BrewDog: Excellent Beer, a Bit Shit at Forestry

Let’s talk about BrewDog! The punk of the beer world that’s built its brand on disruption, bold claims, and a whole lot of attitude.

Founded in 2007, they went from a small start-up to striking major deals, including one with Tesco, all while shaking up the industry with rebellious marketing and unapologetic messaging. In 2020, they bought 2,000 acres of Scottish land for their “Buy One Get One Tree” campaign, aiming to go carbon negative. It sounded impressive, but by 2023, things weren’t looking great. Over half the Scots pines, nearly all the broadleaf oaks, and half the birch saplings had died.

Despite receiving nearly £700k in Scottish forestry funding, the failed project sparked some serious questions. Still, BrewDog’s ability to pivot quickly, with launches like their alcohol-free “Nanny State” beer, and their ongoing commitment to ethical practices keep them relevant.

This one’s got it all: ambition, controversy, clever branding, and a few very dead trees. Grab your brew of choice!

About Simon and Danielle:

Simon and Danielle are both business owners, based in the East Midlands, who met through mutual business contacts and who share a love of all things business.

Simon runs Skylight Media – Award-winning experts in Website Design, E-commerce & Marketing running since 2003.

Danielle runs Goldspun Support – a multi-faceted support service for fractional directors and small business owners across the globe, running since 2009.

Since they first met Simon and Danielle have spent a ridiculous amount of time talking about the subjects that interest them – usually over a drink in the pub – and they decided that now was the time to bring these conversations to a wider audience and invite them to join the chat.

Both Simon and Danielle are successful business owners in their own rights with big plans for the future but will never lose their love of talking all things business… and the pub.

Transcript

Danielle: Hello.
Simon: Hi.
Danielle: You like beer, don’t you?
Simon: Oh yeah.
Danielle: You like beer a lot, don’t you? Especially craft beer.
Simon: I do.
Danielle: You can be a bit contentious about your beer though.
Simon: Now, don’t start with that. Almost like an insult. But yeah, I kind of know what I like. I’ll take the insult. I am a bit fussy, but yeah, some of it really annoys me.
Danielle: How do you feel about BrewDog?
Simon: Hmm... what was that?
Danielle: I said, how do you feel about BrewDog?
Simon: I’ve known them since they appeared. I think they’re a brilliantly innovative and very clever brewing company.
Danielle: Started out on a market stall, right?
Simon: Yep, probably brewed it up in a garage. Most brewers start out that way.
Danielle: They’ve always been very disruptive. Their advertising too.
Simon: Yeah, and they’ve always been big on values. That’s what really interested me. Their commitment to good beer, but also their commitment to the planet. Their strapline is “Great beer that doesn’t cost the planet.”
Danielle: As in environmentally, not financially.
Simon: Exactly. 

Danielle: They started in 2007, brewed it themselves, and saw big growth. They were taken on by Tesco which gave them a big leg up. In 2020, they bought 2,000 acres of Scottish Highland and started the “Buy One Get One Tree” campaign.
 Simon: So one tree planted for every beer sold. That’s a lot of trees.
Danielle: It was designed to make them carbon negative, removing twice as much carbon as they emitted each year. So they calculated their annual emissions, doubled it, and figured out how many trees they’d need to plant. They called it “The Lost Forest.” There was loads of press about it. They applied for a grant from Scottish Forestry to help with things like fencing to protect the trees from wildlife. But there was controversy right from the start. Some of the plans involved culling deer and hares to protect the saplings. Because they like chewing on young trees.
So the idea was to fence the deer out. But in the end, some deer were fenced in with the trees.

Simon: Not the brightest move.
Daniell: No. Imagine the one guy who didn’t realise and got stuck inside.
Simon: Still, the whole “one beer, one tree” thing does sound like it would feel good as a consumer. You think you’re doing something good.
We’ve talked about ethics before. Everyone likes the idea of doing the right thing... until it’s tested.

Danielle: They started planting in 2020.
Simon: Which feels like yesterday but is weirdly a long time ago.
Danielle: By 2023, it was revealed that a significant proportion of those trees had died. 56% of Scots pine, over 92,000. 95% of the broadleaf oak, over 42,000. And 50% of the birch saplings, about 60,000.

Danielle: BrewDog said they’d factored in 20% loss but didn’t expect more than 50%. They blamed dry conditions and wildlife trapped inside the fences. So in total, nearly 200,000 saplings died and they’ve only replanted about 50,000. They received almost £691,000 in Scottish Forestry grants.For a forest that barely exists now.

 Simon: It's interesting, they were doing the right thing in theory, but they took a lot of external money. If you want to plant trees for the planet, should you really be taking grants?
Danielle: Unless Scottish Forestry approached them and asked them to plant specific trees, it feels a bit... off. But BrewDog applied for that funding themselves. That’s also where the animal culling controversy first started.
Danielle: It’s one of those things that sounds lovely until you look a little deeper.
Simon: They had great intentions, but it didn’t quite work out.

Danielle: Despite that, I do think their values and branding are brilliant. Their campaigns, their product names, strong across the board.
Simon: We’ve both enjoyed their beer.
Danielle: Absolutely. And they’ve done some really quirky things.
Simon: Like brewing a beer under the sea.
Danielle: And putting it inside taxidermied squirrels.
Simon: That was to thank investors at the beginning, I think.
Danielle: Still pretty out there.

Simon: They also did that pink beer “just for girls” on International Women’s Day.
Danielle: Yeah... not sure they thought through the backlash on that one.
Simon: But I don’t think they cared. They seem to love noise for the sake of noise.
Danielle: True punk attitude. They broke the business down into Equity for Punks. So lots of people own shares, and it makes them harder to be taken over by big corporates.
Simon: That’s clever. Builds loyalty too.
Danelle: Though there have been reports about James Watt and a toxic work environment. whistleblowers came forward. BBC even covered it.
Simon: He’s since stepped down, I believe. Maybe he recognised it himself.

Danielle: That’s what happens when you grow too fast. You lose control unless you bring in help quickly.
Simon: And that’s when things like supply chain issues happen.
Danielle: Exactly. You give over responsibility, and sometimes things slip.

Simon: I still think they’re fascinating. The origin story is great. They bring their product to market in a really unique way.
Danielle: They just sometimes miss the mark.
Simon: Especially with trees.
Danielle: Yeah. They need to plant more.

Simon: Compared to massive corporations like Unilever or Johnson & Johnson, BrewDog is still quite small, though they sell globally.
Danielle: And they need to stay in the press to remain relevant.
Simon: I wouldn’t say I’m protective of them, but I admire what they’ve done. Some things have gone wrong, some have gone right. Like that beer... what was it? Tactical Nuclear Penguin? Or Sink the Bismarck. 32% or something.

 Danielle: An MP accused them of fuelling the drinking crisis, but it cost about £7.50 a tiny glass, no one in the park was drinking that.
So they released Nanny State, a low-alcohol beer in response.
That kind of pivot speed is rare. And that’s what people love about them. It’s very punk.
Simon: Even if they lost a forest in the process. I didn’t even know about that until now.
Danielle: And you probably bought some of their beer in that time.
Simon: Absolutely. I was in lockdown for a lot of that. I bought a lot of beer.
Danielle: So you contributed to some dead trees.
Simon: And I’d do it again.

Danielle: Dead Scots pine, dead broadleaf oak, your legacy.
Simon: But happy deer.
Danielle: Always a silver lining.

Danielle: Anyway, sandwich arriving shortly.
Simon: Perfect timing. Beer and a sandwich. Thanks for the chat.
Danielle: Anytime.