The Beginning

We first found BrewDog by way of it’s TV show on the Esquire network in the fall of 2013 (they have since started a TV network, Drink TV, and are making new shows). We fell in love with James Watt and Martin Dickie, the hosts and owners of BrewDog. These guys love beer the way we do. They don’t take themselves seriously and have fun in everything they do. They brewed beer underwater, on a dogsled, on a parade float…. Almost everything was a go, it was about creativity and wackiness. In each episode, they would travel to a different city, visit and tour local breweries, talk with the brewers and other local business people, then craft a beer that in some way represented the city they were in, and share it with local beer enthusiasts.

The Hotel

Before even trying the beer, I backed the DogHouse hotel in Canal Winchester, Ohio, on Indigogo. The hotel opened in August of 2017 and is a magical place. Growler tapper, curated (very well curated) guest beer fridge and a shower beer fridge full of BrewDog beers in every room. Amazing breakfasts, comfy beds, cool rooms and it is inside a brewery! If you love beer, this needs to be a destination for you. If you know someone that loves beer, get them a night there as a gift.

Becoming an Equity Punk

One of the unique things James and Martin have done with BrewDog is creating the Equity Punk. They sell equity shares in the company from time to time. This lets you own an actual piece of BrewDog. I currently own a tiny amount of shares and never expect to make any money on them, but that is not why I bought them. Buying different numbers of equity shares brings different perks, from discounts at every BrewDog location to a chance to brew a small batch specialty beer at the BrewDog brewery. The perks cover all price entry points. There are over 100,000 Equity Punks worldwide at this point. Think of it as a global mug club, but instead of a mug, you get discounts and a tiny bit of ownership. I bought 4 shares in the first US round, before even trying any of their beer, and more in the second after having a change to actually taste it. The sense of ownership among equity punks increases commitment to the brand, creating a loyal and invested (literally) fan base. I often talk about BrewDog being a cult. I am good with that.

The Beer

In July of 2017 I finally made to it Canal Winchester to try the beer at the DogTap, the bar at the brewery. I was nervous because I had already invested in the hotel and owned four shares in BrewDog. I was so very happy that every beer I tried that first day was above average. To date I have tried over 70 different BrewDog beers, by far the most from any brewery I like. Most are above average, some are spectacular, a few are so so. These guys do amazing things with hops!

The People

That first time I visited BrewDog in Ohio, I took a tour. Kayla, our tour guide was great – fun, friendly and full of facts. After the tour, we chatted for a while about BrewDog and beer. She has since moved onto a different position at BrewDog and is Cicerone trained, like most of the BrewDog staff. After the tour, some of the staff invited me to hang out in the outdoor beer garden area. I learned that James and Martin are good people, and that the company does good things. Like 20% of the profits go to charity. And they pay their serving staff a living wage. Since then, we have met and chatted with James and Martin on several occasions, I can’t think of another company the size of BrewDog where the owners are so involved in what the customers have to say and so approachable and personable. This goes for all of the staff we have met. Involved, committed, and friendly.

The Community

The biggest part of BrewDog (other than the beer) is the community of Equity Punks from around the world. We have met some of the most amazing people every time we go to a BrewDog bar. We have made life long friends because we share a love of beer. There is a definite family feel to being an Equity Punk. We have now visited 14 different locations and have been joined at each by other Punks, many of which we did not know until we got there, but can now count them as friends. We just let people know on the forum or Facebook page that we were going to be in the area, and they came to meet us. We had my partner’s birthday party at BrewDog Tower Hill in London, joined by fifteen Punks from around the United Kingdom that went out of their way to join us there to celebrate. The staff pulled out all of the stops, providing free apps for the table and a full cake!!! They also supplied the birthday girl with some very special beers that weren’t available to the public.

Conclusion

• Get thee to a BrewDog!!!
• Is it a cult? Most likely.
• Is it a MLM scheme? Not really.
• Is it a company that pays a living wage, donates a huge amount to charity? Yes
• Do they make fantastic beers? Absolutely
• Want to buy shares the next time they go on sale in the US? Use my referral code: A116938
• They have Pawternity leave for a week if you get a pet.
• James Watt and Martin Dickie have amazing Scottish accents.
• No really, it is my favorite brewery, hotel and group of people.

