I took a photo of this beer last Wednesday at Brewdog on Baldwin Street (one of their earliest opened pubs in 2012) as I had a feeling it might be my last visit there. Today’s news has confirmed this.
Regardless of your views on Brewdog in 2026, or any of the years before now (trust me, I probably agree with most of them), two things are indisputable for me:
1. The staff in these bars have been consistently kind and welcoming across the 10 years I’ve been going to them. As it stands currently 484 are to lose their jobs. I hope other employers look upon them favourably, particularly the staff who stuck around while their early employment benefits were rescinded during Brewdog’s management decline in recent years.
2. Brewdog beer was an open gateway to hundreds of other small businesses in the craft beer scene that I’ve since supported (3,212 different beers and 393 venues) and friends that I’ve made (none greater than Frank Davy) These bars always showcased other brewers – this beer was a Cloudwater, one of my favourites from Manchester.
If you’ve enjoyed Brewdog beer (I think it’ll stick around under the new owners) or visiting their bars, this would be a great time to explore the great beer being brewed on the fringes of town and cities, or in some cases just a few doors away. In Bristol, be sure to check out our client Wiper and True at Old Market and St Werburghs.
I don’t believe we need to see any of these balloon quite in the same way Brewdog did, but if they could become feasible, sustainable businesses in our communities, there could be opportunities for great employment. Take a look at Abbeydale Brewery for example, they became employee owned in 2024. 🍻
Liam Toms 