How can we make BrewDog better?

How can we make BrewDog better?
Published - 04.09.2012 Comments (108)

As you know we love getting as much feedback from our customers as possible. Without you guys we would not even have a business so ensuring we incorporate your input into making what we do even better going forward is important to us.

We recently asked you guys how we could make our bars better. The feedback was really valuable and we are already acting on implementing as much of it as we can.

manchester_620_02

In fact it proved such a valuable exercise for us as a fledgling brewery we thought we would ask for your input again, this time not just for our bars but for our brewery overall.

So, this is your opportunity to tell us how we can make BrewDog even better.

What would you like to see beer style wise from BrewDog that is not currently available?

Should we offer up more equity for punks shares so more people can be part of BrewDog? What should we do for the next AGM?

What would you like to see on our online shop?

What do we do really well?

What can we improve upon?

And any other random or general feedback we can use to make our brewery and business better?

2011_620

There are certain things we know we can do much better: online customer service is pretty solid compared to what it used to be, but it can still improve. Punk IPA and some of our other beers have not quite been as consistent as we would like this year and the new brewery and our new lab will really help ensure our beers are always consistently mind blowing.

As a company we are working on loads of things we feel will make our beers and the customer service we provide even better than it is just now. But we want to know exactly what you would like to see from BrewDog?

