A long time ago, in a brewery far, far away…well, 2009 in Fraserburgh to be precise, the original Nanny State was born. After being lambasted and accused of being responsible for "the downfall of western civilisation" for the launch of an 18% game changer, we had one hell of a point to prove and did so by launching this Imperial Mild with tongue firmly in cheek.

Five years later, Nanny State is now available in Tesco stores across the UK. Times, they are a-changing.

In 2009, Tokyo* (originally 12%) was misunderstood and misrepresented by the media as a beer of that strength just wasn't in the public psyche at that stage. It was alarming, something to be feared, such was the nature of the beer scene in the UK at the time. The beer scene was, in a word, dire. Our comeback came in the form of a 1.1% "Imperial Mild" called Nanny State. Our beer is, and always has been, about pushing boundaries and challenging perceptions, and this beer proved that worked both ways on the spectrum of ABV. Beer is a canvas for our artistic expression as brewers, and Nanny State embodied that with huge hoppy aromas and flavours, a bitter, full body and almost no alcohol to speak of.

Fast-forward to today, and I think it's safe to say if we launched an 12%, or 16%, or even 18% ABV brew tomorrow, nobody would bat an eyelid. It would be seen as commonplace within 2014's craft beer scene. And as the UK's beer scene and consumers become more comfortable with the idea of intensely strong, aggressive ales, so do they understand that beer consumption is not just about getting absolutely trollied and stumbling home, kebab in hand; it's about the enjoyment of a finely-crafted, incredibly flavourful, interesting and artisanal product. Something to enjoy, regardless of the alcohol content.



As of this weekend, Tesco have started stocking the 0.5% Nanny State in a quarter of their UK stores. This is the ultimate proof that attitudes have changed. An appreciation for beer and a desire to drink something with huge aroma and flavour without the need for alcohol content is an incredible change in five short years in the UK, and something we are incredibly proud to have seen evolve in such a positive way.



You can now pick up our 0.5% ABV Imperial Mild, Nanny State from Tesco stores across the UK.



Long live the craft beer revolution.