Workers control, and there are few breweries that effectively do that- Abbeydale in Sheffield for example-might have seen the Brewdog story turnout very differently.
However below are six steps that might have given Brewdog a rather better ending than Administration and a cut-price sale with 484 job losses.
Its an extract to a longer analysis of Brewdog published at Culture Matters (link below)
So could BrewDog’s craft beer project have been done differently? That is the question any socialist like myself, impressed with the early BrewDog and then increasingly dismayed by it until I swerved the beers and bars nearly altogether, needs to consider.
The answer is an unequivocal yes. Firstly, Martin Dickie and James Watt (or those who might be tempted to do something similar in future) should have recognised their limitations. Dickie was a great brewer, while Watt could do publicity stunts that wound up Big Beer. Neither had any experience of running a business, or of managing a workforce. Professional assistance should have been sought.
Secondly, BrewDog should have recognised a trade union, in this case Unite the Union. Of course, Dickie and Watt were not used to dealing with a union, but again getting advice would have told them why it was important. A recognised union is not just about pay and conditions (and occasional strikes) although these are important. It can make sure that grievances are professionally handled and that issues with the business are raised. It may be that this is uncomfortable, but an independent voice would have saved BrewDog a serious amount of the trouble it stumbled into.
Thirdly, it should have resisted the siren call of capital to accumulate and expand. It’s not easy as Camden, Beavertown and other once independent craft brewers, now just another part of Big Beer, demonstrate, but it can be done. Kernel in London is an excellent example.
Fourthly, it should have understood that it needed a business model that was not the same as Big Beer but distinct from it. It was a Scottish-based brewer and provenance and community focus are a key part of independent beer. Expansion first to the UK and the across the globe was not only a mistake, but against what made craft beer different.
Fifthly, while its crowdfunding Equity for Punks schemes were not in most ways different to many other brewers, the idea that a stock market float would lead to financial gain for EFP holders should not have happened. Craft beer was meant to be focused on the beer, not the business. Of course, making sure the business was run properly and indeed profitably was important. Endless attempts to expand and in particular the private equity TSG deal were not, as became clear in 2026, the way forward.
Finally, BrewDog could have been run as a co-operative with both workers and Equity For Punks shareholders having a say. That might have fitted the original BrewDog culture of 2007, and it’s a model that might work for others in future. It would not have worked in 2026 however, since BrewDog was effectively bankrupt when sold to Tilray.
Kmflett's Blog 
I get deliveries from organic company, Riverford, now a workers’ co-operative.
The original owner, Guy Singh-Watson, sometimes comments, on how much better run, it now is, and how much he has learnt from the process.
His wife, Geethie, owns the organic pub in St Peters Street, Islington. They can sometimes be seen there, though they live in Devon.