I just finished can #9 of the BrewDog Nanny State Hoppy Ale and I’ve headed straight back to the fridge for can #10. If that doesn’t set the tone for this BrewDog non-alcoholic beer review, I don’t quite know what will! Let’s talk Nanny State Hoppy Ale.
The BrewDog Nanny State Hoppy Ale scores an 8.3/10 with its complex profile built upon dark, roasty & chocolate noted malts that give way to an expectedly hop-filled body that is fresh, clean, & more, “fresh” than “citrusy & fruity”. After a brief gap, each mouthful finishes with a long lingering hop-driven bitterness.
Key Takeaways
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Alcohol By Volume: |
< 0.5% |
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Style |
Beer: Ale |
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Calories: |
22.5 calories per serve (375ml) |
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Flavour Profile: |
Roasty Malt. Hoppy Bitterness. |
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Cost: |
$14 – $16 / 4-pack |
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Rating: |
8.3 / 10 |
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Drink Again? |
Yes |
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Where to Buy |
READ THE FULL REVIEW DOWN BELOW
- Flavour: What does BrewDog Nanny State Taste?
- Stockists: BrewDog Nanny State Stockists?
- Nutrition: BrewDog Nanny State Calories
- Nanny State Rating Criteria
What does Brew Dog Nanny State Taste Like?
Trying to distil the taste of the BrewDog Nanny State down to a couple of paragraphs has been quite the task.
It is packed with a complex array of malts before a sweeping hop-driven freshness and finishing bitterness slide in atop of vibrant carbonation and leave you thinking ‘huh, I really want another one when you hit the bottom of your glass.
You’re going to find a profile that is built around a:
- complex malt profile that combines notes of dark, toasty, roasty, caramel and rye like flavours. (If you have had the Brune DMC I reviewed over here a little while ago you’ll recognise a few similarities here)
- bright and vibrant carbonation that puts up a bit of a wall between the malty base and the hop-driven body
- layered hop-driven body that is more fresh and clean than it is fruity and citrusy.
- strong lingering finishing bitterness that slides in after the hoppy notes fall away
- lighter bodyweight on the back of a crazy low number of calories.
In your glass, you’re going to find an amber-brown coloured brew with a slightly red tinge to it. Colour is largely dictated by malt profile and in this case, the use of darker profiled malts like Dark Crystal, Chocolate and to an extent Amber and Rye all give a higher Lovibond and in turn darker profile.
While that bulleted list took 10 seconds to read, it took an age to pull together given the depth and complexity of flavours! It is a great advert for why I buy and drink 6-8 of each beer before writing things up and deciding on flavour profiles!
What are the Body and Mouthfeel Like?
Like we spoke about in the list above, the body on this beer is lighter in its depth and weight when compared to something like a bigger profiled IPA. However, that isn’t an exactly fair comparison now, is it?
The BrewDog Nanny State is an entirely different beer (which you’ll see when you get down to the nutrition profile) and the body sits around that level you would expect from a light beer. Looking at it next to the Brune DMC I mentioned above as having a similar malt profile, you’re going to find a slightly lighter body in the Nanny State.
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What I Like |
Things to Consider |
| The complex malt profile, there is so much depth it is brilliant! | The body may be a little light compared to other styles of non-alcoholic beer. |
| The way the crisp and fresh hop profile wins out against any malty sweetness – you can ‘feel’ your tastebuds fighting it out for which flavour will come out on top. | I found the carbonation put up a bit of a barrier/there was a bit of a gap between the initial malt profile and the hoppy body coming through. |
Who is BrewDog Nanny State for?
The complexity of this beer makes it a bit of an anomaly to recommend – in this instance it is really for the drinker who is a bit of an explorer and wants something full flavoured and out of the ordinary.
It is for anyone who enjoys darker toasty and roasty malt profiles yet also enjoys the hoppy body and bitter finish of both pale ales and IPAs.
It sounds like quite a strange combination! But once you get this into your glass I’m confident you’ll get where I’m coming from.
Given the uniqueness of this brew, I would say it is a beer that everyone should drink at least once to see the amazing amount of flavour BrewDog have packed into a crazy low-calorie non-alcoholic beer.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to compare it to another alternative, I have mentioned the Brune DMC a few times already in this article I’d recommend pitching it against that to see how the flavour profiles match up.
BrewDog Nanny State Stockists.
The BrewDog Nanny State is a hidden gem and available at specialty retailers globally Craft Zero + Brunswick Aces in Australia and Dry Drinker in the UK. You will also find it in more traditional e-commerce or supermarket owned alcohol retailers.
Whether you’re looking for a 4-pack, 6 or 16 pack all the way through to a slab of 24, you can find links to where you can pick it up down below.
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Country |
Retailer |
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Australia |
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United Kingdom |
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United States |
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Will keep adding retailers as I find them |
Calories in BrewDog Nanny State
The BrewDog Nanny State contains just 22.5 calories per 375ml serve. This is made up of <0.1 grams of sugar and 4.5 grams of total carbohydrate per serve. On a per 100ml basis, the Nanny State contains just 6 calories, <0.1 grams of sugar and 1.2 grams of total carbohydrate per serve
You can find the full information on the Brew Dog Nanny State calories and nutritional information down below in the table.
| Avg Quantity Per Serving (375ml) |
Avg Quantity |
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| Energy |
101 kJ |
27 kJ |
| Protein |
0.4 g |
< 0.1 g |
| Fat, total |
< 0.4 g |
< 0.1 g |
| — saturated |
< 0.4 g |
< 0.1 g |
| Carbohydrate |
4.5 g |
1.2 g |
| — sugars |
< 0.4 g |
< 0.1 g |
| Sodium |
4.9 mg |
1.3 mg |
Rating Criteria
For 2022 and beyond I’ll be giving you the ins and outs of how drinks are ranked over at Tipple Zero. This way you’re across exactly what the pros and cons of each drink are and you can also adjust rankings based on factors that really matter to you:
- flavour and taste (40% of total);
- body and mouthfeel (40% of total);
- nutritional impact (10% of total); and
- Drinkability (the thing that makes you want another one) (10% of total).
In the case of the Nanny State the ranking and rating details are below (if you’re on mobile, be sure to scroll across!):
Flavour/Taste (40%) | | | | |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAW | 8.5 | 7.5 | 10 | 9 | 34/40 |
| ADJUSTED | 3.4 | 3 | 1 | 0.9 | 8.3/10 |
The Round-Up: Final Thoughts
With the Nanny State, BrewDog has captured a brilliant flavour profile that truly takes at least 3 or 4 beers to really unpick and find everything within it. Yes, if your tastebuds are overly picky like mine you might find a couple of minor gaps, but overall this brew is well worthy of its 8.3/10.
I’ve got a craving to order a spicy fried chicken burger and reach for the Nanny State, and while not the most traditional pairing I see it working an absolute treat. So do yourself a favour and grab a Brew Dog Nanny State and enjoy the dark malted, hoppy body and bitter finish flavour party that comes with each glass.
Just be sure to get yourself through a full 4-6 pack of them as you find flavours that you never knew existed with each glass! Major kudos to BrewDog, I’ll be back for more Nanny State and if you’re keen to try it out, the links are down below for you to check it out in your local market, enjoy!
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Country |
Retailer |
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Australia |
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United Kingdom |
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United States |
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| I will keep adding retailers as I find them |
