BrewDogs the TV show

I've often wondered what is going on with Brewdog in the UK; do more people love or hate them? Where do you see their beer (is it in beer bars or grocery stores) or since they have their own bars, is that where they focus on selling it in the UK?

 

I remember seeing their Punk IPA at random grocery stores in St. Andrews and Edinburgh in 2010.

 

I can really only speak with some authority on the Scottish perception of BrewDog. Generally it's pretty positive and I' always surprised at how well known they are considering that they don't advertise onTV or radio. A selection their beers from very wide
to very narrow is available in all the main supermarket chains across Scotland. Most supermarkets usually carry at least Punk and 5am Saint and some, at least at one time or another, have also stocked Rip Tide, Trashed Blonde and Paradox beers. At present I'm waiting for my local supermarket to restore Alice Porter which ignores promises will happen. Dome small corner shops/ Miamimarkets also party small selections.

The BrewDog bars are there to showcase their full range, new & limited/rare beers and offer a range of rare & well selected guest tangle. Their bars tend to be very good. Great choice, well informed friendly staff and in.my experience the clientele pretty decent. I love to nitpick BrewDog about a variety of things, some petty, others with very good reason, but James Watt has come out of no where to deliver what has certainly been the most influential Scottish brewery in many years. I just think that because they are so ambitious and have tried to do so much in such a short time they have taken their eye off the brewing ball to the point where meaningful innovation has been compromised.

 

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they have grown such a tremendous amount in such a short period of time; not everyone would know how to handle that, they seem to be doing a good job overall. I've always wondered if they were really planning on this success (I mean, did they set out to be as big as they are), or did their "spirit" just influence their business in a way that it was inevitable for them to become as big as they are?

I noticed you specifically talk about James Watt and not Martin Dickie; any reason?

 

This speaks volumes to me. A brewery's bar/brewpub is the binary bridge between artist and patron. The meeting place of the end result and its appreciator. The fact that BrewDog maintains well-run bars that feature their whole freakin' range (w/ rares to boot!) is, IMO, a testament to their commitment to the craft of brewing. There is no more loyal patron then the one who feels respected by the artist. it shows a level of compassion that is rare.

The only thing that matters is that they continue to brew high quality beers. No one can argue with a goodass beer.

 

I emailed them a few years ago while piss drunk (and it was obvious when I re-read it) to ask how I could get a Sink the Bismarck shipped to TX. In a day I got a really nice email explaining that they'd mark it "sample" on the box so it arrived and they explained what I needed to do to buy it online. It was going to cost me $150 so I didn't do it but I did appreciate the response. I'm sure you had a totally different experience and I'm not questioning that but I think they are probably just overwhelmed with questions and can't get to them all.

 

I'm sure that's it, just frustrating

 

Funny this has come up as I'm off to a tasting tonight which features a huge range of top end BD beers ( about half a dozen Abstrakts, all the Bashahs, Dogs A&B etc etc etc). Sure to see some quality there.

 

Pretty sure most breweries have a capitalist agenda, since their main goal, as a business, is to make money. Oh my god, these demonic bastards want to make money. Grow up.

 

Pretty sure I was referring to the media giants that usually end up milking anything they get their hands on for every penny is worth while cheating the original product or person out of the cut they deserve, and usually twist things to appease advertisers and investors, but I'm sure you in your infinite maturity where already aware of that and didn't make a connection.

 

I have no opinion on the quality of their beers, but that episode description list sounds completely fucking stupid.

 

If that doesn't sound like some producer gimmick for ratings, I don't know what is. I hope at least there's good information and knowledge being shared trough the show.

 

Dude...Tunnel of poo. I loled. But seriously I think this will be at LEAST mildly entertaining. If the dudes are douches, so be it.

 

Uh, the guy that posted above is from the U.K.... just a little different distribution network.

 

Pretty sure I didn't make that connection, we all hate the hype machine, unfortunately it is part of a capitalist " and I don't use that word as a smite" system. Use your head, like what you like, and always consider the source of the hype.

 

Why drink Brewdog when there are non pretentious breweries in the UK that are killin it. Thornbridge Kernel and Brodies off the top of my head are killing brewdog in quality of beers.

 

I think if the show was just about beer, they would lose most of their viewers. As much as some BA's might potentially enjoy it, I don't think a show about just beer is enough to keep the general public engaged (remember beernuts? that show sucked, even for beer geeks!). Throw in some local culture, some restaurant/bar night life and some shenanigans (I.e. circus=entertaining) and interesting experiments in brewing and you've got a little bit of something for everybody. Food has taken on molecular gastronomy and while not everyone embraces it or considers it real cooking, it's damn interesting. In that regard, I'm pretty intrigued to see how they can incorporate similar techniques in brewing. I say let these guys be the shock rock stars of beer. Without innovation there would be no progress.

 

That would put a little different light on that situation eh.

 

I went to the Sam Adams taping on Friday night. They invited people on their mailing list without telling anything except that we will be sampling a collaboration with Brewdog and they will be filming.

The clambake beer was actually pretty good. It was a scotch ale made with peat smoked malt and a sour mash. Really nice malty sweetness up front and had a smokey, sour finish. Didn't get much of the lobster/clam in the taste at all.

It was a pretty cool event overall. Jim Koch and the Brewdog guys hung out for a couple of hours afterward talking to people. At the end of the event it looked like they were filling up a tub with wort to have all 3 of them sit in it.

I'm definitely going to tune in when this show airs. Yeah it's a little (a lot) gimmicky but its about beer.

 

Y'all want a good show about alcohol?! Watch three sheets with Zane lamprey. Not solely about beer, but quality program about alcohol and culture. From breaking down production to participating in local customs. They made a second program called Drinking made easy. I never got into that one. It was solely us cities. They are now filming chug. Check it out. Good fun. Good drinking show.