brew_crew_4470_620

Love Hops and Live the Dream x

Share This

Join the Discussion

Comments (108)
B Spooner 07.09.2012 @ 6:46pm
I posted this yesterday, but it didnt seem to make it onto the comments. On-line shop replacing out of stock beers with a beer of their choice. DONT DO IT. A number of us are beer geeks who carefully select the particular beers they want, and when paying sometimes upwards of £10 for something special, it is very disappointing when a totally different beer arrives.
Baldysteve 07.09.2012 @ 5:53pm
Get Dan Bowden to design more t-shirts, the new hardcore one looks amazing. Would love to see his take on the other brewdog beers too. Or why not even get him to design a few bottle labels.
punkicha 06.09.2012 @ 8:31pm
I love your beer, but the majority of it is hop-centered. I absolutely adored the Abstakt brew in aged in Malaga casks and the Zero IBU IPA Competition. I would love to see more spontaneously fermented beers- go wild !!! How would an Orval stout taste like......
Ian J 06.09.2012 @ 3:32pm
Also, the larger size bottles in Sainsbury's (other mainstream strictly for profit vendors are available) are great.It saves messing around with lots of small bottles, so why not introduce them across a core range including: 5AM, Trashy, Alice etc.Oh, and for gawd's sake, please please bring back Ingrid - I'm sad without her.
AB 06.09.2012 @ 2:39pm
The core range should include maybe 8 beers, all in different styles, and all between 4 and 7%. These are the ones that people are going to buy week in, week out. They should be quite straightforward yet excellent examples of the style, in the way Punk is a shining example of an american style pale ale and 5am is a perfect amber ale. Lets have a really good pilsner, saison, lambic, weizen, schwarzbier etc to go with these.The seasonals and specialty brews can be the 8-11%ers. The kind of thing you might drink for a special treat but not just on a normal night in. Keep reinventing these, but never at the sake of the core range.You really need a greater presence in pubs around the country to really grow the brand beyond the initial core demographic. If this means cask conditioning beers then so be it. Not many pubs have a guest keg.
Alan S 06.09.2012 @ 12:27pm
I'd like to see you guys try a cider.Lack of available Equity for Punks shares at the last AGM was a missed oppurtunity as there were quite a few plus ones newish to Brewdog looking to invest. Might be worth lauching version III at the next AGM. Set up a shop at the new brewery - save us locals £7, and would probably buy more beer. Bar specific promo items e.g. a badge, so can have a wee memento of bars visited.
Village 06.09.2012 @ 11:17am
How about the ability to buy/order some of the rarer beers before there even made allowing everyone to sign up and then you guys brew the batch to suit demand. I would buy beer 18 months in advance if it gave me chance to secure delivery of something special.
Bear 05.09.2012 @ 7:39pm
More range in lower strength beers... Although the over 5% is what you're known for... Practicality wise it's not great unless a weekend holiday or just want a quick one!Try a true weiss or wheat... Imperial red (although nice) is too strong and detracts from the light refreshing pallet that wheat beer drinkers... Like me... love!More comfortable seating would be great too... Wooden stools weren't great in chemistry 15 years ago... Even less now!! Especially after beers with an exceptionally high ABV!Better smoking facilities would also help! Is a sand bucket our wall unit too much to ask for in Newcastle?
Michael R 05.09.2012 @ 7:06pm
Firstly, you need to sort out your consistency problems with Punk IPA.Wheat beers are a big ommission from your range.Some of the older beers have got almost legendary reputations, bring them back.Get a wider range in the English Sainsburys and Tescos.Time and again people have said various beers among your range are better as cask versions. If a beer is better as cask conditioned then release it as cask conditioned. There will then be more opportunities to get your beer into freehouses selling guest beers. The online shop has improved but is still not good enough. I had a large varied order totalling 24 bottles that contained 4 Chaos Theory and various other beers.It was shipped 6 days later without the Chaos Theory with a handwritten note on the invoice saying it would follow later. Now I have a ticket generated by Brewdog about selecting alternative beers to replace the Choas Theory. The availability on the web site should be linked to the stock in the warehouse so that when the warehouse runs out of a particular beer then it is disabled from the online shop.More could be done with the live music. I like the bands playing in the corner of the room but this needs to be done on a bigger scale, with maybe a separate room to put on gigs. The suggestion that you buy the old Barfly properties was a great one.Brewdog have sponsored festivals in the past, such as Brew in the bog and Cult Fest in Newcastle. Take this further, were your beers at Rebellion Festival at Blackpool in August? Will they be at the Durham Punk Festival on 15 September?What is happening about the Indie music festival that Brewdog Newcastle was supposed to be organising for October. Not heard anything at all about this since they asked for suggestions for bands on Twitter.
RichardHFish 05.09.2012 @ 12:17pm
GET MORE BEER IN AUSTRALIA! We are severely lacking in everything other than Punk IPA and I need to get my hands on some of the new range. Also, 50 pounds (75 Aus dollars) is massive for freight. Surely there are cheaper ways of getting something safely from Scotland to Aust.
Dom 05.09.2012 @ 12:06pm
Make a hoodie that doesn't have "Beer for Punks" plastered all over the back of it.
OyvindGG 05.09.2012 @ 11:53am
It saddens me to read some of the reactionary comments you have recieved here. BrewDog would have never been BrewDog if it hadn't been for the combination excellent beer + attitude/fun/brilliant marketing. Never stop believing in your ideas and visions! The new brewery gives you a much better platform for continuing pushing the envelope. However, if you now rest on you laurels, I will gather up my most rowdy friends, man a Viking longship and sail over from Norway to teach you a lesson..Regarding consistency, I just assume it will work out just fine in the new brewery. I remember I was quite astonished that you could make so much (brilliant) beer from visiting your old one the day after the AGM. the whole brewery is very basic.Your core range is missing a stout. Considering how immensely popular Guiness is and how this is by many considering a beer for the "developed" palate (at least here in Norway). By making a stout with an exiting mix of dark malts, bitterness and some intriguing hop flavour/aroma, you can convert the Guiness-drinkers (i.e. all of Ireland) and show them the road to the light!We need more devoted followers, pardon the religious overtones, to spread the word and learn more people about proper beer. There were many who missed out at the last outing, so I do not think there will a problem selling more shares.I would love to see BrewDog go all-out organic! I know you have used some organic malt, but have you considered going organic? It would probably be quite difficult to get all your hops and other ingredients organicly grown, but the malt is at least possible to get. At least, make a few beers, maybe one in the core range organic! This would fit very well with your new eco-brewery and your profile overall.
