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Yes they're trying slightly too hard to be cool and edgy but still pretty amusing.
BrewDog has issued a ‘formal apology’ to The Portman Group after the independent complaints panel found that the craft brewer had encouraged anti-social behaviour and binge drinking with its Dead Pony Club ale advertising – in breach of the alcohol marketing code.Expressing ‘indifference and nonchalance’ at the ruling BrewDog went on to attack double standards in the industry which protect ‘gigantic faceless brands’ and stymie ‘creativity and competition’.
In a combative statement James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog, said: “On behalf of BrewDog PLC and its 14,691 individual shareholders, I would like to issue a formal apology to the Portman Group for not giving a shit about today’s ruling. Indeed, we are sorry for never giving a shit about anything the Portman Group has to say, and treating all of its statements with callous indifference and nonchalance.”
“Unfortunately, the Portman Group is a gloomy gaggle of killjoy jobsworths, funded by navel-gazing international drinks giants. Their raison d’être is to provide a diversion for the true evils of this industry, perpetrated by the gigantic faceless brands that pay their wages. Blinkered by this soulless mission, they treat beer drinkers like brain dead zombies and vilify creativity and competition. Therefore, we have never given a second thought to any of the grubby newspeak they disseminate periodically.”
“While the Portman Group lives out its days deliberating whether a joke on a bottle of beer is responsible or irresponsible use of humour, at BrewDog we will just get on with brewing awesome beer and treating our customers like adults. I’m sure that makes Henry Ashworth cry a salty tear into his shatterproof tankard of Directors as he tries to enforce his futile and toothless little marketing code, but we couldn’t give a shit about that, either.”
“We sincerely hope that the sarcasm of this message fits the Portman Group criteria of responsible use of humour.”
They do have form with the big boys in the industry 🙂
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Kenny Mitchell, Chairman of the BII stated:
'We are all ashamed and embarrassed about what happened. The awards have to be an independent process and BrewDog were the clear winner’
‘Diageo (the main sponsor) approached us at the start of the meal and said under no circumstances could the award be given to BrewDog. They said if this happened they would pull their sponsorship from all future BII events'
We were as gobsmacked as you by Diageo’s behaviour. We made the wrong decision under extreme pressure. We should have stuck to our guns and gave the award to BrewDog.‘
I'd like to buy that man a pint!
Of decent beer instead of BrewDog.
Chortle.
Who are these Portman Group facists? they're the same people who made Jody Scheckter stop selling beer
[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-21901191 ]Linky[/url]
They really need to f*** off up their own backsides - I shall be supporting Brewdog whether their stuff's any good or not.
I do like a punk IPA. Their Pilsner is tasty too
BrewDog - "always drink responsibly"
P.S. Brewed in Fraserburgh. oh the irony.
I'd be more impressed if this kind of 'underdog with two fingers up' approach wasn't part and parcel of the BrewDog marketing strategy.
This sums it up nicely:
http://www.bitterwallet.com/brewdog-are-sorrynotsorry-about-portman-group-ruling/74601
Don't much like their beer, either.
I [i]want[/i] to dislike Brewdog at times (they are masters of branding, not champions of the people), but I can't help but like many of their beers (which is good for what is effectively a big commercial brewery who sells pretty much everywhere), so given that their product backs up their constant hype, I can't see the problem 🙂
inspirational stuff! 🙂
Most excellent.
Proof of the pudding is in the supping, or something, and brewdog's ale is top class IMHO.
Shame about the execrable marketing, but at the end of the day that's what it takes - brewing good ale is not hard (as all stw brewer's know 😉 ), so it's going to take more than that to get a brewery business off the ground.
I drink Marstons
They should concentrate on improving their beer imo. I had some once and thought it tasted of Diesel. I ended up there again the other week, under protest and the beer was still tripe.
I'm sorry but there is no way in hell I'm giving up Guinness in support of the underdogs.
