BrewDog Co-Founder Martin Dickie Steps Down Amid Ongoing Struggles

One of BrewDog’s co-founders is stepping away from the company, according to a Friday report from U.K. publication “The National.” Martin Dickie, who founded the Scottish craft beer brand with James Watt in 2007, unexpectedly announced his departure in an email to the staff, citing personal reasons.

“This business has been my life for the last 18 years and I have enjoyed (almost) every minute,” he shared in the email. “I have been inspired by and loved working with and learning from so many interesting people who have worked in our business over the years from all over the world.”

Though the rebellious beer brand quickly rose to fame, Dickie’s departure follows a long string of struggles for BrewDog. The company announced last month it would close 10 of its bars due to industry challenges. And earlier this week reports surfaced that BrewDog beers were removed from about 2,000 pubs across the U.K. The brewery’s most popular beer, the Punk IPA, was removed from 1,980 pubs, marking a 52 percent decline in distribution. One brand cutting ties with BrewDog is Loungers, a U.K. bar chain that claims it’s replacing BrewDog beers with competitors like Camden Town and Beavertown instead.

“It’s going to be a tough battle. I do think the brand is probably going to really struggle to establish the kind of relevance it probably had 10 years ago,” Loungers CEO Alex Reilley told “The Telegraph.”

This also comes after Watt, Dickie’s fellow co-founder, stepped back from the company last May, following a series of allegations regarding the company’s culture. In June 2021, over 100 former employees accused Watt of creating a “culture of fear” in the workplace in an open letter.

“You have inflated egos and fostered a culture within craft beer that deifies founders, and gives weight to sexist and misogynistic brewers who claim to be standing up for free speech,” the letter claimed. “You have become a lightning rod for some of the worst attitudes present on both the internet, and in real life.”

Dickie’s departure is the latest blow to BrewDog, and with its current financial struggles, it’s unclear what the future holds for the brand. Though the industry as a whole is facing a number of challenges, it’s possible that Brits are just bored with the BrewDog schtick.

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