teeba 05.09.2012 @ 10:08am
- What would you like to see beer style wise from BrewDog that is not currently available?A gluten-free option for an ex-BrewDog lover/enthusiast who's now at a loss what to drink... the current options available in Europe are quite dire, go grab the market with your great philosophy and angle on brewing!Keep up the excellent work!
Will Angus 05.09.2012 @ 9:49am
The AGM was great, though I was a litte disappointed with the range of beers on offer at the bar. I'd love to see more of your beers available on tap next time. Also bring more beer, I remember the bars started running dry at the end of the night!Apart from that I can't think how you could improve the AGM, I really enjoyed the talk from James and Martin and the music as great.The main thing is to give us plenty of notice when it will be so we can ensue we have time off work etc.I'd love to see more of your beers in supermarkets. It's great that Sainsburys stock a few of your beers, but I noticed that Punk has disappear from my local Tesco and Asda which is a shame.Are there any plans to try and get your beers into other pubs? I had a few cask versions of your beer including a mild I don't remember the name of which was great.
Banjo 05.09.2012 @ 9:36am
As a publican, supermarkets are anathema to me. Sort out your online shop & remove your craft beers from the hands of the corporate monsters. Make more of your beers available to national wholesalers. I've had Punk, Alpha Dog, & Edge on cask in my pub (Edge & Alpha flew out) but no longer see any Brewdog beers available to purchase as a guest. We also sell a range of continental beers here, & I'd love to add some Brewdog beers to the list but I'm unable to find a wholesaler in the Midlands that stocks your beers. As a shareholder I'd like to have some Brewdog beers on my bar, glassware, etc. Waverley TBS have a decent "world beers" range, maybe try them for national distribution?Beer styles? A wheat beer (more in the Maisels style than Erdinger), a Dunkel, & a regularly available Pilsener (preferably available in keg as well as bottled). Oh, & Dog A is the finest beer I've ever tasted!
french brewer 05.09.2012 @ 8:21am
Refresh your shirt's stock !! And continue to brew amazing things ! Enjoy !
Tony G 05.09.2012 @ 5:44am
Make it possible to buy your beers direct from the new facility at Fraserburgh, and at prices similar to that at Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda etc.I want the money to go directly into your pocket, and not have x% creamed off by the supermarkets
David Gilks 05.09.2012 @ 12:47am
Agree with much of what has been said already. With the new brewery, the non-core range need to become more regular. You should also find a way to get more of the core range into supermarkets to keep it in people's faces when they are buying beer.I don't agree with a further Equity for Punks issue unless there is a good reason to bring in new equity to fund additional investment. Even then, I would want to see that equity is a better option than lending before heading down that track.I do like the idea of allowing people to "hold" partial orders to save on shipping. Even if it is limited only to Equity Punks for logistical reasons.Comments on merchandise and guest beers in the shop are correct. You need more and better stock of what is there.
Andy298 04.09.2012 @ 11:19pm
Love (majority) of your beers. DPC and 5 A.M are an amazing achievement, absolutely love them! Maybe a Saison next?Some sort of online discount for buying 'x' amount or free postage for orders over a certain amount. Maybe branch out more of your beers to the supermarkets? People may say this is a sell out but with the current state of online shop it's certainly the best way to get your brand out there.As for the comments about the punk image not being right. Sorry I totally disagree with that. I love the whole 'we're different, rebellion' attitude. There's nothing like that now-a-days so it's cool we can still feel the punk era when drinking your beers! I've certainly never been offended by the copy on certain bottles!
Fanboy Puppy Lover 04.09.2012 @ 11:11pm
Have a wider range of beer styles (including a lager and a porter) in the always available core range and market this range vigorously to the supermarkets, where most people buy their bottles of beer, so the full range is available in many more outlets.Go through all the beers BrewDog have ever made and decide what you think about them and whether you want to brew them again and if so, how they can be improved. If you are going to keep brewing a beer, keep it available - it is frustrating to buy some bottles of a favourite beer only to have it disappear for a few years the next time you order.Think hard about whether you really want to sell other people's beers on your website. There are other online beer shops doing this better than BrewDog. If you decide to continue, have beers that cannot be bought elsewhere and keep the shop well stocked. The lack of guest beers available on the online shop is embarrassing at times.Keep releasing equity to punks.Some of the pilot brews brewed in the bars and by your brewers sound amazing - keep innovating - invent new beer styles!Listen to people but do it your own way - how other people have done things in the past may not be the way to do things in the future.
Evan 04.09.2012 @ 11:08pm
Nothing I can think of, you guys make a quality brew!
Anton 04.09.2012 @ 11:08pm
Open a bar next to my house. Ship more beer to germany.
Simon TH 04.09.2012 @ 11:07pm
How about giving cider the brewdog treatment? Sweet and fruity, yet blisteringly strong with some herbsa and spices. My wife likes the strawberry or toffee ones, but feels let down by their 4 percent strength and lack of depth. Just a thought, keep up the good work fellas.
Charles T 04.09.2012 @ 11:07pm
