Brewdog Punk IPA

BrewDog Punk IPA is arguably the most important Scottish beer of the last two decades — the beer that put BrewDog on the map when it launched in 2007 and helped drag British craft beer culture into the modern era. James Watt and Martin Dickie’s declaration of war on mediocre beer, distilled into a bottle. On draught it’s a different experience from the canned version — smoother, more aromatic, and considerably more enjoyable in the opinion of anyone who’s had both.

Tasting Notes

Punk IPA on draught pours a clear, bright golden colour with a white head. The nose is immediately tropical and citrusy — grapefruit, passion fruit, light pine resin — a classic modern IPA aroma that’s become familiar but loses none of its appeal. On the palate it’s well-balanced: tropical and citrus hop character upfront, a moderate malt base, assertive bitterness through the finish. The draught version has a smoothness that rounds out the bitterness very pleasantly.

Verdict

Drink Punk IPA on draught whenever you have the option — it’s genuinely superior to the can. It’s a beer that’s earned its iconic status rather than just inherited it: still a benchmark IPA after nearly two decades, still the one many people think of first when they think of British craft beer. Whatever you make of BrewDog as a company, Punk IPA remains a very fine beer.