(Courtesy BrewDog)

BrewDog workers took to the streets of Aberdeen, Scotland, on February 26, protesting the craft beer giant’s potential sale and accusing management of years of poor decision-making and “catastrophic mismanagement.”

The protest, organized by Unite the Union, gathered outside BrewDog’s bar at Union Square in Aberdeen city center to vent collective frustration over what workers described as a lack of consultation, the abandonment of the real living wage commitment, widespread closures of underperforming bars, and significant reductions in contracted hours.

From its early days selling high-ABV beers out of the back of a van in northeast Scotland, BrewDog grew into one of the most recognizable craft beer brands in the world. Its flagship Punk IPA helped define the modern craft movement in the UK, while aggressive expansion pushed the company into dozens of international markets, with breweries and taprooms spanning Europe, North America, and Asia.

But scaling a craft brand globally has become increasingly challenging — especially in today’s tumultuous, post-pandemic economic landscape.

Rising production costs, shifting drinking habits, inflationary pressures, and increased competition have squeezed BrewDog’s once-unstoppable growth, leading to the company’s unexpected announcement that it had appointed AlixPartners to manage a possible sales process.

Unite Hospitality, which represents many of BrewDog’s workers, called the demonstration in direct response to what it described as the treatment of employees both leading up to and during the sale preparations. The union said workers have repeatedly been “left in the dark” about developments, learning about major changes through media reports rather than direct communication from leadership.

The action comes as BrewDog, founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, faces mounting pressure after reporting losses — including £37 million in a recent period — and implementing job cuts.

Following five successive years of losses, BrewDog shuttered ten bars across the UK last summer. In March 2024, founder James Watt stepped away from the business. Co-founder Martin Dickie followed, leaving the company in August 2025.

“Yet again, workers across BrewDog have been left in the dark about what is happening with this sale,” said Dennis Ellis — a pseudonym for an Aberdeen-based BrewDog worker who is unable to reveal their identity. “We found out at the same time as the press and have had one meeting with the CEO in which he said ‘there will be two weeks of uncertainty,’ with no clarity about what happens thereafter.”

As BrewDog weighs a potential sale, the protest underscores a hard truth: behind the balance sheets and expansion strategies are workers who say they’ve borne the brunt of the company’s turbulence — and who are demanding not just answers, but a say in what comes next.

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