Bring in an artist to make new labels. Everybody loves pictures.
Heather M 04.09.2012 @ 11:06pm
I love your beer but due to sometimes being the designated driver would love you to brew a further low strength brew (different from Dead Pony). Love the vibe of bars...but can I ask that you offer some soft drink options - for the nights I am with friends but not able to drink!
Punkkk 04.09.2012 @ 9:25pm
More equity for punks, possibility of contract brewing, more beers and t-shirts on the store. And finally a bar in rome!!!Keep it goin' punks!!
Beardspunk 04.09.2012 @ 7:20pm
Sorry about sending the same message thrice. I didn't they were getting through my apologies.
metalmushroom 04.09.2012 @ 7:03pm
Some more tantalising info for the homebrewers out there would be sweet!More Brewdog beers in 'normal' pubs would be awesome too!
dunk 04.09.2012 @ 6:12pm
I would love to see a few wheat beers in the core range, the red imperial wheat that is on at the moment is awesome. As said above I'd love to see old dogma back and the hardcore nz. Maybe having a regular release of older brews could work 1 a month and you could keep it seasonal. It would be nice to see cask and bottle conditioned beers in the rangeI'd love to see more Equity for punks it was such a great way to get involved. At the next AGM it would be great to host it next to the brewery and the opportunity to try loads of different beers. The online store really grinds me. As mentioned the delivery time needs to be worked on. Waiting 8 days to dispatch a case of beer really isn't on. I'd love to see a bigger selection of guest beers. You guys need to keep brewing great beers and shipping them out to the bars. Keep the awesome artwork coming too.could you expand the range of promotional products, maybe a bracken range.
Dexi 04.09.2012 @ 6:06pm
How about kegs for sale on the site? A couple of my friends have bars setup in their homes and mines in the planning stages and it would be quality to rock up to the party with a keg of DPC for the night.
Craig C 04.09.2012 @ 6:00pm
Get your beer into more pubs. Start putting more variety in the supermarkets and get 5am Saint into the 660ml bottles. Its too nice!
barry m 04.09.2012 @ 5:23pm
you should not have pay same price to take beer home from the bars the price should be the same as the online ones.
Akex 04.09.2012 @ 4:35pm
1) bribe/cajole/threaten/sweet-talk/otherwise sort out Leeds council2) something involving ginger (the root, not the bloke from The Wildhearts)3) there is a fine line between irreverent and annoying/looking like you are trying too hard and just occasionally it gets crossed4) I'd like to see more in supermarkets, of course. Or even better, Brewdog bars in supermarkets, with glassholders built into the shopping trolleys.
Andy Bates 04.09.2012 @ 3:37pm
Agree with this comment of Robs. As a logistician I can tell you the bet technologies to use and what processes you would need to put in place.AB"I have a suggestion for the online shop which I've emailed before, although I guess you guys get a lot of emails.....I like to buy the rarities and one offs, but the delivery charge is £7, even for just one or two bottles. Fair enough, but it does hike the overall price up. I guess it is worse for overseas customers.What I would like would be the ability to pay a storage fee (perhaps annual, £10/£20?) to allow me to build up to a delivery, and therefore only pay the £7 once close to 24 bottles was reached. I feel this would encourage more purchases overall. We'd have to order several times a year to justify paying the storage fee, so that's encouragement in itself.I understand managing such a system might be time-consuming, but if we're paying for it, that shouldn't be an issue!"
David S 04.09.2012 @ 3:02pm
I would like to see Hops Kills Nazis and The original Dogma back and the full selection of Brewdog beers in the Supermarket.
Beardspunk 04.09.2012 @ 2:54pm
I would like to see Hops Kills Nazis and the original Dogma back and for good.
Beardspunk 04.09.2012 @ 2:52pm
I would really like to see Hops Kills Nazis again It was my favourite beer and enjoyed the original Dogma and make them permanent . I think it would be good if all of your beers were available to buy at the supermarket. One more idea maybe a Brewdog shop in addition to the online one who knows it might turn out to be a success, Nothing ventured nothing gained.
dp 04.09.2012 @ 2:50pm
New beer style - Saison would be goodMore equity - at the moment only if required for a reasonOnline shop - postage at £7 means I only ever order a full case rather than the individual specials when they come out so I tend to miss some of these which is a bit disappointing. Stock control was supposed to have improved but my last order a few weeks back was missing a few chaos theory and have only just been replaced with an alternative - perhaps needs looking at again.Good stuff - I really enjoyed the Libertine Black so hope this stays on the production lineImprovements - shifting the marketing strategy on as James iondicates would be timely.
Beardspunk 04.09.2012 @ 2:45pm
Please take back Hops Kills ? That was my favourite beer from you guys and also I would really like to see the old Dogma back as well. And I would also like to see the full range of Brewdog Beers in the Supermarket. One more thing maybe it's just me but I think it would be a good idea to open up a Brewdog Shop. Just an idea
Chris Novell 04.09.2012 @ 1:46pm
Almost forgot.... Sell polypins of select beers in your online shop. I was after one for a party but apparently you don't sell them at this time.
ChrisNovell 04.09.2012 @ 1:40pm
Definately more equity for punks, gutted I missed out last time. More Beer tasting sessions at the bars. People love talking beer at the moment I think this would be really popular. Guest speakers, prizes to give away. Hell I'd even help you run them!!
Johnny B 04.09.2012 @ 1:34pm
I would love it if there was somewhere I could go to pick up my beer. I live in Peterhead and am in Aberdeen regularly and have friends / family who work in Fraserburgh who could pick up orders for me save having to pay £7 delivery on every order! Or make more beers available in shops / supermarkets. Not sure if thats down to you guys though?Bring back hops kill? I have 3 bottles left I've been saving because I don't know when I can get it again! Equity for punks 3 would be awesome as I was skint both times you have done it before!
TheViewOut 04.09.2012 @ 1:29pm
More Equity for Punks, please. I missed the 1st issue & I'd like to put my money where my beer belly is.There, almost a Tweet . . .
Rab 04.09.2012 @ 1:12pm
