Brewdog’s Punk IPA recently had its recipe updated, and with that the alcohol percentage was lowered to 5.6%. This review is on the old version boasting 6.0% ABV, and according to Brewdog contains: Maris Otter Extra Pale Malt, and is hopped with Chinook, Crystal and Motoeka. IBUs are 65. The new version has a different hop profile, containing: Simcoe, Ahtanum and Nelson Sauvin hops, with 45 IBU.
| Brewdog Punk IPA | |
|---|---|
| Appearance |   |
| The beer has a golden-yellow translucent color, with a couple centimeter thick white head that falls quickly, leaving some traces of lacing along the glass. There are signs of carbonation, with bubbles rising to the surface. | |
| Smell | |
| The beer has a quite present piney, floral and citrusy hop aroma, with hints of sweetness and maltiness. | |
| Taste | |
| The initial taste is sweet and malty, with initial notes of caramel, but a piney hop flavour quickly takes over, leaving a bitter and citrusy aftertaste on the tongue. The beer is not overly bitter, and is well balanced. | |
| Mouthfeel |  |
| The beer is smooth, with a medium body and carbonation level. The drinkability is good, but the carbonation and bitterness takes it down a bit. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| A nice beer and attempt on an American IPA, but would have wished for stronger hop aroma and flavour, with slightly lower carbonation and just a hint more malt complexity. | |
Note: I also had a bottle of Punk IPA, coming from the same shop and probably around the same batch, earlier this week, that tasted like ****. It had probably gone bad, even though it was still within the best before date.