head that sinks in parts, leaving uneven texture on top, but nice retention and a big run-on sentence. No lace but otherwise very nice.

Nose is pleasant enough; hop aroma which is the overriding characteristic. Citric on the front but quickly becomes very metallic, with big brass notes, hint of floral at the back. A bit thin, almost like a hop soft drink, but decent.

Front palate has virtually nothing on it, just thin with slight tang from the hops which come more to the fore midway, nice and citric. Towards the back they become again very metallic, with a real ashy astringency on the back that is just unbalanced and simple with no nuance. It's inevitable from something with no body but I still can't forgive it. The whole palate is as empty as life itself, there's nothing here but bitterness and disappointment.

Watery and flat, couldn't expect much but that doesn't elevate it from nothing.

This beer is evidence that a sense of humour and clever marketing do not equal good beer. Under the circumstances, this is a pretty good brew; but this is the same as saying "That girl's a pretty good ballet dancer, considering she hasn't got any legs."

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 05:20:56 | More by laituegonflable

AgentMunky

Alabama

2.88/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 33cL bottle into a BrewDog cervoise glass. Batch 388 (0.5%). Best before 19 December 2011. A self-described "insanely hopped imperial mild."

A: Very clear. Dark, nutty brown with lots of bubbles and an unsustained head that, though large, collapses in on itself. Pretty with lots of lace.

S: REALLY nice. You'd never know this was a (virtually) non-alcoholic beer. Smells as an American IPA should -- boatloads of citrusy, piney hops that are noticeable even from a distance. Mmm. To be fair, the smell fades with time, but I'm leaving the score a notch higher in light of the style.

T: Ah...the downfall of Nanny State. Overly bitter, with no balance from the "8 speciality malts." All I'm getting is weak-bodied, astringent/soapy hops. The aftertaste is surprisingly less of a letdown, with a hoppy/piney linger. Nice. Overall though, completely one-dimensional.

M: Abominably weak. Some sparkle from carbonation and pleasantly drying hops save it from even a worse score.

O: This is my second Nanny State, and I can say that drinking from the bottle may ameliorate/hide the taste, but precludes this beer's best feature: the smell. Still, it has redeeming features (and it's low ABV can even be considered a virtue in some situations) and I would have another if the circumstance warranted. Very nice with spicy food. Only recommended for novelty value.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 19:24:08 | More by AgentMunky

NilsFrisk

Norway

2.78/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Looks amber with a head of pretty big bubbles, good retention.
Smells hoppy, kind of floral.
Tastes like water and hops, the malt is really missing here, way to unbalanced.
This would work for the days you really want hops, but not alcohol, but compared to other IPA's, this does not make it.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 15:00:45 | More by NilsFrisk