What would you like to see beer style wise from BrewDog that is not currently available?A wheat beer probably needs included in the range and something fruity in the summer would be nice. original prototype 17 maybe? Should we offer up more equity for punks shares so more people can be part of BrewDog? What should we do for the next AGM?Shares only if theres a specific target involved, as others have said. wasnt at this years AGM but sounded like a good base to build on. What would you like to see on our online shop? Miles better than it was, but orders can still take a while, however they are now always correct. Keep it well stocked and maybe add to the merchandise/guest beers What do we do really well?You've started to get the multiple releases sorted, last time we had 3 at once which was great and Alpha dog at £1 a bottle was really good. Bottles at a quid a time for shareholders of whatever you have a load of is a nice little thank you. What can we improve upon?Marketing has worked well but needs to grow up a wee bit now, How about a core range multipack (something like the IPAID) with some beer school info, as a tool for recruiting new converts.Agree about DPC, great beer but hardly promoted compared to some of the other higher profile but not as good beers And any other random or general feedback we can use to make our brewery and business better?Keep up the good work
James Tulloch 04.09.2012 @ 1:02pm
Positives:- Dead Pony Club- 2012 AGM- New brewery- International Arms Race with Flying Dog- IPA Is Dead series- More BrewDog bars- Larger ‘bomber’ bottles for Punk IPA and Dead Pony Club- Transparency and dialogue with customersNegatives:- Recent inconsistency of Punk IPA- There’s nout wrong with confidence, but the language used in some BrewDog marketing is too crass and immature- Confusion over Tesco doing BrewDog’s Hardcore IPA under a different name – seems pretty pointless and unnecessary- Lack of collaboration between CAMRA and BrewDog (neither party is blameless here)- Beers can be quite expensive from the BrewDog bars – perhaps having 1/3 pint prices?
Needsmoresnakes 04.09.2012 @ 12:53pm
I know nothing about business.But I would love you to open up a pub with a small music venue that sells brewdog (and maybe some other excellent beers) - so beer and punk can be combined fully. Buy one of the old Barfly buildings and call it a Brewfly.Yup, this is why I am poor - no business plan, just pipe dreams!
Bobby Goodtimes 04.09.2012 @ 12:28pm
Improve international distribution, therefore price. While your success has been amazing you are underestimating how big it could get with better distribution. That could also ensure better quality product - not old, heat affected beer. An Imperial Pilsner or Saison IPA would be a nice addition to the range. That's a 'punk' idea, IPA's while great, have flooded the craft beer market. Extreme now must surely be whatever is outside of your core style. In any case thanks for the opportunity to comment , brave move, & keep up the good work.
Vogod 04.09.2012 @ 12:20pm
Beer style that's not available: Saison. More Equity for Punks?: Yes, but wait until I have the money for it. :)Online shop: Actually I'd like to see a good European craft beer online shop, but I guess it's out of scope for a brewery.What do we do really well?: Marketing. Beer. Attitude.What can we improve upon?: Some of the Abstrakts deserve wider release. Availability outside of bars in Finland is kind of problematic at times, but I guess the monopoly-system is to blame for that.
Richard B 04.09.2012 @ 12:15pm
Improve the online shop ( stock & delivery are still poor ), and open a bar here :)
MrY 04.09.2012 @ 12:09pm
Quite simply get a bigger range into supermarkets
[email protected] 04.09.2012 @ 12:06pm
First of all I love your beers, especially 5 A.M. Saint which one of my top 5 beers ever!so here are my suggestions:Please open a bar in Bratislava/Slovakia. Reply to you fan post every time, either the message comes to you by email or facebook etc. Expand your merchandise shop with more beer logo t-shirts, baseball caps, clothing in general. Punk IPA logo t-shirt is not enough.Please reduce your shipping costs to Europe. When I pay 9.99 for a t-shirt I won't pay 15+ pounds for shipping. More #brewdogging albums! I dig making photos with BrewDog related stuff :). thanks! Karol
Weildableturnip 04.09.2012 @ 12:00pm
The online shop needs more choice, and the delivery is still very inconsistent and needs improvement.
Simon L 04.09.2012 @ 11:55am
Get Hardcore and Dogma for sale in a supermarket. Sort out leeds council who don't know a good idea when it hits them in the face!
thechobgoblin 04.09.2012 @ 11:25am
I have a suggestion for the online shop which I've emailed before, although I guess you guys get a lot of emails.....I like to buy the rarities and one offs, but the delivery charge is £7, even for just one or two bottles. Fair enough, but it does hike the overall price up. I guess it is worse for overseas customers.What I would like would be the ability to pay a storage fee (perhaps annual, £10/£20?) to allow me to build up to a delivery, and therefore only pay the £7 once close to 24 bottles was reached. I feel this would encourage more purchases overall. We'd have to order several times a year to justify paying the storage fee, so that's encouragement in itself. I understand managing such a system might be time-consuming, but if we're paying for it, that shouldn't be an issue! Cheers,Rob PS Bring back Chaos Theory and old Dogma permanently!
phroco 04.09.2012 @ 11:19am
Less obsession with hops would be my only suggestion at this stage for styles. I find very hoppy beers too dehydrating and they dry my mouth out! Bristol Beer Factory did a 12 stouts of Xmas last year. You could do seasonal collection of related styles.Only had one experience with the online shop so far. Results mixed. Placed order, but forgot to apply discount code. So asked for order to be cancelled so I could re-order. Got response saying would be refunded so placed new order couple of days later. Beer was delivered last week so thought all good. Then another load turned up this morning. Turned out that the initial order still went through. I might have noticed if I'd had email and text updates for both orders but only ever had them for one so had no idea. Not sure what to do now. Not sure I can bring myself to try and post it back!Looking forward to the Bristol bar opening though. Will there be shareholder event?
Dunk 04.09.2012 @ 11:10am
