Brewery faces boycott over 'aggressive' marketing

Published on Wednesday 14 May 2008 20:18

AN AWARD-WINNING microbrewery faces being blacklisted for allegedly encouraging antisocial behaviour in its marketing and promotions.

BrewDog, based in Aberdeenshire, has been condemned by the Portman Group, the industry body that monitors the promotion and advertising of alcohol products.

But the company, which has won a string of awards, including two medals at the recent Beer World Cup, says it is being unfairly targeted.

BrewDog, which was set up by two former Edinburgh students, is now one of Scotland's largest independent breweries and exports to the likes of the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Italy.

But it is in trouble over its Rip Tide and Punk IPA beers, which feature the phrases "twisted merciless stout" and "aggressive beer".

Another brew, Hop Rocker lager, is described as "nourishing food stuff" and its packaging says "magic is still there to be extracted from this drink".

BrewDog has been told it has four months to change its branding or packaging, or risk retailers being urged by the Portman Group not to stock its products.

But the firm's owners claim the industry body's actions have taken the "insanity" of the nanny state to a new level.

BrewDog was launched last year by James Watt and Martin Dickie, two friends from Peterhead Academy who went on to study in Edinburgh.

Their brewery, on an industrial estate in Fraserburgh, is now producing 30,000 bottles of beer a week and the pair have struck deals to supply Tesco and Sainsbury's supermarkets across Scotland, and Oddbins stores throughout the UK.

The packaging on their Punk IPA states: "You probably don't even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and uses only the finest fresh natural ingredients. Just go back to drinking your mass- marketed, bland, cheaply made, watered-down lager, and close the door behind you."

In a letter to the company, the Portman Group has warned that BrewDog's products are potentially in breach of its official code of conduct.

David Poley, the Portman Group's chief executive, told The Scotsman: "We have asked this company to take remedial action to address potential problems that have been highlighted to them.

"If a company fails to remedy the perceived breach, the matter will be formally referred to our independent complaints panel and, if a case is upheld, we will issue an alert advising retailers not to stock the product until it has been amended."

Mr Watt, 25, a former law student, said: "This came completely out of the blue for us. We've had nothing but positive feedback from the industry since we launched last year, and only last week collected an award in front of Alex Salmond at the Scottish Food Excellence Awards.

"It's ironic that a body funded by the UK's leading alcohol producers, those responsible for the supermarket pricing debacle, have decided to target a small craft beer producer for the apparent evils beyond imagination contained on our labels."