7 episodes
Good Ship BrewDog BBC Radio
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- Society & Culture
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4.4 • 110 Ratings
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"Punk" CEO James Watt built a £2bn business, then controversy struck. The Captain is accused of leading a culture of fear and more, so can he steer the Good Ship through the storm?
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1. Setting Sail
In 2007, BrewDog comes howling into the world and launches straight into a brawl. But their story of battling the banks and fighting the “establishment” warrants a closer look.
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2. The Punk Revolution
BrewDog blew up “Big Beer” as part of their aggressive, anti-corporate marketing strategy attracting a loyal community of superfans. Could the Captain’s business manoeuvres be undercutting the very ethos that made the brand so popular?
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3. Make It Happen
While CEO James Watt is being awarded by the Queen and picking up accolades as one of the UKs best employers, there’s a culture crisis brewing on the Good Ship.
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4. Cash Is King
The co-founders announce a new private equity deal to turbocharge BrewDog’s growth. What many of the super fans don’t realise is the company they’ve ploughed millions into is changing in front of their eyes.
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5. The Brewery Playboy
After an open letter accuses CEO James Watt of presiding over a culture of fear, BrewDog are firefighting. Now, he faces more accusations in the US that could loosen the Captain’s grip on the helm.
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6. Dogs Of War
After a BBC documentary, The Truth About BrewDog, is broadcast, James Watt and his company use their extraordinary financial muscle to launch a fight back.
Customer Reviews
Insightful
I am an Equity Punk and found this a really interesting insight into the drive of James Watt that makes BrewDog successful; the problem is the same myopic focus means it will succeed or crash and burn. Some of the stories are shocking. What I would like to have heard more about is the recommendations from the review, whether they have been implemented and what difference they have made. Did the review deliver? Or is it too soon to tell? People make mistakes, the question is whether they accept criticism and change.
Awful background beat
It comes with a terrible background beat - WHY? WHY? Unlistenable. I stopped listening after only 10 minutes of the first episode. It’s a podcast so don’t spoil it with utterly pointless background sound effects.
Scary listening
Brewdog began as a company who excelled in marketing while brewing some fantastic craft beers to a small, enthusiastic following. In 2022 they are still doing the marketing thing but the beer side has become a what-will-a-Tesco-shopper-buy? Ooh, they like rubbish lager. Give them rubbish lager. Sales up!
Like anything that places too much importance on the bottom line, Brewdog is now just another Brew Corp with global expansion plans. The only thing that’s preventing James Watt expanding faster is that Bigger Brew Corps have monopolised certain territories, blocking the good ship Brewdog from docking. This must be driving ‘Captain’ Watt mad.
An excellent podcast BBC Scotland!