BrewDog: yet another hip company using 'rebel' language to sell its stuff

[editor]

Great stuff and proof that not all publicity is good publicity:

Some of the small investors the Scottish brewer calls “punks” — who have invested more than £80m and been reliable drinkers of its lagers and ales — are now concerned that attractive financial terms offered to private equity groups mean they will end up losing money even if BrewDog’s value increases.

“I wouldn’t have invested at all if I’d known what the culture was within the company,” said Andrew O’Neill, a 53-year-old veteran of Belfast’s hospitality industry who invested several thousand pounds last year. “The sheen has come off BrewDog for me.” Richard White, a London-based brewer who invested eight years ago, said: “I’m angry and I feel a bit responsible for enabling this . . . I feel a bit guilty for swallowing the BrewDog Kool-Aid, because clearly that hasn’t been everyone’s experience.”

The company, seen as one of the biggest success stories of the UK’s craft beer boom, has struggled to respond to the criticism, risking alienating the “punks” who have provided crucial funding for its expansion. The complaints bring a further challenge after BrewDog’s growth slowed sharply in the pandemic, making it harder for the company to justify a high valuation as it moves towards a planned IPO.

“If not adequately addressed, then the criticisms could grow into a crisis for a consumer-led business like BrewDog,” said Dave McCarthy, managing director at consultancy Drinks Adviser.

Punk rebellion: BrewDog’s crowdfunding investors start to lose faith

UK’s largest craft brewer under fire for prioritising PE backers and creating ‘toxic’ workplace

www.ft.com

 

[not-bono-ever]

Punk is dead

 

[equationgirl]

To be fair, it's always been said on this thread that Brewdog is not punk.

 

[not-bono-ever]

Punk. You had to be there man.

 

[Pickman's model]

Punk. You had to be there man.

if you can remember the 1970s you weren't there

 

[editor]

Can anyone access these and repost the highlights/lowlights please?

After this month’s allegations of bullying at the company that Watt, 38, co-founded with Martin Dickie, 38, in Fraserburgh, Scotland in 2007, new questions are adding to their burdens, this time concerning businesses that belong to Watt that secured property worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and other deals with BrewDog.

Questions for BrewDog boss James Watt over property deals

The co-founder and chief executive of BrewDog, Britain’s most successful craft beer business, is a self-styled “punk” who has called venture capitalists “toads

www.thetimes.co.uk

The co-founder of BrewDog is selling off personal property assets linked to the craft brewer ahead of a planned flotation amid concerns over potential conflicts of interest.

James Watt told The Times that his remaining property holdings rented to the Scottish brewer were “in the process of being divested” and that three sites he owned and leased to BrewDog had been sold in the past two years.

BrewDog boss to sell personal assets over conflict of interest fears

The co-founder of BrewDog is selling off personal property assets linked to the craft brewer ahead of a planned flotation amid concerns over potential conflicts

www.thetimes.co.uk

 

[seeformiles]

More “anarchy” :

A new 'epic' pizza restaurant is coming to Leeds

The restaurant is popular across the UK

www.leeds-live.co.uk

 

[Spymaster]

More “anarchy” :

A new 'epic' pizza restaurant is coming to Leeds

The restaurant is popular across the UK

www.leeds-live.co.uk

BASTARDS!!!!

 

[editor]

More “anarchy” :

A new 'epic' pizza restaurant is coming to Leeds

The restaurant is popular across the UK

www.leeds-live.co.uk

I didn't think it would be possible to come up with a something as embarrassingly naff and cod-punk as Brewdog but I've got to give this guy credit. It really looks like a new business venture for Brewdog and he spouts the same kind of bullshit.

Owner, Brad Stevens speaking about the new restaurant launching, said: “At Pizza Punks we do things differently and don’t conform to the norm when it comes to making incredible food that appeals to everyone.

"We offer customers the freedom to make the experience their own because pizza is the new punk and there are no hard and fast rules with it.

 

[editor]

More proof that any publicity is good publicity. Oh, wait....

BrewDog’s president has withdrawn from a prominent conference after a group of ex-employees signed an open letter exposing the “toxic” work culture at the company earlier this month.

David McDowall, president and chief operating officer of the Ellon’s brewery, has pulled out from a TED talk, TEDxAberdeen has announced.