I just couldn't do it.
Thwaites Wainwright. Lowestoft Gold. Black Sheep. Always found Brewdog's stuff too hoppy for my liking.
And whilst they may like to work on the premise that they're the bar of the people, there's a lot of people effectively barred from their premises due to their somewhat eye watering pricing strategy..
Good luck to them though, anyone prepared to take on the man is alright by me 😉
EDIT -
chestrockwell - Member
They should concentrate on improving their beer imo. I had some once and thought it tasted of Diesel. I ended up there again the other week, under protest and the beer was still tripe.
That's kind of what I was saying regarding taste, just with added cojones!
they're the same people who made Jody Scheckter stop selling beer
He's growing hops at the moment, so watch this space, I reckon....! 😀
It is good to see them sticking it to the man by selling their product in Tesco, though.
BrewDog, the On-One of the beer world.
I drink Marstons
Bad luck, hope you find some decent beer soon. 😈
Brewdog think they invented beer by the way they carry on.
In reality their beer is mostly shite, apart from punk ipa in bottles, which is just ok.
On the very few occasions I've drunk a Brewdog beer, I've really enjoyed it. But that's been in the Tate Modern restaurant, as I've never, ever seen it for sale in a pub, and rarely recall seeing it in a supermarket.
Which seems strange, if they're supposed to be a big, commercial concern whose product is allegedly sold everywhere.
Everywhere North of The Wash, I guess.
Doom Bar, by contrast, is truly ubiquitous.
and rarely recall seeing it in a supermarket. Which seems strange, if they're supposed to be a big, commercial concern whose product is allegedly sold everywhere.
You not got a Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons or ASDA near you then? 😆
[url= http://www.brewdog.com/distributors ]Brewdog Distributors[/url]
Modern restaurant, as I've never, ever seen it for sale in a pub, and rarely recall seeing it in a supermarket.
Odd, they're in all the supermakets up here, not just Punk IPA either.
For all the BrewDog haters at least they're not BrewMeister.
[url= http://www.thehangingbat.com/index.php/2014/01/24/brewmeister-what-craft-most-definitely-is-not/ ]Tarring UK Craft Beer with a Cynical Brush[/url]
[url= http://thebeercast.com/2014/04/brewmeister.html ]The Shame of British Brewing[/url]
Brewmeister - ah yes, from that other home of responsible drinking, Keith 🙂
at least they're not BrewMeister.
Wow! Quite a read, that.
Still, I suppose that with every trend, someone will rush to make a few bob out of it, and not always with the most honest intentions. I'll happily make a mental note never to buy anything from Brewmeister.
FWIW, I don't really rate any Scotchish beers, BrewDog included. My only exception would be Ceasar Augustus, which is lush!
Even the award winning Fyne Ales flashy? 😯
Or indeed anything from Black Isle brewery.
BrewDog, the On-One of the beer world
The labels peel of the bottle and they never answer your calls 😉
Its one of those it is quite amusing but it is also just marketing
I dont drink beer but if i did i would base it on taste not image
Still, I suppose that with every trend, someone will rush to make a few bob out of it, and not always with the most honest intentions. I'll happily make a mental note never to buy anything from Brewmeister.
What a load of sanctimonious old tosh in the links, it is a business not a sodding religion, these guys take themselves too seriously. Personally, I think the whole craft brewing thing is just a triumph of marketing over substance and they represent a solution to a non existent problem. Brewdog are effective marketeers and should be commended as such, but I will be sticking the great traditional brewers of this country.
My local breweries turn out some of the best beer I have ever had the pleasure of supping. I dislike it when I cannot drink some small, local breweries wares when I travel.
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Even the award winning Fyne Ales flashy?
Loch Fyne ales are great. I still generally find a lot of Scottish country pubs have a crap selection of beers though.
I quite like some of BrewDog's beers but they're ridiculously expensive usually.
