It may seem unbelievable, but one of the world’s heaviest-drinking countries is also one of the biggest players in the alcohol-free drinks market. Indeed, the UK is leading the way when it comes to producing tasty non-alcoholic beverages.
BrewDog is one of the non-alcoholic beer OGs, releasing Nanny State, its first alcohol-free beer, way back in 2009, so I’ve been excited to do a BrewDog Nanny State review. Here’s my honest review of this West Coast IPA-inspired hoppy ale.
A Quick Look At BrewDog Nanny State
The folks behind BrewDog seem to like two things–good beer and a bit of controversy. Nanny State was first introduced as a 1.1% beer in 2009 with a 200+ IBUs (International Bitterness Units).
As the name suggests, this scale is used to help consumers choose beers that fall within their preferred bitterness range – so I can only imagine what Nanny State’s 200+ IBUs tasted like.
Thinking they might have gone a bit too far (and realizing Nanny State wasn’t all that good), BrewDog tweaked the formula, lowering the ABV to 0.5% and cutting back on the bitterness.
The current version is a West Coast-inspired pale ale brewed with Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade, and Simcoe hops and 8 types of specialty malts. While certainly hop-heavy, it comes in at a more respectable 45 IBUs.
BrewDog Nanny State Review
Looks & Aroma
Nanny State pours a clear, dark golden amber color and has an impressive foamy head (at least temporarily). What started out as a frothy, two-finger head slowly fizzled out into a half-finger head.
Overall, the foam head has a good retention and I found it to be a very attractive non-alcoholic beer to look at.
On the nose, the smell of grapefruit hits strongly. It’s fresh and floral, but not like, too floral. There is also a hint of pine, which reminded Chrystabelle of pine trees.
Taste
After seeing the variety of hops and the IBU of 45, I was anticipating a really hoppy beer (just how I like them). While BrewDog Nanny State certainly isn’t not hoppy (please forgive my grammar), it wasn’t nearly as bitter hoppy as I was anticipating.
That point aside, I did appreciate the dry bitterness that was there, as well as the balanced malt backbone. I got notes of grapefruit and a hint of piney resin.
The body is light, and the mild carbonation also adds lightness to the beer – which reminds me a little of drinking tea. I appreciated the dry finish, an aspect of this beer that kept me coming back sip after sip.
Customer Reviews
I went looking on Tesco to see what other customers think about BrewDog Nanny State. Overall, it has a 3.2-out-of-5-star rating on Amazon with 14 customer reviews. Based on the few reviews, I can see that most of the people think it is light and bitter, although some complain about a metallic/chemical taste.
BrewDog Nanny State Ingredients
Water, barley, hops, and yeast are the main ingredients in BrewDog Nanny State.
More specifically, the company uses Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade, Citra, and Simcoe hops and a blend of Crystal, Munich, White Wheat, and Malted Oats malts.
BrewDog Nanny State Calories
The BrewDog Nanny State from Ohio contains 20 calories and 2.3g of carbs per 12 oz/355mL can.
In researching this article, I noticed some slight differences in the nutritional information from country to country. I’m guessing that’s because each brewery has different procedures.
For example, a 330mL bottle brewed in Scotland reportedly contains 26 calories and 3.3g of carbs.
If you’re counting calories or watching carbs, I recommend double-checking the nutrition facts before buying to make sure you have accurate information.
Final Verdict Of Our BrewDog Nanny State
All in all, I really enjoyed trying BrewDog Nanny State. While it’s not the best non-alcoholic beer I’ve tried (that honor goes to another BrewDog creation), it’s a solid contender.
I particularly enjoyed the bitterness and the dryness, but as I said, I love very bitter beers and this one fell short of expectations in that regard.
Still, the malts and hops were well-balanced, creating a solid non-alcoholic beer option I’d happily drink again (and again).
Where to Buy BrewDog Nanny State
If you’re in the United States, you can order from our favorite online retailer Proof No More.
Dry Drinker sells some of BrewDog’s other NA beers in the UK, but sadly Nanny State isn’t one of them (as of this review – check to see if they now carry it).
Other BrewDog Nanny State FAQs
Is BrewDog Nanny State Gluten-Free?
BrewDog Nanny State is brewed with barley. In most cases, that would mean that it’s not gluten-free. However, BrewDog employs a gluten-reduction process in order to create a gluten-reduced beer containing less than 20 ppm.
This process uses an enzyme called Clarex to break down gluten proteins, making them too small for the body to detect as gluten. That’s the theory at least.
While some brewers may consider this an insignificant amount, the U.S. government doesn’t allow gluten-reduced products to be labeled as gluten-free because some people may still have a negative reaction to them.
For that reason, it’s important to know how well you tolerate even small amounts of gluten before chugging a glass of Nanny State.
Related: Ultimate Guide To Gluten-Free Non-Alcoholic Beer
Is BrewDog Nanny State Alcohol-Free?
Yes, BrewDog Nanny State is alcohol-free because it contains just trace amounts of alcohol (0.5% ABV).
Although there’s some confusion about the term “alcohol-free,” most NA beer drinkers agree that 0.5% ABV is more or less alcohol-free. To put it in context, a ripe banana has about the same amount of alcohol.
One thing’s for sure–BrewDog Nanny State won’t get you drunk, no matter how much you drink.
Is BrewDog Nanny State Vegan?
Unlike some of BrewDog’s other non-alcoholic beers that are made with lactose, Nanny State is not one of them. As a result, BrewDog Nanny State is vegan and acceptable for those following a plant-based diet.
Check out this article we wrote for more information about vegan non-alcoholic beers.
Did you enjoy our BrewDog Elvis Juice AF review? Check out our other BrewDog reviews!
This delicious non-alcoholic ale pours an impressive foam head, and has lots of hops, malts, and dry bitterness.