I'd love to see a brewdog wheat beer, the imperial wheat that is sometimes on in the bars is fantastic (I've not managed to get to the bars to try the red wheat yet). I really like the Tom Hunter IPA, it's like a bridge between a UK and USA style IPAs.Really pleased to see James's comments on the marketing, I think the fact Brewdog listens to it's customers is something you do well.On the inconsistency issue, do you have a quality manager? If not I could help you out, I'm not making a tongue in cheek "i'll taste your beer" suggestion but I'm a quality manager with experience in the automotive, electronics and oil industries. I also have experience in smallish Scottish food company, all be it about 12 years ago and just as a machine operator on the shop floor.
Cstewart 04.09.2012 @ 11:09am
As much as I love to give you guys a noogie periodically for talking a lot of shite and producing some beers going in the right direction, you have done a grand job of opening peoples eyes to the possibilities of brewing and probably inspired a few people to live the brewing dream. How's about setting up an aspiring (Home) Brewers comp? C
Derek P 04.09.2012 @ 11:09am
Absolutely no going back to the cask (I have every faith you guys won't do that anyways!)It was great at the time but you have moved on an are doing something different for the better! We need more craft beers in the uk instead of all the poor cask beers we are getting.
Del85 04.09.2012 @ 10:54am
Think you guys are still doing a great job ad a scene that is still taking off here in the uk.Like a few previous comments fingers crossed with the new brewery opening up punk can get back to its original hoppy in your face flavours. I miss it a lot! However I have to say well done with the dead pony club. It is now my go to beer along with zeitgeist.I think the issue with pricing is a tricky one as I appreciate that you can't sell bottles for the same price as a supermarket. Maybe an online discount for buying upwards of ten or so would be an idea and would encourage more people to take it up?Anyways keep up the good work guys it must have been a shit ton of work in very little time given how much brewdog has blown up in the last few years so I know you guys will sort it out eventually :-) Oh and I like the marketing and in your face thing. I would get offended by someone saying to my face your not sophisticated enough to enjoy this beer I would laugh at them, so why the hell would I get offended by it being written on a bottle!? Precious little losers! ;-)
James R 04.09.2012 @ 10:51am
Online delivery time is pretty shoddy as mentioned below...But i don't agree with people having a go at your marketing and prices. Yes, it would be nice if they were cheaper (i would hope having a higher brewing capacity might help with that, but perhaps not). Marketing is spot on in my opinion, working in the trade I can confirm that most people (either side of the bar) are so stubborn it is painful. They need to be told what to drink on occasion otherwise HUK, Molson Coors, Carlsberg-Tetley will continue to ruin this nations beer heritage. Controversy sells stuff, selling stuff makes more money, more money means more ability to make crazy and weird beers!I would agree with some of the comments about the inconsistency in taste of the Punk IPA from Sainsbury's and it would be great to see more distribution around the South East of England. I am ready to defect from my current role if you want a BDE for the area, as mentioned before! 4 Packs available in supermarkets (bottles) would also be great! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY...A bar in Brighton to compete with the likes of The Brewery Tap, The Bees Mouth and The Evening Star is surely a NO BRAINER?But, in general, you are doing a great job and finally, i would love to be involved in the next Equity For Punks scheme but would agree that it should only happen with a specific goal in mind.Cheers, and keep up the good work!
BrewDog James 04.09.2012 @ 10:50am
We are aware of the need to evolve our marketing and this is something we are working on.As a company we are learning and evolving all the time and our marketing is going to have less of a focus on impact and more of a focus on education and information about the beers going forward.
Barry W 04.09.2012 @ 10:46am
Deffo need to start making Car Air Fresheners - single and blended hops! Something slightly smaller than the beer mats in your bars, but still shaped as the Brewdog shield would be awesome! If you could make my car smell like Hardcore or Hops Kill, then i will love you forever.More Videos! They're hilarious, and more flipping the flying V's at big companies - F*ck em all!More packages on the online store - 4 bottles and a glass / shirt or something - makes buying slightly more interesting / compelling.Something that's not quite so hoppy, strong, or stout like soon? If i could buy something from you guys that's really easy to drink, that'd be great to top up any of my online orders of special / New releases with.That's all i can think of now.Cheers.B
Ben M 04.09.2012 @ 10:42am
Brewdog Bar in Sheffield please
GPM 04.09.2012 @ 10:42am
A change in the marketing would be great. At the moment it's rather pompous and immature. It worked well to get the brewery noticed, but as far as plenty of people I've spoken to are now concerned, it's a major put off. Good to see that you've realised it needs a change though.
BrewDog James 04.09.2012 @ 10:41am
@Allblues - drop me an email - james(at)brewdog.com
Mr T 04.09.2012 @ 10:34am
Just to say - what an insanely brave and open blog for BrewDog to post. Any growing small business has issues - the fact they are encouraging their customers (and opening themselves up to the wrath of anonymous internet trolls) to highlight their flaws in pretty compelling.Any company so willing to incorporate feedback and enter into dialogue like this and act on the feedback is already a huge success and lightyears ahead of the competition.I can't think of any other business who would do this.Go BrewDog!
Jose 04.09.2012 @ 10:32am
Brewdog bar in los angeles ca
Dave U 04.09.2012 @ 10:31am
My wife would like more beers like Prototype, fruity ones
Fabio 04.09.2012 @ 10:31am
Give me the possibility to open a brew dog pub in Rome,or let s try to show and taste your amazing beer inside our parties in the best club in Rome!contact me!we love brewdog ♥.. Plese contact me [email protected] or company has got nice projects and ideas!
jamie cowie 04.09.2012 @ 10:23am
No real complaints here! Thought this year’s AGM was clearly a victim of its own success, so bigger bars, seats, and a section away from the bands would be ideal. I presume the new brewery will have a shop, because I now buy nearly all my Brewdogs from sainsburys purely down to convenience/value v posting. If the brewery has an off licence, then I will be a regular visitor! Thought it was a shame CAMRA and Brewdog couldn’t get along, as a united front against Tennents would be great. Could something not be struck up with other Scottish Breweries like Cromarty, Fyne, Black Isle etc to make a badass Scottish Beer alliance?
