Is Britain going off BrewDog? Drinkers shun 'trendy and expensive' craft beer chain for traditional, affordable pubs like JD Wetherspoon

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Britain's drinkers appear to be following the suit of pubs across the country by shunning the 'trendy and expensive' craft beer chain BrewDog in favour of more traditional pubs like JD Wetherspoon.
The embattled Aberdeenshire-based brewer, founded in 2007 by James Watt, has seen its draught beers axed by 1,860 pubs across Britain over the last two years as its popularity continues to wane.
The firm recorded massive losses of £59million in 2023 and £31million in 2022, with bosses anticipating to be in the red for 2024 after its UK distribution was cut by more than a third.
The losses come in the wake of the brewer being publicly accused of having a toxic workplace culture, which saw Mr Watt come under particularly intense scrutiny, and new chief executive James Taylor has now been tasked with saving the day.
But for drinkers in some of London 's busiest pub hotspots, their mind has already been made up.
Jason Shaw, 52, who had travelled to London with his family from Iowa, United States, said he had a pint of BrewDog at his local 'British-style' pub called The Winchester which has so 'awful' that it has now become a joke among his friends.
He told the Daily Mail: 'I was with my friends who were all drinking alcohol, and I thought it was a good idea to have something lighter so I ordered one, but it was awful!
'My friends make fun of me for it now and call me BrewDog. I'm not in a rush to go back but I always take a picture when I see one now.
'I've never heard of Wetherspoons but obviously we don't have them in the States. I haven't been here in over ten years, but when we come to the UK we would look to go for something old and more traditional with character.'
Mr Shaw's experience of not enjoying the taste of the beer was uncommon in those who spoke with the Daily Mail near a selection of pubs in the heart of England's capital.
In fact, it is the service, atmosphere and crucially - the price - that appears to be driving many to its competitors.
Charlene Halsey, from Epsom, 39, said she 'loves' the taste of BrewDog's IPA, but bad experiences in its Waterloo train station branch have seen her avoid it in recent times, opting instead for a trip to Wetherspoons with her daughter, Isla.
She said: 'We've been to the BrewDog here loads of times before but during the day there doesn't seem to be much of a vibe at all. It's better in the evenings and on the weekends, but daytime seems to be really lacking.
'The Wetherspoons here is always quite busy. You know what you're going to get and the food is generally good all day and night.
'We had quite a bad meal the last time we went to BrewDog so we avoided it today. The tacos, fries and macaroni and cheese we ordered were just soggy and horrible, and the service wasn't very good.
'I have no complaints about the service in this Wetherspoons. We travel here a couple of times a week so we're frequently here and tend to always pick it over BrewDog now. Price is definitely a factor too as BrewDog doesn't tend to have as many offers.
'I love an IPA so I love BrewDog's beer but everything else outweighs that. I wouldn't pick going to BrewDog just for that reason.'
Ms Halsey is one of many fans of BrewDog's beer who are opting to drink it out of Wetherspoons, who themselves stock the brewer's Punk IPA across their 794 UK venues.
One industry insider even suggested to The Telegraph last week that BrewDog's reliance on Wetherspoons was such that the beer risked falling out of Britain's pub trade altogether if it stopped stocking it.
'If they ever lost the JD Wetherspoon deal, then that's Punk IPA done as a pub trade product,' they said.
Wetherspoon confirmed to the Daily Mail today that it has 'no plans to change' its BrewDog offering, currently serving Punk IPA on draught and various bottled beers, despite it being pulled from 1,980 pubs in the last two years.
For others, they say the price of feeding a large family at a BrewDog establishment is just not feasible.
Louise Wagg, 61, who had travelled to London from Nottingham for a couple of days with her family, said: 'We chose Wetherspoons because we're out in London, there are five of us and it's cheap for us all to eat and drink.
'We saw the BrewDog sign and honestly we thought it was more of a trendy and expensive sort of place that the family couldn't go to.
