Kmflett's Blog

Another round at Brewdog. Is it about to be eaten by Big Beer?

There has been a good deal of media commentary on Brewdog recently, much of well informed and interesting.

Rob Davies has posted a useful piece at the Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/14/anarchy-in-the-ipa-as-punk-brewers-sales-stall-are-we-past-peak-brewdog?CMP=share_btn_url

I picked up a couple of points in particular worth noting further. Brewdog say that the concessions they have at Lords cricket ground, West Ham’s London Stadium and the Isle of Wight Festival provide three times the volume of sales that they were achieving at the ten pubs they have recently closed.

In one sense this is not surprising. If you want a beer at the London Stadium or Lords (you can take limited alcohol in there as Lords carries its own insurance) or the Isle of Wight Festival its Hobsons Choice, Brewdog.

Pete Brown also rightly criticises those who say that Brewdog were never any good. In its early period Punk was very good, a benchmark setter. So were the barrel aged beers and later the wild beers and sours. All apparently gone

In fact as I recently noted Punk IPA is now a perfectly drinkable, easy drinking mass market beer, one amongst numbers of others

Finally the FT (Katie Martin 13^th September) reports on issues facing private equity in the current market. Given that private equity outfit TSG have a significant stake in Brewdog and have just loaned them another £20m this is of interest. Martin notes that while the aim of PE is to invest, grow and then sell at a profit, at the moment there are very few IPO listings and those who determine the market reportedly think that the value of PE IPO sales are overpriced compared to their actual value. Hence Martin reports that some PE sales have taken place by selling to another part of the same PE group.

If a PE sale is not on the cards in the current commercial environment and Brewdog having sustained significant losses is currently just profitable that leaves open the option of a sale to Big Beer. Heineken or ABInBev may not have much interest in most of the pubs but the off-trade-supermarket etc- sales and those three concessions might be of more interest…

Marx’s Capital, boom & bust & craft beer

The passage below is from Will Hawkes excellent monthly bulletin on all things to do with London beer. Bird House is a South London brewery (etc) based on the site of what was Canopy brewing. The passage below underlines a key point from Marx’s Capital. Capitalism is a system based on boom and bust. As ‘inefficient’ companies go under, space is created for new ones to start, often on the back of those that have gone.

The London Brewers Alliance festival is at Bird House from 25^th-28^th September where a glass can be raised to Karl Marx himself a great drinker of London beer.

London Brewers Alliance Beer Festival – at Bird House Brewery – 25th – 28th September

In the case of Bird House, this has led to some smart thinking. On-site, beer is served from 500-litre tanks, all of them bought from upscaling or failing London breweries for a fraction of what they might have cost first-hand. That’s one big plus of London’s struggling brewery scene: plenty of bargains to be had. Will says the beer stays fresh in the tank for a month – courtesy of “a system to keep the oxygen really low” – although lager and pale shifts in much less time. 

still powerful after all these years, Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch.

The last is a surprising invitee given the fact Trump is suing one of his newspapers for billions over claims he wrote a note framed by a drawing of a naked woman to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Less surprising perhaps is that Murdoch, owner of The Sun and The Times, was sat next to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief political spin doctor Morgan McSweeney.

BBC Report

Report from The Independent of a gathering of Tories & Reform UK types at a central London hotel

After canapes, Mr Farage and the US cabinet members left, before the rest of the guests, which also included Sir Sajid Javid and Mark Harper, were treated to dinner.

The witness added: “At that point, Boris robustly defended his government’s record. Boris argued that Brexit gives us powers to reduce immigration if we wish, and said he did reduce it. He also said we shouldn’t bash the contribution migrants make to Britain.

A state reception dinner for British right-wingers descended into a bust-up between Boris Johnson and other senior Tories over the party’s record in government.

In an astonishing turn of events, a witness described “real anger” as the meeting of minds led to a spat between Liz Truss, Mr Johnson and his former boss, broadcaster Andrew Neil.

The event, at the luxury Peninsula Hotel in London’s Mayfair, was hosted by US broadcaster Newsmax and included guests of honour Marco Rubio and US treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Both are in the UK for Donald Trump’s state visit.