The organisation tweeted: “Dave McDowall, President & COO of BrewDog, has withdrawn as a speaker at TEDxAberdeen.
“In light of allegations raised by open letter from ex-employees, Dave is focusing his energies with his team at this time.”

And look at the kind of people Brewdog hire to head up the company:

BrewDog boss cancels TED talk 'to focus energies' after allegations

BrewDog’s president has withdrawn from a prominent conference after a group of ex-employees signed an open letter exposing the “toxic” work…

www.heraldscotland.com

 

[seeformiles]

I didn't think it would be possible to come up with a something as embarrassingly naff and cod-punk as Brewdog but I've got to give this guy credit. It really looks like a new business venture for Brewdog and he spouts the same kind of bullshit.

View attachment 276412

I think they give BD a run for their money in terms of monetising a very strange notion of “Punk” as rebellious catering. The “new punk” is apparently cheese on toast

 

[Storm Fox]

More proof that any publicity is good publicity. Oh, wait....



And look at the kind of people Brewdog hire to head up the company:

BrewDog boss cancels TED talk 'to focus energies' after allegations

BrewDog’s president has withdrawn from a prominent conference after a group of ex-employees signed an open letter exposing the “toxic” work…

www.heraldscotland.com

"There is a small disclaimer on the mirror, however I will also look at making that bigger. We also have a toilet attendant who advises the ladies about the mirror.

"To date you are the first complaint, everyone else so far has seen it as we intended, as a bit of fun. We would have done the same with the male toilet, however structurally there wasn't the option."

WTF! First BIB how about you just stop it and replace it with a normal mirror. As for the second BIB my BS meter just exploded.

If you want your jollies like that go, to a club where the women have consented to be spied on and are paid to be leered at.

 

[editor]

WTF! First BIB how about you just stop it and replace it with a normal mirror. As for the second BIB my BS meter just exploded.

If you want your jollies like that go, to a club where the women have consented to be spied on and are paid to be leered at.

And that's the kind of dodgy filth that Brewdog hire in to be the President & COO of their company.

 

[Spymaster]

I think they give BD a run for their money in terms of monetising a very strange notion of “Punk” as rebellious catering. The “new punk” is apparently cheese on toast

They’re very clearly riding the coat tails on of an already established and highly successful brand. Excellent strategy. Hopefully they’ll be as successful as their superbly commercial luminaries.

Appropriating the “punk” thing is actually more inspired than the crappy original ever was.

 

[seeformiles]

They’re very clearly riding the coat tails on of an already established and highly successful brand. Excellent strategy. Hopefully they’ll be as successful as their superbly commercial luminaries.

Appropriating the “punk” thing is actually more inspired than the crappy original ever was.

Well it might breathe new life into a thread that was running out of steam - especially since the pizza lot have now turned “Punk” into a verb.

 

[hitmouse]

Well it might breathe new life into a thread that was running out of steam - especially since the pizza lot have now turned “Punk” into a verb.

now? How quickly we forget Ashton Kutcher's achievements.

 

[seeformiles]

now? How quickly we forget Ashton Kutcher's achievements.

Damn - that one passed me by

 

[equationgirl]

I remember the nightclub two way mirror stuff, it made quite a stir at the time here in Glasgow. It was ordered removed and the nightclub shut down until it was rectified. There was a police investigation although I don't know if any charges were made.

There's a large number of complaints about the bouncers on the internet as well as dodgy practices around the booth bookings - people alleging they didn't get what they paid for. Doesn't look like a great night out to be honest.

 

[TopCat]

A lot of my mates are craft beer lovers. I don’t know why you’d want to drink overpriced coke-can sized beer with cartoon packaging with a gimmicky ingredient -liquorice allsorts IPA, toilet duck milk stout etc

I am getting to be really annoyed by beardie beer. Arseholes ignoring centuries of brewing knowledge and adding shite to brews and wanking off over the orange gak tasting sludge.

I have been able to ignore most of it up to now bar a bit of muttering but some south London pubs are all crap Peckham brewd by arses beers. All of them!

 

[editor]

I am getting to be really annoyed by beardie beer. Arseholes ignoring centuries of brewing knowledge and adding shite to brews and wanking off over the orange gak tasting sludge.

I have been able to ignore most of it up to now bar a bit of muttering but some south London pubs are all crap Peckham brewd by arses beers. All of them!