ak 04.09.2012 @ 9:53am
A wheat beer arround 5% ABV would great, as would more chaos theory!
Hopkilla 5000 04.09.2012 @ 9:52am
@Allblues the spiel about you are not sophisticated enough or whatever to enjoy this brew blah blah blah was text taken straight from Stone Brewing Co's Arrogant Bastard Ale text, as a "tribute" to their homies...or we couldn't be arsed to come up with our own idea....and these brits will never know....
neptune 04.09.2012 @ 9:43am
Concentrate on your core beers, brew them consistently and sell them as competitively as possible. Online shop and delivery service still poor, compared to the likes of Innes and Gunn, Cairngorm, Black Isle etc.. Some bottle conditioned beer would be nice. Also supermarket stock of brewdog is very hit or miss, prices swinging up and down almost daily,and oh yes a wheat beer in a bottle now.
@tabamatu 04.09.2012 @ 9:42am
One more idea re the online shop. It seems the one-off releases are what drive the demand spikes and lead to delays. How about having whole cases or pre-picked boxes you can offer a faster turnaround on as they're already ready to ship.
jayerhill 04.09.2012 @ 9:41am
Please make your labels easier to remove. I make clocks from bottles and the Brew Dog labels are lovely, but very very tough to get off!bottles2clocks.co.uk
Lbb 04.09.2012 @ 9:41am
Punk and 5am were my go to beers but the quality got so horrendous I now don't touch them. Had a punk that actualy tasted like shit and I almost vomited immediately. I'll try them again once u have the new brewery up and running.Getting bored of ur marketing....everyone is. I know plenty of solid customers who have now stopped drinking because they are bored of all your shit. It's a real shame. there is a better way to do things.Libertine in sainsburys would be ace! They seem to have dropped all your beers in my local shop.U have ur faults and u know it but what u have done for the uk beer scene and young business people has been great. Wishing u all the best Lbb
Haydn K 04.09.2012 @ 9:40am
Hi BrewDogI'm so happy to get the chance to give you feedback. I'm passionate about your beer. I love the range and I love the bar in Camden. I push Brew Dog onto all my friends.BUT YOUR BRANDING AND YOUR COPYWRITING IS SERIOUSLY MISSING THE MARK. I guess I'm your target - 35 year old guy, beer-literate, working in advertising, living in London. And yet, I have to apologise and actively overlook your branding. I first tried your beer under duress. A barman told me to try a Punk IPA. He passed me the can. It just looked so wrong. And not wrong in a good way. Not truly punk. It looks like some 90's idea of hardcore. Like an RTD drunk by wannabe glam rocker. Not clever. Not cool. Just rubbish. The copy on the Punk IPA bottle almost made me stop drinking it! So offensive. I have to rip the label off, or it ruins the taste.The key that you're missing is charm. It's ok to be cheeky, but don't be an asshole. Don't tell me that "it is highly unlikely you have the sophistication to appreciate this beer." What would you do if someone said that to you?It really does offend me and make me not want to buy your beer. If you want more free advice, get in touch. As I said, I'm passionate about your beer and would love to support you.
Ian G 04.09.2012 @ 9:36am
I do think with the new increased capacity, you need to focus on product and pricing. The gimmicky social marketing and special products are important to the business, but the product is beer people will continue to buy - after the marketing. (Unit costs of £10 for 300ml cannot be sustainable) The "specials" are important to the promotion and marketing, but not often your finest products -as others have remarked.Don't know the future production numbers - but with a good supply of own BD brews and guest / imports, there has to be an opportunity to franchise bars / outlets - piggy-backing on your quirky marketing?
steve f 04.09.2012 @ 9:31am
A hefeweizen would be nice, also more availability in supermarkets; hopefully the new brewery will sort that.Also a better stocked online store that can actually stay stocked for longer that a week or is at least restocked on a regular basis.Stop brewing as many 'average' beers. I'd rather try a couple good new beers than 30 avergae ones and to be honest not many of your new beers have be particularly great.
@tabamatu 04.09.2012 @ 9:31am
What would you like to see beer style wise from BrewDog that is not currently available?I'd like to see a Saison and a Wheat beer (even seasonally, or bar only), both under the ABV of Punk. Both are styles you can experiment with to give it that BrewDog twist. More focus on consistency versus over-hyping mediocre beers - contrast Dead Pony Club (outstanding for me, especially the bottles in the online shop right now) with Never Mind the Anabolics, which I'm guessing wasn't the huge PR success you'd hoped. For me, having a great beer available nationwide is much better for long term growth of the business and brand than a PR based release not backed up by an awesome beer. Seeing DPC in Sainsbury's, Byron etc. is fantastic.Have also really enjoyed both IPAID releases so more of those with different hops please!Should we offer up more equity for punks shares so more people can be part of BrewDog? Only if you want/need to raise more funds for a specific capital investment. The EFP2 release was all about the building new brewery, so a great incentive to invest and see something tangible as a result.What should we do for the next AGM?As the new brewery will be fully in production by then, I think it should be something there (or at least include a tour as part of the day). What would you like to see on our online shop?Stick to BrewDog beers/merch and focus on turning them around as quick as you can.What do we do really well?See comments re Dead Pony Club. What can we improve upon?See comments re Never Mind the Anabolics. I get the need for PR to support the brand but focus more on the stuff that's available nationwide. DPC was one of the quietest launches I can remember and yet it's available within 15 minutes of 95% of houses in the country (stats made up). A great 'entry point' for potential customers to discover craft beer and have their interest roused in the other beers you make.And any other random or general feedback we can use to make our brewery and business better?Would be great to see you supporting start-up craft breweries either through small financial investment, support/advice or collaborations to help them on their way. You can't overturn the monolithic giants single-handedly.
