A spokesperson for the Ellon-based business said the story, which appeared in The Telegraph stating its range of draught beers have disappeared entirely from approximately 1,860 pubs in the past two years, failed to explain its share in independent pubs has risen.
They said: “On The Telegraph’s story, while the number of distribution points in pub groups has declined, our share in the independent pub sector has increased massively (we’re up 11% year on year while the rest of the market is down 6%).
“The volume gains in the independent sector offset losses in pub groups.
“The challenge in pub groups comes down almost exclusively to one customer which shifted its portfolio, resulting in less space for craft beer in its estate.
“In the on-trade, we are shifting our focus from Punk IPA to Wingman, which is now the fastest growing craft beer in the UK
“Most importantly, as part of our broader strategy refresh, we’re evolving our approach to distribution to focus much more on sporting venues and festivals. We’re now pouring at Lord’s, London Stadium, and the Isle of Wight Festival for example.
“So, when you look at the whole picture, rather than one narrow data point, a very different picture emerges.”
Punk IPA suffers
The original article claimed the loss of pubs selling BrewDog draught beers meant its UK distribution had been cut by more than a third, according to confidential pub industry data.
These figures also show that BrewDog’s best-known beer, Punk IPA, has suffered the worst loss after being removed from 1,980 pubs over the same period – a 52.3% decline in distribution as pubs shrink down their offering and drinkers turn away from the brand.
A spokesperson from JD Wetherspoon revealed the BrewDog products it offered has remained unchanged.
They said: “Wetherspoon trades with Brewdog on the basis of a long-term contract, which is the normal case for our regular suppliers.
“BrewDog has always been a reliable trading partner and draught Punk IPA, available in almost all of our pubs, continues to be a popular craft beer, as do their bottled products; Hazy Jane, Elvis Juice and Punk AF.”
All pubs within the Tim Martin-chaired business serve one BrewDog product on draught and a number of BrewDog bottled drinks too.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Star Pubs said: “We have not supplied BrewDog products to our pubs since the end of 2023.”
No change
Pubco Marston’s told The Morning Advertiser: “We can confirm there has been no change to Marston’s supply arrangements with BrewDog.
“We have had a very limited supply arrangement with BrewDog since 2018, for packaged products only, which are available for our T&L pubs and Premium Bars only (not our Managed or Partnership sites, which make up the majority of our estate). We have never stocked BrewDog products on draught.”
Admiral Taverns said BrewDog beers are not stocked across its managed Proper Pubs sites while its leased & tenanted estate can choose what they stock independently of the pubco.
Pub operators Stonegate and Greene King were also approached for comment but have not responded.
Industry sources claim the chain that has shifted supply away from BrewDog is Mitchells & Butler, but the company has yet to respond to The MA.
Last month (July), BrewDog announced it would be closing 10 bars with the reasons behind the closures cited as size, location and other limiting factors, alongside the continued challenges facing the wider UK hospitality industry such as rising costs, increased regulation and economic pressures.