'Pubs stopping selling their beers doesn't bother me in the slightest. I've seen the chain but never been into one. None of us have tried it but it doesn't seem like something I'd like at all.'
The losses were addressed by chief executive James Taylor earlier this year, who told investors that 'the headline numbers do not make for happy reading', before telling the Daily Mail yesterday that he 'could not be more excited about the future'.
Founded less than 20 years ago as an alternative brand amid a boom in demand for independent craft beers, BrewDog enjoyed a swift rise to fortunes in the 2010s.
The chain confirmed last month that it is planning to open 30 new pubs over the next financial year, one day after Brewdog said it was shutting ten bars across the UK.
Wetherspoon is run by Sir Tim Martin, Britain's most famous and most outspoken pub landlord - known for his vehement support for Brexit and criticism of pandemic restrictions on pubs which have turned him into a divisive figure in recent years.
He has also criticised the financial impact of last October's Budget, claiming hikes to national insurance and the minimum wage are costing his pubs £1,500 each a week.
While BrewDog co-founder James Watt is also critical of the current government and has faced his own controversies, he has had a very different rise to fame through the creation of his challenger 'punk' brand which soon exploded in popularity.
Sir Tim, meanwhile, has built up a huge empire since opening his first pub in London in 1979, focusing on affordable drinks and food which are far cheaper than most rivals.
The chain, known as 'Spoons', is now worth nearly £1billion on the stock market and is even considering expanding overseas to holiday destinations popular with Britons.
But while Wetherspoon continues to grow, Brewdog is struggling and chief executive James Taylor recently told investors its financials did not make for 'happy reading '.
Brewdog's best-known beer, Punk IPA, has suffered the biggest loss after being removed from 1,980 pubs – a 52 per cent fall in distribution.
Pubs are now reducing their offerings or opting for rival beers such as Camden Town and Beavertown instead.
Industry data, which was seen by the Telegraph, revealed most of the pubs removing BrewDog beers are part of big chains, removing an important revenue source for the brewer as it suffers financial difficulties.
Mr Taylor is the second new CEO to take over since founder and face of the company Mr Watt stepped back amidst a flurry of accusations of improper conduct.
BrewDog has weathered a number of publicity storms in recent years as its reputation has taken a hammering, while it has also faced stiff competition from craft beer rivals.
Brewdog was founded in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, in 2007 by Mr Watt and Martin Dickie, rising to prominence in the 2010s amid demand for independent beers and hoppy IPAs.
Mr Watt showed a knack for marketing and drove up the brand's popularity with stunts such as driving a tank through London and brewing what it claimed was the world's strongest beer.
He married Made In Chelsea media personality Georgia Toffolo earlier this year, and has become a frequent critic of the Labour Government on LinkedIn.
In May, it was revealed that the newlyweds are worth a staggering £425million, according to The Sunday Times, overtaking Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Lewis Hamilton.
However in recent years, the company's fortunes have started to turn after it emerged staff had reported being unhappy working there.
Mr Watt's tenure has been marred by controversy, with the firm accused by former workers in an open letter in 2021 of having a 'culture of fear' within the business, with 'toxic attitudes' towards junior staff.
He later admitted to being 'too intense and demanding' amid a workplace culture row where he was accused of inappropriate behaviour and abusing his power.
Speaking with Steven Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast about his leadership at the company, he admitted to previously pushing people 'too far' because of his 'high standards'.
But Mr Watt - whose company has been accused of having a 'rotten culture' - said that his actions were done with '100 per cent good intentions'.
BrewDog is now on its third CEO in just over a year after Mr Watt stepped back from the role in May 2024, three months after Ofcom rejected a complaint he had lodged against the BBC after it made a documentary outlining misconduct allegations.
There was also criticism over BrewDog selling a stake in the firm to US private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners in 2017, which made Mr Watt and Mr Dickie millionaires.
Pubs expert Dale Harvey, who has visited 5,000 pubs in three years as part of 'The Great British Pub Crawl', said the public accusations against Mr Watt in recent months have 'played their part' in BrewDog's struggles.
