BREWDOG labelled itself the beer of “rebellion” and made its name with crude stunts such as projecting the founders’ naked images against the Houses of Parliament.
With silly-named ales such as Tactical Nuclear Penguin, and its 55 per cent The End of History beer served in dead stuffed animals, they were a novelty act.
There have been claims former CEO James Watt had made Brewdog female staff ‘uncomfortable’Rex
InstagramWatt wed Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo[/caption]
Ray CollinsThe Sun’s Grant amid empty tables at Brewdog’s Waterloo pub[/caption]
But now its customers are rebelling by turning to rival brews, resulting in nearly 2,000 pubs removing its once trendy ales from their taps in the past two years.
The Scottish craft brewery that courted Generation Z with woke promotions such as the non-binary No Label and the “feminist” Pink IPA is being shunned by young drinkers.
It follows allegations of a “toxic” work culture at Brewdog and claims former CEO James Watt had made female staff “uncomfortable”.
Last month it was revealed the company had closed ten of its branded bars in the UK, including Aberdeen close to where it started.
Trying too hard
At the firm’s cavernous flagship venue at Waterloo train station in South London, one shareholder told The Sun he feared Brewdog is “too commercialised”.
Marten Martensson, 56, from Malmo, Sweden, says: “I’ve been a fan of Brewdog from the start and became a shareholder in 2008.
“I came here to see the flagship pub, but many at the names of the places on the wall that show where they had pubs have now closed.”
Founded in 2007, the upstart outsider went on to become a big dog, valued at £2billion, going global and even opening hotels.
But the hipster brand is no longer hip.
Katy Homewood, 38, from Kent, says: “They tried to be the market disruptor and when they tried to become the biggest brewery it didn’t work.”
As a fan of craft ales, I have often enjoyed a Punk IPA in my local or at home.
Brewdog’s hoppy ales kickstarted the revival in bitter drinking in a country where it was hard to find anything but a lager in pub chains.
But they are being ousted from taps by newcomers such as Beavertown and Camden.
The Brewdog hyper pub in Waterloo, like the brand itself, suffers from trying too hard to be trendy.
There is an area called “small scale experimental beer school” selling ales such as Spicy Pickle Goose, a vending machine dispensing cans of “train beers”, table tennis and a podcast centre.
There are lots of children running around screaming enjoying the slide, ice cream van and ten-pin bowling.
Not the place for a relaxed pint.
Upstairs it is more like an office, with remote workers on their laptops enjoying a Deskdog deal where they pay to hire a table for the day.
Photoshot.One of their ales mocks Russia’s anti-gay law[/caption]
Brewdog launched super-strength The End of History in stuffed stoats and squirrels in 2010
Dickie and Watt in 2009Rex
Most of them are supping soft drinks, which won’t boost a company that reported losses of £59million in 2023.
Hefty prices are also a turn-off. The cheapest pint available in Waterloo was Punk IPA at £7.95.
Couple Freya and Alex, both 22, from Bournemouth said Brewdog was a “bit of a treat” because it was so expensive.
John Gellett, 62, who was only at the Waterloo branch because it was “convenient” for a work meeting, was scathing about the ale.
He says: “I’m not a great fan to be honest. I’m a cask ale drinker. There are lots of bad brewers in the UK at the minute.”
John, though, thinks Brewdog has a particularly bad image problem. He says: “They haven’t had good PR.”
That’s an understatement. Having started out in Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, co-owners Watt and Martin Dickie quickly gained attention with their eye-catching stunts.
Because of the way that particularly, the likes of James Watt were causing controversy. I personally got a bit sick of it
Alex Reilley, chairman of Loungers
They drove a tank down through London when they opened their first bar in the capital in 2011; launched a limited-edition Hello My Name is Vladimir ale in 2014 to mock Russia’s laws on gay “propaganda”.
And the following year it parachuted taxidermied moggies dressed in monocles, waistcoats, and top hats, from a helicopter over the City of London in an anti-fat-cat campaign.
When they launched super-strength The End of History in stuffed stoats and squirrels in 2010, Watt claimed: “This is the beer to end all beers . . . an audacious blend of eccentricity, artistry and rebellion.”
But four years ago, 300 former and current staff wrote an open letter claiming there was a “culture of fear” in the Brewdog workplace.
In January 2022, 15 ex-Brewdog workers told the BBC’s Disclosure: The Truth About BrewDog that Watt had behaved inappropriately. One bar worker claimed she felt “powerless” to fend off his unwanted attention.
Watt denied the allegations but in May 2024 he stepped down as chief executive officer.
This year he married Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo and caused controversy by taking aim at employees who want to spend time with their families.
‘Sick’ of Brewdog’s stunts
He said: “The whole concept of work-life balance was invented by people who hate what they do” and criticised Britain’s “low work ethic”.
Alex Reilley, who is the chairman of the 300-strong Loungers bar chain, was one of the people who was “sick” of Brewdog’s stunts.
He ditched their brews in 2023 and said: “We felt as if the previous management team had taken things a bit too far with regards to courting controversy.
“Because of the way that particularly, the likes of James Watt were causing controversy. I personally got a bit sick of it.”
Co-founder Dickie, who is believed to still have a significant share in the firm, is now growing medicinal cannabis in Aberdeenshire.
To stem the losses, Brewdog cut costs, leading to a £7.5million profit in 2024. It had a rebrand in May.
The company denies staff are disgruntled and points to “top employer” awards it won in 2023.
But shareholder Marten’s wife Elina, 57, sums up their predicament: “When Brewdog started it was a cool thing. This pub is too big, there are slides.”
And once you are on the slide, there is only one way to go.
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