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Founded by James Watt in 2007, in Fraserburgh.1
BrewDog was founded in Fraserburgh, Scotland, in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie. Dickie had previously worked at Thornbridge Brewery, where he helped develop their flagship beer, Jaipur. In 2009, BrewDog purchased its first bar, in nearby Aberdeen. At the end of 2018, the company and its franchisees operated 78 bars worldwide.
In 2011, BrewDog, along with other industry stakeholders, participated in a campaign advocating for the allowance of new beer measures in Britain. 2011 also saw the company offered crowdfunding shares totalling £2 million, the equivalent of 8% of the capital of the company. The shares were sold at £23.75 and accompanied several benefits such as discounts in its bars and online purchase of its beers.
The main brewing moved from Fraserburgh to nearby Ellon in 2012. In 2014, the company ended operations in Fraserburgh. In January 2013, BrewDog opened its new 5+1⁄2-acre (2.2-hectare) brewery at a cost of £7.8 million just outside of Ellon. The brewery was designed to minimise carbon emissions with the use of treatment plants, biogas technology and since 2021, an anaerobic digestion plant. The effectiveness and overall impact of these measures have been a topic of industry discussion. In March 2015, BrewDog was awarded £1.5m in Regional Selective Assistance, a government grant available to businesses investing in job creation and economic development.
In 2016, the Ellon distillery was expanded at a cost of £5 million including the addition of a new 300 hectolitre (7,000 gallon) brew house. BrewDog open-sourced its beer recipes to the public. The decision also served as a marketing initiative to engage homebrewers and increase brand visibility.
In 2017, private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners acquired a 22% stake in the company for approximately £213 million. In 2018, BrewDog announced its plan to build a $30 million brewery and tap room on an 11,000 square metres (120,000 sq ft) greenfield site in the Metroplex complex at Murarrie, in Brisbane, Australia.
In 2019, the company announced a new distillery in the United States and opened its first bar in Ireland, at the Capital Dock development in the upmarket Grand Canal Dock area of Dublin.
On 6 January 2020, BrewDog opened BrewDog AF, an alcohol-free bar on Old Street in Shoreditch, London. It closed in 2022, by which point it had abandoned the alcohol-free concept.
In 2021, BrewDog launched a new visual identity. In 2022, they expanded their Australian operations, opening another bar in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Further bars followed in South Eveleigh in Sydney, Coburg in Melbourne and Perth. In December 2022, BrewDog auctioned the first 50 casks of its single malt and single grain whiskies.
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In February 2023, BrewDog launched a partnership with Budweiser China and the expansion to that country's market.
In May 2024, James Watt stepped down as chief executive officer of BrewDog after 17 years in the role. He transitioned to a newly created non-executive position entitled "Captain and Co-Founder", remaining involved in the company's strategic direction while retaining his equity stake. He was succeeded by chief operating officer James Arrow.
In March 2025, BrewDog announced the appointment of James Taylor as chief executive officer and Lauren Carrol as chief operating officer, following the departure of James Arrow, who stepped down for personal reasons. The leadership changes took effect immediately.
In June 2025, BrewDog reported a return to profitability for the first time since 2021, with adjusted earnings before tax of £7.5 million. For the year ending 31 December 2024, the company recorded gross revenues of £357 million and net revenues of £280 million.
On 22 July 2025, BrewDog announced that it would close 10 locations in the UK, including its original branch in Aberdeen, on the following Saturday, 4 days later. The company described the closures as part of a strategy to "redefine the bar division's focus for long-term and profitable growth" in light of regulatory and financial issues affecting the hospitality industry. The trade union Unite called the short notice periods "morally repugnant" and "potentially unlawful".
In January 2026, the BrewDog distillery in Ellon was closed with the company ceasing production of all spirits.
On 2 March 2026, the company's UK and Ireland operations were acquired by the American pharmaceutical, cannabis and consumer packaged goods company, Tilray, for £33 million, as part of a pre-pack administration deal. As part of the deal it was announced that 38 bars would close with the loss of nearly 500 jobs. Brewdog founder, James Watt, commented on the deal stating he was "heartbroken".
British food think tank the Food Policy Institute subsequently warned of the potential impacts the BrewDog sale might have on craft beer investing in the UK.
From Wikipedia’s article on BrewDog, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5