Launching a new left party: The Independent Labour Party 1893

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Questions for parties of the left: federation or national centre. The Independent Labour Party 14^th January 1893

With the current issues around launching a new political formation of the left involving Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn some familiar issues are open to discussion. For example whether there should be a loose federation of the many existing independent left campaigns, groups etc, or an attempt to have one national structure.

It’s not a new issue. In fact it was discussed at the founding conference of the Independent Labour Party in January 1893. It’s worth noting that until the Webbs 1918 Labour Party Constitution it was not possible to be a member of the Labour Party. Rather membership or support lay with local and regional structures of various kinds

Report Glasgow Herald

Mr W.H. DREW, of Bradford, moved, “That this conference of delegates of numerous local organisations all over the United Kingdom pledges itself to the principle of independent labour representation on all legislative, governing, and administrative bodies; hereby agrees to federate for the speedier accomplishment of their one common object: and declares that the style and title of the new federation shall be the Independent Labour party of Great Britain and Ireland.”

Mr SHAW MAXWELL seconded the resolution.

Mr A. FIELD moved as an amendment the omission of the word “federate,” and the substitution of the words “to amalgamate their organisation into one national Independent Labour party.” The difference between federation and amalgamation was discussed at great length, and eventually the resolution was passed in its original form without opposition; but after announcements from the representatives of the London Fabian Society and the Social Democratic Federation that their associations had no intention of affiliating with the Independent Labour party, though they were glad to give it every possible assistance.

Understanding our history is important. It provides a perspective on the present but not of course any more that

For Trump’s visit, the 160 guests, sitting behind 1,452 pieces of cutlery, were eating from a menu, written in French, which translates as:

• Hampshire Watercress Panna Cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad
• Organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes with a thyme and savoury infused jus
• Vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached Victoria plums

Guests had a generous wine list.

• Wiston Estate, Cuvée, 2016
• Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, 2018
• Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, 2000
• Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve, 1998

Photo Jess Hurd

While Donald Trump was safely out of the way at Windsor Castle a large protest against his visit took place in central London on Wednesday afternoon 17th September.

The Metropolitan Police claimed 5,000 took place, in which case its reasonable to ask why according to their own Twitter account they mobilised 1600 officers for the occasion.

The actual number who took part was certainly not 3 million but probably around 10,000. Decent for an afternoon in the middle of the working week. Every banner tells a story.

Donald Trump was at a State Banquet at Windsor Castle on 17th September. One (invented) tradition of such occasions is to produce a special drink, in this case a Transatlantic Whisky Sour

Buckingham Palace described the tipple, a UK/US twist on the classic whisky sour, as one that “blends the smoky depth of Johnnie Walker Black with the bright citrus of marmalade.”

It added: “Crowned with a pecan foam and garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit, evoking the warmth of a fireside S’more.”

Personally I’m sticking to a nightcap of Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks without further additives.

Trump claims to be a non-drinker but does anyone believe anything he claims?

Donald Trump is on a State visit to the UK, notable for lots of police and absolutely no engagement with crowds of people.

Trump flew in on 16th September and spent the night at the US Ambassador’s residence in Regents Park, Central London. It is sheltered from the public view.

He then went to Windsor Castle on 17th September where the King and Queen are in residence (breaking their usual late summer Scottish holiday). Trump was presented with various military displays, pomp and circumstance, but no public. On Tuesday there was a State banquet and on Wednesday he was off to the Prime Minister’s official residence Chequers for trade talks before returning to the US.

There was no public parade in central London, no horse drawn carriages. The reality is that Trump is just to unpopular to risk it in the UK.

There was an anti-Trump demonstration in central London on Wednesday afternoon. Mid-week on a working day is not the best time but thousands turned out. The Metropolitan Police, who can’t count checked their guide and said 5,000 had attended. In which case (the Met’s own figures) why were 1600 police needed?

Meanwhile Berkshire police managed to arrest four activists from Led By Donkeys for displaying images of Trump and Epstein on Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening. Such activity has not previously warranted an arrest but it seems ‘annoying President Trump’ is now an alleged offence.

17th September

A placard on the anti-Trump demonstration in central London on 17th September.

The message is clear. Ambridge is a Trump No Go Zone