I drink Marstons
Bad luck, hope you find some decent beer soon.
Could be worse.
I'm sorry but there is no way in hell I'm giving up Guinness in support of the underdogs.
Doom Bar, by contrast, is truly ubiquitousj
Doom Bar, authentic Cornish brewery (brought to you by Molson Coors, brewers of fine beer such as Carling, Cobra and Worthington)
If you get it in a bottle it's not even brewed in Cornwall, that stuff comes from Burton.
[i]Loch Fyne ales are great. I still generally find a lot of Scottish country pubs have a crap selection of beers though.[/i]
If you are in the Tweed Valley try here:
http://www.traquairarmshotel.co.uk/
The Bear Ale is very good, especially after a night ride on Inners off-piste stuff.
Alloa William Bros Brewery have some stonkers. In fact just came back from 6 degrees North which has its brewery in Stonehaven and sampled a few fine Scottish brews!
http://www.sixdnorth.co.uk
In fact walked straight past the Brewdog pub to get there
Like others have said the Brewdog beers aren't particularly subtle but at least they are opening up new avenues of taste, despite some being utter hop bombs.
I hold a candle to the Red Kite Ale from Black Isle, fantastic body with a superb hop balance. A very well made beer.
In other news Aotearoa Ales will be opening for business in Edinburgh in July, i'll run my first brew then and spend a few months getting the new kit all up to speed before we start selling. Will keep you posted.
Having tried a lot of their range there is more I like than I don't, it's not bland and it's not all traditional but that's OK.
For a massive commercial brewery as somebody called them they have started from very little and still make their beer in their own place under their control. Not many companies still do that.
The price reflects that it's not mass produced, mass distributed etc.
Drac - ModeratorCould be worse.
It's what I like.
Don't hang me for it.
Sad as it it is, I have to agree with flashy, most of the pubs up here are content to sell the same old pish - tennents Stella guiness fosters...
There are some bright lights though, the Williams brothers beers are really good, and Arran brewery is opening a bar on hope street in Glasgow, looking forward to that!.
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This is our new local bar, no big name brews, no mass produced beer just lots and lots of interesting and unique beers racked for 1 keg at a time and changed frequently. Selling plenty of brewdog despite a premium for importing it so far. It does help a bit that the tax rate on beer means there is not as much difference between the mass produced and the good stuff.
Brewdog products are mostly woeful.
PR Department's all very modern but it's just an alternative of that bullshit "Innocent are your friends" approach.
Appeasing their shareholders, amusing the public. Good bit of press, no harm done.
The BrewDog bar in the Cowgate is full of tourist-types and the sort of **** who hangs out in Tatoo parlour reception areas.
Still... They could make better beer.
In other news Aotearoa Ales will be opening for business in Edinburgh in July, i'll run my first brew then and spend a few months getting the new kit all up to speed before we start selling. Will keep you posted.
If I promised not to get in your way, once you're settled, could I pop across for a brew day some time? I'll even help you clean up 🙂
Appeasing their shareholders, amusing the public. Good bit of press, no harm done.
Brewdog does what it does well. It's given people the image they think they need to drink proper beer. Before brewdog (in Glasgow at least), the general view was that drinking anything other than lager was for old men. Save for a few places (ie the 1% who catered for people who liked good beer), all the popular places sold crap beer. Brewdog became trendy and so attracted people who wouldn't normally drink anything other than lager and crap beer. It's a gateway brewery. I've got loads of mates who I've tried to get into beer for over a decade and who've almost vomited when drinking stuff I like. Yet, they forced down their pints in brewdog for long enough to start acquiring a taste for the stuff and are now on to bigger and better things. That's a great thing IMO.
I've never met a Carlsberg drinker who picked up a good IPA for the first time and said "wow! this is incredible!". They normally screw up their faces and pass it back. Brewdog has made them think they [i]should[/i] be drinking it, and keeping hold of them long enough to realise they actually [i]want[/i] to drink it. The only way you can do that with the public at large is through great marketing/branding.