Mind you, you've got to laugh at the amount of money they hand over for the piddly little cans of their on-trend craft ale. I find it hilarious that Brewdog chumps pay shitloads more to drink in the edgy glow of their neon-lit bar in Brixton when the exact same drink is considerably cheaper in the pub across the road.

 

[Cerv]

Brewdog Instagram ad banned for misleading health claims

The brewery company made general health claims that are not allowed for alcoholic drink promotions.

www.bbc.co.uk

continuing their long strategy of deliberately breaking advertising rules to generate extra publicity I see

 

[editor]

Brewdog Instagram ad banned for misleading health claims

The brewery company made general health claims that are not allowed for alcoholic drink promotions.

www.bbc.co.uk

continuing their long strategy of deliberately breaking advertising rules to generate extra publicity I see

Compulsive capitalist liars happy to spout any old shit and mislead customers to make more money for themselves.

The ASA said consumers would understand the claim "a little bit of alcohol" to mean that the product was low alcohol when it had an ABV of 5%, finding that the ad breached the Advertising Code on this point also.

 

[Storm Fox]

Compulsive capitalist liars happy to spout any old shit and mislead customers to make more money for themselves.

The 'The little bit of Alcohol' for a 5% drink is for me the worst claim. If you are trying to cut down on your units and do not look too carefully, you may think it's better for you than a standard Ale, when it has more. I give them some credit as it does say 5% on the front of the can, but the claim is still wrong and for this there should be some sanction.
In insolation, the other claims I feel need a slap on the wrist. But given their track record a massive bollocking should to stop them producing mislead ads in future.

 

[editor]

The 'The little bit of Alcohol' for a 5% drink is for me the worst claim. If you are trying to cut down on your units and do not look too carefully, you may think it's better for you than a standard Ale, when it has more. I give them some credit as it does say 5% on the front of the can, but the claim is still wrong and for this there should be some sanction.
In insolation, the other claims I feel need a slap on the wrist. But given their track record a massive bollocking should to stop them producing mislead ads in future.

The text saying 5% is absolutely tiny and it could clearly mislead people who are trying to cut down their alcohol for health reasons/driving etc. But - hey! - profits!

 

[belboid]

But given their track record a massive bollocking should to stop them producing mislead ads in future.

They’ll never stop producing misleading ads they’re far more important to the company than the actual product.

 

[Cerv]

I wasn’t awake this morning. Thought the 5% was 0.5% on first read. Like a can of Panda Shandy. And the ASA were being a bit too harsh.
Guess I’m the target market for being tricked into buying the stuff

You can give them “some credit” for including the 5% label on the can, but that is legally mandated so not a lot really.

 

[Storm Fox]

I wasn’t awake this morning. Thought the 5% was 0.5% on first read. Like a can of Panda Shandy. And the ASA were being a bit too harsh.
Guess I’m the target market for being tricked into buying the stuff

You can give them “some credit” for including the 5% label on the can, but that is legally mandated so not a lot really.

I tend to look for these things like ABV so I thought it wasn't too bad, A lot of cans have it small writing on the back of the can, but as you've just pointed out with that wording and a quick glance people can be easily misled

 

[salem]

Can anyone access these and repost the highlights/lowlights please?

https://archive.is/HEajX

and

https://archive.is/rpNUA

Looks to be more on him renting property back to the company, some kind of accounting dodge -

i.e

Under the deal, BrewDog provided Watt’s company with an interest-free loan to purchase the property for $657,816. The loan was repaid in 2018. BrewDog entered into a five-year lease to pay rent to Watt’s company of $150,000 a year.

Borrowing (interest free) money from Brewdog to buy a property to then rent back to Brewdog - it's a way of shifting money from the company to his personal pocket. At the end of the 5 years the loan is paid off (by Brewdog) and James still has the assset. Such deals rightly piss off shareholders - but the 'equity punks' thing is more of a fanclub then a real investment.

(top tip - archive.is is great for getting around paywalls)

 

[steeplejack]

But the BuRgeRz

 

[Spymaster]

Guess I’m the target market for being tricked into buying the stuff

If you're the kind of person who would consume a beverage described as having "a little bit of alcohol" without reading the can to see what constitutes "a little bit of alcohol", then thank god for the ASA!