BrewDog in 2026: An Honest Assessment

You can't write about Scottish craft beer without addressing BrewDog. They're too big, too controversial, and too present on every supermarket shelf to ignore. But writing about them honestly means acknowledging something uncomfortable: the beer is still mostly good, even if you have good reasons not to want to buy it.

This piece tries to separate the beer from the brand, the product from the PR, and the drinking experience from the discourse. I'm aware that merely reviewing BrewDog in neutral terms will upset people on both sides. That's fine. I'm not here to take sides — I'm here to help you decide whether to buy the beer.

What happened

The short version, for anyone who missed it:

BrewDog was founded in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie (they relocated to a larger purpose-built site in Ellon in 2012). They grew from a garage operation to a multinational business through aggressive marketing, crowdfunding (Equity for Punks), and a genuine product that was better than most beer available in UK supermarkets at the time.

The controversies arrived in waves. In 2021, a letter signed by dozens of former employees alleged a "culture of fear" at the company, describing a toxic work environment. Further reporting documented concerns about working conditions, corporate culture, and discrepancies between the company's punk branding and its treatment of staff. The company apologised, commissioned an independent review, and pledged reforms.

Since then, coverage has been mixed. The company has continued to open bars internationally, launched new products, and maintained its presence on UK supermarket shelves. James Watt stepped back from the CEO role. The beer production hasn't changed.

I'm not going to relitigate the workplace culture allegations — that's a corporate governance issue, not a beer review. What I can do is assess the product as it exists today.

The beer, honestly reviewed

Punk IPA — the flagship

Price: £1.60–2.00 per can (330ml) · ABV: 5.4%

Punk IPA is the reason BrewDog exists as a company. When it launched, nothing like it was widely available in UK supermarkets — a hoppy, bitter, grapefruit-forward American-style IPA at a time when the mainstream beer market was Stella, Carling, and Doom Bar.

In 2026, Punk IPA is a perfectly competent beer. It's consistent, well-made, and does what it promises. But the market has moved on. A dozen other breweries now make equally good or better IPAs at the same price point. Punk IPA is no longer exciting — it's the craft beer equivalent of a Honda Civic. Reliable, ubiquitous, fine.

Verdict: 3/5. Not bad. Not interesting. Buy it if it's on offer.

Hazy Jane — the NEIPA

Price: £1.80–2.20 per can · ABV: 5%

BrewDog's entry into the hazy IPA category. Juicy, soft, tropical fruit flavours, lower bitterness than Punk IPA. It's a better beer than Punk IPA for most palates — more modern, more approachable, and it competes well against other mainstream hazies.

Verdict: 3.5/5. Genuinely good. One of the better widely-available hazy IPAs in UK supermarkets.

Lost Lager

Price: £1.30–1.60 per can · ABV: 4.7%

BrewDog's attempt at a mass-market lager. Clean, crisp, inoffensive. It's better than Tennent's but it's also more expensive, which somewhat defeats the purpose. As a "craft lager" it's fine. As a lager competing against Tennent's on price in Scotland, it loses.

Verdict: 3/5. A decent lager that doesn't know what price bracket it wants to be in.

Elvis Juice — the grapefruit IPA

Price: £1.60–2.00 per can · ABV: 6.5%

Infused with grapefruit and orange peel. Divisive — people who like fruit-forward IPAs enjoy it; people who want a straightforward IPA find it cloying. The 6.5% ABV is deceptive for something that drinks this easily.

Verdict: 3/5. Good at what it is, but "grapefruit IPA" is a flavour profile, not a personality.

Nanny State — the alcohol-free

Price: £1.20–1.50 per can · ABV: 0.5%

One of the first credible alcohol-free craft beers in the UK. Hoppy, light, and genuinely beer-like — not the sweet, malty disappointment that most AF beers were when it launched. The AF beer market has improved enormously since, but Nanny State remains solid.

Verdict: 3.5/5. Still one of the better alcohol-free beers widely available.

The honest take

BrewDog's beer is fine. It's well-made, consistent, and widely available. Punk IPA sits in the middle of a crowded market; Hazy Jane is above average. Nothing in their core range is bad, and nothing is exceptional.

The question most people are actually asking isn't "is the beer good?" — it's "should I buy it?" That's a personal decision that depends on how much weight you give to corporate conduct versus product quality. I can't make that call for you.

What I can say is this: if you choose not to buy BrewDog for ethical reasons, you're not sacrificing anything irreplaceable. Pilot, Vault City, Fierce, Fyne Ales, Stewart Brewing, and a dozen other Scottish breweries make beer that's as good or better. The alternatives exist and they're easy to find. See our Scottish craft beer guide for specific recommendations.

If you choose to keep buying BrewDog because you like the beer, that's also fine. The workers deserve their wages regardless.

The alternatives

For every BrewDog beer, there's a Scottish independent equivalent:

BrewDog	Alternative	Brewery
Punk IPA	Joker IPA	Williams Bros (Alloa)
Hazy Jane	Leith Juice	Pilot (Leith)
Lost Lager	Session Lager	Lost in Leith (Edinburgh)
Elvis Juice	Juicy Pale	Fyne Ales (Argyll)
Nanny State	AF Pale	Jump Ship (Edinburgh)

All of these are available from specialist bottle shops and some supermarkets in Scotland. Most can be ordered online from the breweries directly.

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For the full craft beer scene beyond BrewDog, see our Scottish craft beer guide and cask ale pub guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is BrewDog still a craft brewery?

Technically, no. BrewDog produces around 800,000 hectolitres a year, which is well above the threshold most craft beer associations use to define "craft." The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) caps independent-brewery membership at 200,000 hectolitres — BrewDog is four times the size. It's an industrial-scale brewery that markets itself with craft language. The beer is still made well — but BrewDog stopped being craft, in any meaningful sense, around 2017.

Is Punk IPA worth buying in 2026?

For the price (around £1.80–2.20 per 330ml can in supermarkets), it's an acceptable session IPA. Compared to its 2010 self, it's noticeably less aromatic and more bitter. Compared to current Scottish craft IPAs at the same price (Williams Bros' Joker IPA, Pilot's Leith Juice), it's middle-of-the-pack. Drinkable but not exciting.

Are BrewDog bars worth visiting?

They're consistent — clean, well-lit, decent food, predictable beer list. If you're in an unfamiliar city and want a reliable craft pint, a BrewDog bar will deliver. You won't have a memorable beer experience, but you also won't have a bad one. Independent tap rooms (Pilot, Drygate, Vault City) are nearly always more interesting if you have the choice.

Is BrewDog beer better in cans or on draught?

Draught at a BrewDog bar is fresher and slightly more interesting than the supermarket cans. Cans degrade quickly (Hazy Jane in particular loses its aroma within a few months of canning), so check the date code. If a BrewDog can is more than four months past canning, the beer will be noticeably duller.

Why did BrewDog get so much bad press?

Workplace culture allegations (the 2021 Punks With Purpose open letter), inconsistent treatment of equity-for-punks investors, and a public-facing CEO whose statements often contradicted internal practice. The 2024 leadership change has reduced the volume of negative coverage but the brand reputation hasn't recovered to where it was a decade ago.

What's the best Scottish alternative to Punk IPA?

Williams Bros' Joker IPA at £1.90–2.30 a can is the closest direct alternative — Alloa-brewed, similar style, more vivid hop character. Pilot's Leith Juice is the modern hazy alternative. Stewart Brewing's Radical Road and Williams Bros Caesar Augustus are also in a similar space and widely available. All three are widely available in Scottish supermarkets.

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