S Anderson 04.09.2012 @ 9:30am
send more kegs to Wellington, New Zealand, craft bars. Chur.
Matt F 04.09.2012 @ 9:30am
I reckon there needs to be cake. Everything's better with cake.
Kevin P 04.09.2012 @ 9:30am
Send more to Kentucky!
m4 04.09.2012 @ 9:29am
Order beer online to collect from your bars for a reduced (or free!) postage charge
Cstewart 04.09.2012 @ 9:24am
oh and if you are pricing beers at £12 at least make it a bomber!
CStewart 04.09.2012 @ 9:23am
Less horse shit marketingMo' better beers, let the beer do the marketingLess look at me look at meMore consistent beers or if they are not consistent in flavour consistent in quality. WTF happened to the Hardcore and Tesco American Double IPA, they were so under attenuated for a while they were disgusting. Enjoy the new brewery and lab. Looks great.
Christina 04.09.2012 @ 9:22am
I know you don't sell a lot of your beers in supermarkets, but it would be nice to see a couple more being available there. Since it does seem to cost a bomb to order some to my flat in Kirkcaldy...
T Aitken 04.09.2012 @ 9:21am
The ability to buy a case and not just individual bottles in Morrisons
Tommy 04.09.2012 @ 9:21am
Easier access to your Limited Release beer in other countrys would be awesome.
Seth 04.09.2012 @ 9:10am
I'd love to see the t-shirts and work shirts available in bigger sizes. Some of us have spent years drinking beer, and have the proportions to show it. XL just doesn't cut it for us ! =)Bok Beer season is upon us here in the Netherlands. Would love to see you try a really sweet, caramel tasting Bok Beer
Bal752001 04.09.2012 @ 9:08am
Online shop communication is pretty bad. You get a confirmation email and thats about it. You have no idea when you're beer order will arrive except for a text from the delivery company a short while before. You should have a timescale that you give people and stick to it eg - 10 days. Email updates if stuff is out of stock would be good (as it says in your terms and conditions). When you phone up it seems as though its a chore for staff at other end. Most folk ordering online may be shareholders, and sometimes it seems like a kick in the teeth.
baldysteve 04.09.2012 @ 9:07am
A quicker dispatch time for online orders would be nice. At present i usually have to wait anything from a week to a fortnight on every order i place compared to other websites that generally send it the following day.
BrewDog James 04.09.2012 @ 9:03am
@ wonderboy - point taken on the pricing. Some of the small batch stuff is just really expensive to brew. However there are loads of beers here for £1.50-£2.50 per bottle and loads under £2.00 which represent great value.
Wonderboy 04.09.2012 @ 8:57am
I think you need to have more "reasonably priced" beers. When I come home from work I do like a beer, but I can't afford to pay £5 a bottle!All you have just now at a reasonable cost is 5am and punk (which has dipped considerably in quality over the last 6 months. Some bottles barely have a head!).Also another vote for Old Dogma. I am not a fan of Black coffee/Chocco flavoured beers, which you seem to do very well...I'd really like to see a truly RED beer, similar to Epic Mayhem. Hops Kill is good, but still not quite RED enough!
finlay2 04.09.2012 @ 8:56am
Online shop delivery times are massively variable. If there isn't stock to fill the order then that should be indicated on the order entry system and if not in stock then availability time would be useful. Eta email would be good if order is going to take more than a week.
neonxaos 04.09.2012 @ 8:56am
For me, in Denmark, the problem is availability. We can get Punk, Trashy, 5. a.m. and the 77 in many places, but no Dead Pony, Hardcore IPA or any of your porters or stouts. They are available in specialty stores along with your more adventurous beer, but I wish I could get a broader selecting or a rotating selection in supermarkets. My friends and I enjoy full-flavoured beer, and we find ourselves sticking almost exclusively to Punks. Granted, I can order things online, but the shipping costs (£25!!) make it less than worthwhile.
Peter D 04.09.2012 @ 8:53am
I know you've probably gone over this before but I loved it when I found your beers on Cask. Trachy Blonde and The Physics were both superior on Cask and I bet Dead Pony club would be as well. It was so nice finding them in random pubs around the city.
Stephanos 04.09.2012 @ 8:53am
More saisons, more new zealand hops, crack on with opening the bars
jamesp 04.09.2012 @ 8:53am
I have a ton of ideas. What's the best way to send them to you? I'd rather not post them all here in the comments section. Cheers!
MK-Fez 04.09.2012 @ 8:51am
Don't carbonate your beers in keg - leave them cask conditioned
MRW 04.09.2012 @ 8:46am
I am having major distribution issues.
Ben D 04.09.2012 @ 8:45am
set up a brewery in Australia!
Aaron 04.09.2012 @ 8:45am
Make more beers like the Tokyo.
Scott J 04.09.2012 @ 8:45am
send more of your beers to the bay area of california
Music & Beer 04.09.2012 @ 8:43am
Organise an European Tour - festival style.. Visit all Earopean countries with on a club tour. Get some good bands, and rebrand the venue to only rock BrewDog. Good music, good beer.. you'll sell out Scandinavia easily and with the profit you'll promote yourself in the rest of Europe..
The Beer Brethren - Daniel 04.09.2012 @ 8:43am
I love your beer its a top drop consistently, the biggest issue for me is getting my hands on it being all the way over here in Australia also there needs to be a bigger push to get some of these guys on tap that would make me and plenty of Aussies mega happy.The other thing I love IPA and Stouts but it would really be cool if someone could push something more from a lager maybe using a Gin as an idea base use Juniper and add botanical's just saying.There will be a review done shortly for Bitch Please over at The Beer Brethren www.facebook.com/thebeerbrethren as well it took me forever to get my hands on that bottle :/
brocher 04.09.2012 @ 8:37am
Sell all your beer out of fraserburgh imorn fed up paying 7 postage when i only stay 5 mins from u.and bring back old dogma please
Minimalizarte 04.09.2012 @ 8:29am
Don't get me wrong, I fucking love your beer. Sometimes though it seems that you make a new beer, and the question is: "Is it any good?" and the answer is, "uhhhhh.... it isn't great" and you go and market the hell out of it anyway. I understand that this is how your business works, and that Brewdog is constantly pushing the envelope - I respect that. But places like Anchor Brewing co do a better job at constantly making great beer. They may not have the best damn stout on the planet, but I know that they will never disappoint me.