Who is BrewDog founder James Watt?
When James Watt first set up a brewery in his humble Aberdeen garage in 2007, even he may have struggled to believe how much it would change his life.
Mr Watt comes from a family of fishermen and used to help his father on his fishing boat in the North Sea. On his LinkedIn profile he claims to be a 'fully qualified deep sea captain'.
He graduated from Edinburgh University with a degree in law and economics. After landing a job as a trainee solicitor he quit after two weeks - branding 'conforming' as 'painful at best - and, three years later, started BrewDog with Martin Dickie.
They decided on the name because Mr Watt's father Jim had recently got a puppy.
The business struggled at first but took off when, after around six months, Tesco placed an order to sell its beer across the country.
In 2008 his plea for investment was turned down by Dragons' Den, but in 2021 he said it would have turned into £360m - the best deal in the programme's history.
Needless to say the success of the company has brought him enormous wealth, and upgraded his social status, to the point where he now dates Georgia Toffolo - a certified Queen of the Jungle.
Mr Watt, who is divorced with two daughters, has very much been the face of the company since its inception.
In 2023, it was reported he sought specialist help after he was described as 'semi-autistic' in the wake of allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards staff.
He was diagnosed with ADHD - which causes people to be restless and impulsive - and Asperger syndrome, a form of autism.
Mr Watt drew criticism in December 2024 when he made a Linkedin post that proposed delaying his marriage to Georgia Toffolo to avoid tax.
He told the Daily Mail: 'We now live in a society where any kind of toxic masculinity or behaviour will be highlighted rather than brushed under the carpet with public figures.'
Mr Harvey claimed this was 'certainly changing the feeling towards BrewDog as a brand for many people'.
Turning his attention to Wetherspoon, he said: 'People can say what they like about Tim Martin but he goes about his business in a very professional way.
'Wetherspoons are noted for being great to work for, offer great training and great progression opportunities, whereas with BrewDog, that is certainly not the feeling, with many former staff having had reason to complain.
'All of that certainly contributes to the reputation of a brand and to who wants to support it.'
Speaking about the beer, he added: 'I think BrewDog were once the pioneers and the poster boys for 'Craft Beer' but these days, there are many independent breweries doing it better and of course the other brewers such as Beavertown, Camden and Brixton were all on the rise offering similar beer before they were all bought out by the big boys like Heineken and Budweiser.
'So there are now multiple companies stocking these and I just think BrewDog's brand has suffered too much for people to need to rely on them for that style now.'
Last month, BrewDog announced the closure of 10 of its own branded bars across the UK, including its flagship site in Aberdeen, after deciding they were not 'commercially viable'.
And the chain had started the year by closing six pubs across the world, including two in England, three in Europe and one in England.
Lauren Caroll, BrewDog's chief operating officer, said: 'Independent brewers across the board have felt the squeeze from the economic pressures hitting the pub trade.
'With costs rising and consumers watching their spend, pub groups have been narrowing their ranges, and brewery-owned pubs are putting more emphasis on their own brands.
'It's not just us – every independent brewer has been affected. We saw the trend coming, which is why we've shifted focus to high-impact channels like festivals, stadiums, and independent [pubs].'
BrewDog's latest blow comes as a political storm continues to rumble over the Government's lack of support for the pub trade.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been blamed for pushing restaurants and pubs into 'survival mode' as two venues have shut per day for the first half of 2025.
Data shows the number of hospitality sites plunged by 374 to 98,746 sites at the end of June, sparking fresh concerns about the fight for survival faced by many businesses.
It means that the sector is now 14.2 per cent smaller than at the start of Covid in March 2020, with more than 16,000 net closures over the past five years.
Researchers pointed to a cocktail of costs, including higher National Insurance contributions for employers, business rates and wages.
The worrying figures come just weeks after TV star and landlord Jeremy Clarkson told The Mail on Sunday that penalising business rates had left publicans 'like Butch and Sundance at the end of the movie – taking fire from absolutely everywhere'.