The main thing brewdog has done is give proper beer a better image and higher profile. That's brilliant for everyone in the industry and for beer drinkers.
Appeasing their shareholders,
A brewdog shareholders meeting
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[/img]http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/meet-the-shareholders-round-2
If their beer was good, the overhyped marketing wouldn't be needed. You never hear news about the best breweries, they just get on with making good beer and selling it based on its quality.
Brewdog, hypocrites and the the biggest contradiction out there.
mikewsmith - MemberThis is our new local bar
I like it, it's suitably blurry.
FWIW, I don't really rate any Scotchish beers
This will change your opinion
martinhutch - Member
I'd be more impressed if this kind of 'underdog with two fingers up' approach wasn't part and parcel of the BrewDog marketing strategy.
Well of course it is, but I do have a soft spot for Punk IPA and they do excellent burgers in their Manchester bar.
Mind you, we are spoiled for choice with brilliant beers from countless small breweries these days so I tend not to visit Brewdog much.
Come on now, BrewDog's beers aren't all bad. They're not all good, and some are definitely a case of marketing or 'cool' before taste, but they're mostly responsible for the huge number of bars now selling proper beers and getting real ale into more pubs and away from the old man with a beard and a smelly dog image.
As for Scottish Breweries, there are loads of really good ones.
Tempest (as mentioned above, Brave New World was a stonking beer)
Harviestoun
Williams Bros
Stewart Brewing
St Andrews Brew Co
Fyne Ales
to name just a few.
Yep there is a lot of STW can't be seen playing with the cool kids sometimes 😉
Here, all this about Scottish Ale and not a hoot on Black Isle.
They had a similar stunt releasing "Breakfast Beer" which sent the press into an OUTRAGE FRENZY.
I love black isle, I do. Nice heavy bottles.
Ooh, and Alchemy. Even though it's beyond expensive.
peterfile - absolutely, always keen to have people come and help out on brew day. I'm starting small again based on space and time and i want to try a fully automated Arduino based system and possibly some glycol sleeved fermenters.
Oh, and the prices. Jeez, I don't mind paying for decent beer, but by christ those Brewdog bars are expensive.
Brewdog-pushing up the prices of mass produced 'craft' beer in a town near you.
Plus, it seems like they'll only employ you if you look like a ****, from looking at the Website. Still, the beer's great though eh?
Bit out of touch with the UK prices but 1.45 a bottle if you buy 12 sounds ok to me
http://www.brewdog.com/product/dead-pony-club
and 1.58 for the punk and 5am
http://www.brewdog.com/product/punk-ipa
I can understand the occasional stuff and the big abv brews costing more.
Anyway the local bar got 3 slabs of Dead Pony in, told me and a mate and then they had 12 cans left 🙂 Was a good weekend.
peterfile - absolutely, always keen to have people come and help out on brew day. I'm starting small again based on space and time and i want to try a fully automated Arduino based system and possibly some glycol sleeved fermenters.
Excellent 🙂
The arduino system sounds great and is right up my street. I've just finished a brew fridge and I'm currently looking at putting together a Pi/Arudino pairing for closer control/monitoring of the temps. Would also like something similar for the hot side too!
They remind me of Surly.
Don't think I've ever had a Brewdog!
they're mostly responsible for the huge number of bars now selling proper beers and getting real ale into more pubs and away from the old man with a beard and a smelly dog image.
That's a bold claim.
Here, all this about Scottish Ale and not a hoot on Black Isle.
+1 Red Kite, Yellow Hammer and the Blonde are all excellent beers.
Williams Brothers, Altas and Harviestoun make some very good beers too. Not much wrong with Arran Blonde either
My main issue with Brew Dog, other than it being a bit over hopped is 330ml bottles for the same price as everyone else's 500ml.
For that reason I'm oot