Some say BrewDog is to craft beer what KISS is to rock and roll. Both want you to believe it’s all about the music, but all that the music and tongue exhibition amount to is window dressing on a scandal-ridden marketing machine. Can we separate art from artist? Do the ends justify the means?
That is the question we’ll seek to answer in relation to BrewDog’s often dubious business practices, which have helped it grow into the multi-billion dollar empire it is today.
The Origin of Dog
Scotland’s own James Watt and Martin Dickie founded BrewDog in their garage in 2007, in the small coastal town of Fraserburgh. Within a few years they’d be the country’s largest brewer, moving into a state-of-the-art brewing facility in nearby Ellon. Prior to the dogged duo, Ellon’s most notable luminaries included legendary deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the first man to use bone meal as fertilizer, perhaps providing inspiration for BrewDog’s offbeat marketing and penchant for finding out-of-the-box solutions to grow its business.
BrewDog’s irreverent spirit seemed to embody the craft ethos, and its timing couldn’t have been better to capitalize on craft’s renaissance. On the back of its flagship Punk IPA and solid core offerings like Libertine Black Ale, BrewDog caught the wave. Its ascent was faster than a greyhound, more agile than a Jack Russell, and more consistently viral than a surfing dog.
Dogged Businessmen
By the time IPA was a household name, BrewDog was an international brand, shaking up the industry with audacious moves including its “Equity for Punks” venture, a reality television show, brewing “the world’s strongest beer” and subsequently opening an ever-growing number of branded pubs around the globe. None were without controversy, and BrewDog wisely understood that controversy was great for business, managing to flip every potential hit piece into good PR with a pithy remark and the doff of a newsboy cap.
In 2020, Martin Dickie stepped back from day-to-day operations and now appears to be focusing on BrewDog Distilling, while James Watt stepped down to an advisory role in May of 2024, signaling the end of BrewDog’s “Punk” era. Both retain stakes in the company valued at over $400 million.
BrewDog’s success and savvy is undeniable. The quality of its beer has never been the main gripe from consumers. Rather, it’s the methods used to attain that success, and the company’s Janus face, espousing anti-establishment rhetoric while firmly cementing itself into the establishment.
