Say Hi to (Martin) Dempster

Behind the scenes at any fast-paced, chaotic company there's always a number of unsung heroes whose every waking minute revolves around making sure things run as close to clockwork as is humanly possible.

In BrewDog's case, our Special Ops Maestro– Martin Dempster – is tasked with the rather unenviable role of managing our stock flow, ensuring there's enough beer available to match growth in demand as well as making sure your orders reach you in one piece.

A fan of the great America craft breweries, Martin approached BrewDog at the tail end of 2010 to see how he could help nurture a US-style craft beer scene in the UK. The rest, they say, is history.

So what's an average day working at BrewDog like for Martin? The man himself tells us more:

“No two days here are the same but a usual day involves coming in at about 8am and ensuring that the planned dispatches are ready to go out via our hauliers.  I spend quite a bit of time responding to email, processing orders, on the phone with the sales team and organising deliveries for the BrewDog bars.

“Occasionally I take groups round the brewery for tours which is quite fun as I can talk them through the brewing process and do some sampling of the exciting stuff from the tanks!”

Martin's passion for craft beer hasn't just come into being since he began working for BrewDog though and as an avid homebrewer and cook, he's found the divide between the two processes easily blurred:

“Working in the States got me interested in beer in general. This lead me to begin homebrewing which fitted in well with my love of cooking'

Sadly for Martin, the call of duty means his love of cooking and homebrewing often has to go on the back burner in favour of his role at BrewDog; a job that – just like any other – has its ups and downs:

“My favourite aspects of the job are definitely being able to sample some of the really exciting stuff we do when it is fresh off the bottling line. It is also great meeting customers and seeing the passion they share for our products.  Sometimes we also get the chance to go to the bar in Aberdeen or for a meal in Musa, and it all counts as quality control so that is a nice perk. The people here are also great, and there is never a dull moment.

On the flip side, with our beers in increasingly high demand across a number of countries I'm always dealing with the inevitable stock issues which are amplified by our loyal and lovely customers who are literally willing to beat a path to our door in a bid to get their paws on more beer!”

And it's this increasing demand for craft beer such as BrewDog that makes Martin think that attitudes towards artisan brewing are continuing to gather momentum, especially thanks to the arrival of craft in keg:

“I can see craft beer in keg having an increasingly big impact – it’s easier for pubs to keep, easier for breweries to ensure quality for the consumer and more accessible to the drinker who perhaps is just beginning to get a bit more adventurous with their beer. Keg is never going to please the purists, and some styles definitely suit cask dispense better, but if we’re going to get more people drinking better beer, then keg has to be a big part of the solution.”

While the debate surrounding craft in keg bubbles on against the backdrop of uncertainty inherent to the UK pub scene, what better place to form your own opinion than in, well, a bar, or – to be more precise – a BrewDog bar! You might just see Martin there:

“BrewDog fans need to check out the bars. We are getting hold of some pretty amazing stuff over the next six months from next-level breweries around the world, and of course the bars will be main outlets for a lot of our one-off and special beers that we are doing ourselves.

“If you see me there, come over and say hi! And if you're buying, mine'll be a Hardcore IPA, for its awesome, lip-smacking hoppiness...I would have it in place of fruit juice in the morning, if only I could get away with it without having my collar felt by James and Martin!”

Want to say hi? Drop Martin a line at [email protected]