North East Beer Review

Even though I am still disillusioned with Brewdog, I still try their new releases for shear nostalgic purposes. As an Equity for Punk member I had long been a fan of Brewdog ever since my early years of liking craft beer. So when I strolled into Asda one day I saw a new DIPA by Brewdog and thought I would give it a go. Considering Analogue Dream was top notch, I thought Emerald Daze could be too. So what did I think? Across the duration of this review I will cover the history of this beer and brewery, the pour, the taste and aroma and finally my verdict.

Founded in Ellon

BrewDog started back in 2007 in Fraserburgh, Scotland, when James Watt and Martin Dickie decided they were bored with the same old lagers and traditional ales that seemed to dominate supermarket shelves. Their idea was simple — brew bold beers packed with flavour that stood out from everything else in the UK at the time. In the early days they were brewing on a tiny setup, bottling by hand, and selling beer at local markets. Then came Punk IPA, the beer that really put BrewDog on the map. For a lot of drinkers in Britain, that was one of the first beers that showed just how exciting craft beer could be. What made BrewDog different wasn’t just the beer. They built their reputation on being loud, rebellious, and sometimes downright controversial. They pushed strange beers, aggressive marketing, and a “punk” image that made them impossible to ignore.

Over the years they grew fast, opening bars all over the UK and around the world, launching new breweries, and turning themselves into one of the biggest craft beer brands anywhere. They also introduced their famous Equity for Punks scheme, which let regular beer fans buy shares in the company. That helped create a loyal following and gave BrewDog a community that felt personally invested in the brewery.

Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth. In recent years BrewDog has faced criticism over workplace culture, management style, and rapid expansion. By 2024, James Watt stepped down as CEO, and by 2026 the brewery was going through another period of change as the company tried to redefine itself. Due to financial pressures, Brewdog was acquired by Tilray Brands in March 2026, a cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company headquartered in New York.

Brewdog Emerald Daze is a 8% “Terpene Infused Hazy IPA” which is said to be a newer experimental IPAs. It is infused with botanical-derived terpenes which is naturally found in hops, citrus fruits, pine trees and cannabis plants. BrewDog emphasises that the beer contains no THC or CBD; the terpenes are used purely for aroma and flavour. The beer combines Citra, Mosaic and Krush hops with added terpenes to create a distinctive profile featuring tropical fruit, pineapple, berries, pine and resinous notes.

A lively hazy pour

Emerald Daze pours a deep golden to orange colour which is the distinctive hazy nature. A bubbly white head forms which dissipates quite quickly. This left minimal rings of lacing. The carbonation was lively and you could see a steady stream of bubbles down the glass. Overall, a lively and bright pour which left minimal head.

Weed, it just smelled and tasted weed

Aroma

Immediately from cracking open the can you could smell terpene aroma which was very much just a cannabis smell. This was quite overpowering but I was still able to pick up aromas of mango and pineapple as well as what I thought was a slight piney aroma. Other than that I couldn’t particularly make anything else out. Overall, an aroma which was very overpowered.

Taste

Emerald Daze opens with a slight tropical and citrus fruit flavour such as pineapple, mango and citrus zests. This is quickly overpowered by a terpene taste and is followed by a dank herbal flavour. A sweetness from the malt base tries to balance out the flavour. The finish is juicy but also leaves a weed like taste in the your mouth. Overall, this brew is definitely not my cup of tea. I feel the terpene flavour overpowered everything.

Time for my verdict

I understand the need for experimentation and openly welcome it. And obviously some are going to land and some are not. This one was not my cup of tea but with an untappd rating of 3.40, it obviously has some fans. For me this was a down the sink job as I couldn’t stand the terpene flavour enough to finish it. For that reason I rate this 1 out of 5. This really wasn’t for me.

Where did I purchase this beer?

I bought this beer from Asda

Thanks for reading my review. If you enjoyed my review you will love my review of Beyond Belief Brewing Fancy That!