Fierce Iron Brew is something that has intrigued me for quite awhile however I have never actually been able to get a hold of it. Fortunately, a colleague managed to get me one from Wetherspoons of all places. As a massively annoying fan of Irn Bru I could not wait to tuck in to this. And it really did shock me. So, if you would like to sit back and relax whilst I take you through the history, the pour, the taste and aroma and finally my verdict. Enjoy, Cheers.
Could this be anymore Scottish
A brewery born in Aberdeen, Fierce Beer began as a home brewing project where the founders were inspired by hoppy and flavourful US West Coast beers. Their first commercial brew took place in 2016 and they operated a small scale brewing operation in Great Western Road ,Aberdeen. Due to a reputation of ‘flavour packed beers’, an investment was made to a new facility at Kirkhill Industrial Estate in Dyce, Aberdeen.
Fierce Beer built its reputation up on the back of fruity, hoppy, dark specialty beers which differ from more standard types. Due to this they currently operate a taproom in their Dyce Brewery and two bar/taprooms in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. In recognition of their growing reputation, Fierce won Scottish Brewery of the year in 2021.
In 2024, the brewery added their beer cooler range which are lighter, flavour filled beers appealing to both craft beer drinkers and those who just enjoy a refreshing drink. One of their flavours was Iron Brew which is meant to imitate Scotlands fizzy pop called Irn Bru. This is meant to resemble Irn Bru but be alcoholic. Seems to be a similar idea as the alcopops (VK and WKD) but with added barley and hops. Iron Brew was launched in January 2025 in Fierce venues and exclusively to Scotmid stores. In February it was made more widely available.
In making this beer, Fierce use malted barley, hops and other flavours to get the taste of Iron Brew. It has an ABV of 4.5% and similar to other Fierce beers it is Gluten free and vegan.
What on earth it looks like Irn Bru!
When poured, I was shocked by the resemblance of this beer to actual Irn Bru. It pours a bright orange and it is light bodied and clear. The head does form but lasts for such a little amount of time, that I couldn’t get a photo. This literally looks like a glass of Irn Bru.
I’ll let you guess what the taste and aroma is like?
Basically, this has a very close resemblance to Irn Bru, similar to the likes of an alcopop or knock off Irn Bru from Lidl. Obviously, it is very sweet and nostalgic. Apart from the beer cooler being lighter than Irn Bru and it also has a slight malt backbone which reminds you that this is beer.
For those who don’t know what Irn Bru is or what it tastes like, I asked Chatgpt to describe it as I am not too sure how to describe it myself.
‘Irn-Bru has a distinctive sweet, fruity aroma that blends citrusy orange notes with hints of bubblegum, cream soda, and a touch of vanilla. On the palate, it’s bright and effervescent, with a flavour that mixes tangy citrus, subtle berry, and a candy-like sweetness balanced by a gentle, almost spiced undertone. The overall impression is playful, nostalgic, and unmistakably unique — a flavour that defies simple categorisation but is instantly recognisable.’
Overall, this beer tastes very very nice and it is extremely drinkable. This absolutely glided down and to be honest I started to forget this was a beer at all. I feel in my personal opinion that this feels wrong to call this a beer as it pretty much defies everything that would categorise this as one.
Time for my verdict
Overall, this is a great beer as it is something very different that makes it stand out from the rest. Iron Brew is a beer cooler which is something new to me. It tastes like an imitation of Irn Bru but that is not a bad thing as some of them can be great. This is really light bodied and glides down and with an ABV of 4.5% this could be dangerous. However, it feels wrong calling this a beer even though yes it is one. Overall though, I will rate this a 4.5 out of 5 because it is just different and I really enjoyed it.
Where did I get this from?
A colleague purchased this for me from Wetherspoons.
Cheers for reading this review, if you like this one please do not hesitate to check out the rest.
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