BrewDog Punk AF Review: Tasting This Famous Alcohol-Free IPA

I’m slowly going through the BrewDog variety pack, so this is another BrewDog non-alcoholic beer review from their NA series.

Punk AF is a hoppy ale that is modeled after BrewDog’s famous Punk IPA, and I’m really excited to try this alcohol-free version because I enjoyed the original Punk IPA (that was before I became sober).

Here are my tasting notes in this BrewDog Punk AF review.

BrewDog Punk AF Review

Looks & Aroma

Punk AF pours a light straw color with a slight haziness. A very foamy head formed initially, but it quickly settled, leaving behind a thin, slightly lacey head.

On the nose, I got tropical fruits, especially mango, pineapple, citrus orange, grapefruit, and a bit of pine.

Taste

Taste-wise, the mango, pineapple, citrus orange, and grapefruit from the nose were present, along with cereal, biscuits, and grassiness.

The mouthfeel is light (verging on watery) but this didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

The finish is dry and bitter, but not unpleasant. There is a lingering acidity after each finish that reminds me of an orange peel.

Customer Reviews

For a better sampling of customer feedback, I looked to BeerAdvocate and Untappd to see what other people are saying about Punk AF.

Overall, Punk AF has a 2.89-out-of-5-star rating on Untappd with more than 43,000 customer reviews. Most of the reviewers think that the flavor leans more towards a pale ale than an IPA, which I can see why with the thin body.

BrewDog Punk AF Ingredients

BrewDog contains barley, oats, wheat, water, hops, yeast, and sweetener FL.

The hop blend includes a combination of Ahtanum, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe, and Huell Melon.

The malts used include Crystal, Munich, White Wheat, Caramalt, and Malted Oats.

BrewDog Punk AF Calories

The American version of Punk AF contains 20 calories and 2.3g of carbs per 12oz/355mL serving.

American version, you ask? Indeed, BrewDog’s formula varies from brewery to brewery, meaning that the ingredients, taste, and calorie count are different depending on where you purchase your drink.

For instance, the UK version of Punk AF contains 50 calories and 10g of carbs per 330mL serving.

Given these differences, it’s a good idea to double-check the nutrition facts before purchasing if you’re monitoring calories or carbs.

Final Verdict Of My BrewDog Punk AF Review

Whenever I’m reviewing a non-alcoholic beer, especially if it’s an IPA, I have to remind myself not to compare it to an alcoholic beer.

They’re not the same thing and it’s not fair to expect a non-alcoholic version to blow my socks off the way a good IPA can.

Easier said than done, though.

I think those expectations influenced my review of Punk AF, but not entirely. For one thing, this brew is light, almost watery.

It managed to toe the line, but I would have appreciated a heavier body here.

The next thing (a big one for me) is bitterness. At 35 IBUs, Punk AF falls squarely in the pale ale range. Which, I guess it technically is (the can say hoppy ale, after all).

The thing is, BrewDog’s site calls this an IPA (which clock in between 50 to 70 IBUs). As a result, I found Punk AF lacking in the bitterness department.

With these two caveats in mind, I thought Punk AF was refreshing and drinkable – especially on a hot summer day by the pool.

Not my favorite BrewDog NA beer by any means, but certainly not terrible, either.

Best For:

• Those who like their beers light and not too bitter

Not Recommended For:

• If you prefer hoppier IPAs

Where to Buy BrewDog Punk AF

I bought this pack on Proof No More in the United States. Unfortunately, Proof No More doesn’t sell individual cans, 6-packs, 12-packs, or 24-packs of just Punk AF. In other words, you’ll have to spring for the variety pack if you want to taste it.

Online non-alcoholic drinks retailer Dry Drinker sells Punk AF in the UK. It’s available in three sizes: 8 x 330mL cans, 16 x 330mL cans, and 24 x 330mL cans.

Other BrewDog Punk AF FAQs

Is BrewDog Punk AF Gluten-Free?

Punk AF contains barley, oats, and wheat, meaning that it is not gluten-free. That said, like many NA BrewDog beers (at least the American versions), it is gluten-reduced.

Gluten-reduced beers are those which have undergone a gluten-reduction process that lowers the amount of gluten to less than 20 ppm.

The gluten-reduction process uses an enzyme called Clarex to break down the gluten proteins, resulting in proteins so small the body doesn’t detect them as gluten.

While this process does yield impressive results, it doesn’t completely remove gluten from beer. As a result, those with a gluten allergy may still experience negative effects from drinking gluten-reduced beers.

Given this risk, it’s a smart idea to check with your doctor before trying gluten-reduced beers.

Related: Ultimate Guide To Gluten-Free Non-Alcoholic Beer

Is BrewDog Punk AF Alcohol-Free?

Punk AF contains <0.5% ABV, making it more or less alcohol-free. As a comparison, a ripe banana or a cup of yogurt both contain about that much alcohol.

So, feel free to indulge, there’s no way to get drunk from Punk AF.

Is BrewDog Punk AF Vegan?

BrewDog’s Punk AF contains only plant-based ingredients (barley, oats, wheat, water, hops, yeast, and sweetener FL), making it vegan.

*Important: The Punk AF UK-version is not vegan because it contains lactose (milk).

Related: Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Vegan?

Did you enjoy this BrewDog Punk AF review? Then check out our other BrewDog reviews:

• BrewDog Elvis AF Review (<0.5%)
• BrewDog Nanny State Review (<0.5%)
• BrewDog Hazy AF Review (<0.5% ABV): New England IPA