Today marks the official launch of the latest addition to the BrewDog range: Zeitgeist. The beer is a 4.9% black lager in the classic Czech tradition and is packaged in bottles that are graced with some of the most sinister-looking sheep-human hybrids you’re ever likely to clap eyes on (although come to think of it, could a sheep-human hybrid ever be anything but sinister..?) courtesy of Scottish art student Heather Brennan.

Brewdog are marking the birth of the new beer with a launch event in London and a press release, issued yesterday, included a snippet from yours truly’s tasting notes, which was nice. Although even nicer was the case of Zeitgeist that the BrewDog crew sent along as a thank you. Cheers, BrewDog! I know what I’ll be drinking this coming Friday…

Speaking of which, it’ll be interesting to see if I can detect any marked differences between the prototype and the mass-produced version. Alas, I quaffed my two spare bottles of the proto a few weeks back as I wasn’t sure of the expiry date, so I’ll have to compare from memory.

Here’s the aforementioned press release, for those interested in more information, and you’ll be able to get more from www.zeitgeistbeer.com (once the finishing touches have been put to the site) and of course there’s the BrewDog blog to keep an eye on as well.

BLACK IS BETTER AND BLACK IS BACK! BrewDog, the globally successful edgy beer company have created the UK’s first mass-market black lager.

Zeitgeist brings to Britain a 4.9% ABV all-natural ingredients black lager that is set to tantalise those who sup its dark flavours, which include hints of chocolate and coffee.

It may seem an unusual colour for a lager, but according to BrewDog MD James Watt, it is the original colour of all lagers.

He said: “At BrewDog we’ve been looking to bring beers full of natural ingredients to the masses – and now we’re doing that with lager as lager used to be. We’re saying people have had enough of additive-fuelled bubbly nonsense.

“Zeitgeist is an idiosyncratic, alternative black lager. It seeks to recreate the spirit, attitude and autonomy of an age gone by. Its inspiration is found more than 200 years ago. It takes an age-old classic, a forgotten masterpiece and gives it relevance and an avant-garde edge.

“Originally, before the advent of modern pale malting technology, all lagers were black. Progress is not always a good thing. We want to wake up people’s tastebuds with this, let them discover the joys of a real, proper lager.”

BrewDog have taken the beer world by storm in just two years with controversial offerings like Speedball, Tokyo, Punk IPA and Trashy Blonde but are a global success with the USA and Sweden being amongst the countries lining up to buy 120,000 bottles of beer a month. In the UK, Brewdog beers can be found in Tesco, Asda, Oddbins and many other retailers.

Zeitgeist is full of contradictions with its black colour and light flavour and takes inspiration from classic Czech dark lagers to create a highly drinkable lager that is set to be a hit with lager fans, new and old alike.

Available to On Trade in bottles, casks and kegs and the Off Trade in bottles (as well as online via www.zeitgeistbeer.com) this is a chance for people fed up with artificially frothy, bland bubbly lagers to try the real deal.

Fermented at 10 degrees with a lager strain of yeast and hopped with Cascade and Ahtanum, American hops with citrus and spicy notes, Zeitgeist is light in flavour with hints of chocolate and coffee and a fruity twist, making it a lager for both sexes.

Zeitgeist’s edgy attitude extends past that of the name and taste. The bottle’s unique look was created by Scottish art student Heather Brennan, who took her inspiration from what she sees as being today’s zeitgeist.

Heather was picked to be the designer of Zeitgeist after BrewDog ran a competition with art students, giving them the chance to design the logo and look of the new drink.

Heather said: “I looked at what Zeitgeist means in contemporary times from an alternative view. The label represents conformity in today’s society, as people follow the higher authority.

“This sparked my interest in military line-ups and the repressing of their identity in masks and uniform. I’ve tried to emulate this with sheep masks, yet the body shapes reveal personality underneath.

“My influences were from a variety of sources for this project, from artists work, such as Alex Pardee’s linework and Ralph Steadmans’ use of ink, to films such as Metropolis and 1984, anything set in a dystopian landscape.”

And to counter the theme of conformity, the website behind Zeitgeist (www.zeitgeistbeer.com) is the opposite: anyone buying a pack of four Zeitgeists will receive a code for a special website where they can go in and create/upload anything they want, encouraging their creativity. The lager is also online at www.twitter.com/zeitgeist_beer.

The drink has already been a hit online after BrewDog gave beer and lager fans the chance to sample it with beer writers and bloggers like Evan Rail and Darren Turpin praising it.

Darren said online: “Zeitgeist is quite delicious and intense…. I reckon I could happily sit through a session on this one. I found it more flavoursome than Herold and a lot more interesting than Leffe Brun – the other dark lager I’m best acquainted with.”

Zeitgeist will be launched tomorrow evening, Thursday February 26, in London’s Austin Gallery at an exhibition of Heather’s work.