BrewDog Hazy AF

For decades beer drinkers have come to expect their pint of amber nectar to be clear as crystal, the sediments and other detritus left over from the brewing process either filtered or pasteurized out. However a recent craze in the craft brewer industry has been to leave such compounds and particles intact, as they add both aroma and flavour to the brew. This style was thought to have started in the New England area of the United States, and has been dubbed the ‘haze craze’, due to the hazy murk that characterizes such beer’s appearance. And of course, the omnipresent BrewDog have tried their hand at such a brew.

BrewDog Hazy AF is the brewer’s alcohol-free version of their popular Hazy Jane IPA, and was introduced in 2020. Haze Jane had the essence of a hazy New England IPA down to a tee; an aromatic hoppy beer with intensified hop aromas without the acid bitterness. Can Hazy AF compete with this?

The first sniff greets you with a tropical, citrus-y aroma, with even a hint of apricot. Certainly the presence of Citra hops there. Pouring the beer into the glass and you instantly see the famous ‘haze’. It resembles cloudy apple juice, and actually reminds me of ‘Old Rosie’ cider. My first instinct if I were to buy this in a pub would be to ask the barman to check the pipes! The faintest whiff of a head appears, and then it’s as bald as a coot.

Hazy AF is packed with flavour. It’s hoppy, with Cascade, Chinook, Citra, Simcoe crammed in there, but the bitterness is tempered. This is because the hops are added in near the end of the brewing process, which means they have less chance to bleed their acids into the beer. What’s left is a delicious fruity brew, with citrus and oat also coming through.

Not only is BrewDog Hazy AF a great tasting non-alcoholic beer, it’s probably one of the best IPAs I’ve ever tasted. I’m still not sold on the cloudy beer experience though!

Nutritional Information (per 100ml)

0.5% alcohol by volume
14 calories energy
<0.1g fat
2.6g carbohydrates
1.8g sugar
<0.1g protein

(taken from the side of the can)

Ingredients

Water, Lactose (milk), Malted Barley, Hops, Yeast, Oats, Wheat, Lactic Acid