P.S.

And, yes, BrewDog has made some pretty good size mistakes, mostly with regard to advertising and marketing. They are not perfect. They are growing and moving so fast they sometimes lose site of how much impact these mistakes can have. Pink IPA? Scofflaw? BeerPorn? While I can see what they were aiming at with these, they clearly missed the mark. But they learn lessons, regroup, and move on from there.

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Located in a remodeled funeral home, it has been turned into a welcoming and wonderful place to eat and drink. Long communal benches, seats at the bar and an outdoor area make this a great space for everyone.

Food

They have a food menu that is Belgian/French in style. I had frites (of course) and escargot. They offer roasted bone marrow, cheese plates and duck confit nachos. I would go back here again just for the food. But that is not what I want to talk about here, or why I have been telling everyone to go to Brewery Vivant.

Beer (Bier)

They have a tap list that also includes many barrel-aged beers. Stouts, sours, farmhouse and IPAs. They also have a chalk board with some additional beers.

I had 2 different flights (don’t worry, I took Uber) and every one was above average.

Farm Hand – Saison / Farmhouse Ale

A 5.5% ABV Saison that has very nice light flavors and might be a little too easy to drink.

House Sour – Foeder-Aged Sour Ale

This 4.5% ABV sour would be a great starter sour for those who have not spent the time to develop the taste for or don’t have the desire for the more aggressive sours out there.

Love Shadow – Port Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

This one they aged in different barrels, the one I had was port barrel-aged, the current one is bourbon barrel-aged. Good stout with a strong coffee finish. Oh, and a 11.7% ABV.

Escoffier – Mixed Culture Farmhouse Ale (American Wild Ale)

This is a collaboration with New Belgium brewing. This is a mild sour with great funk. 10% ABV.

Port Love – Stout

This strong 9.5% ABV port barrel-aged stout has a nice complex flavor profile.

Tree Bucket – Double IPA

This was the only IPA I had here. A strong one at 9% ABV. This a a great hoppy and fruity beer.

Zaison – Imperial Saison / Farmhouse Ale

This was the most dangerous beer I had. A light and tasty beer at 9.3% ABV. This one will sneak up on you.

Angelina – Barrel-Aged Sour (2017)

This was my favorite beer of the night.  An oak barrel-aged sour coming in at around 10% ABV. Packed full of flavor and pucker.

If you ever find yourself near Grand Rapids, this is a must stop for anyone who loves beer in the Belgian style.

Oh, the staff. The ones I spoke to knew about beer in general and the house brews, and were friendly and chock full of knowledge.

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Now they have a huge and expanding brewery in Scotland. They just opened a brewery, tap room and restaurant in Columbus, OH and are going to build another in Australia.

The Columbus location will also have a beer themed hotel.  On my recent visit I was impressed by everything. The staff is very friendly and really knows the beers they brew.
I started off with a flight of beers.

I had this four beer flight and two more after.

The Beers

The Punk IPA is their flagship beer and I understand why. It has a 45 IBU, 5.6% ABV and a wonderful funky flavor and great hops.

The Jet Black Heart is a lush milk stout that is crying out to be made into a float or baked into brownies. 4.7% ABV and 30 IBU

The Cocoa Psycho is a heavy weight at 10% ABV and 85 IBU. With the added coffee beans, vanilla pods cacao nibs and malts, this is a must if you like dark things. Like the Jet Black, I will make this into an ice cream float at some point or maybe just make into ice cream…. (and I don’t like coffee beers)

The Dead Pony Club is a mild APA with a sneaky and yummy hop hit at the end for only 25 IBU. At 3.8% ABV, this is a great session beer.

The Elvis Juice has a completely unexpected flavor, not that I know what to expect from Brew Dog. The malt and grapefruit in flavor are exciting. Much fruitier than I am used to in an IPA. High 6.5% ABV and 40 IBU.

The Hop Fiction Pale Ale is a brew tasty enough to be a session ale but at 5.2% ABV, I advise against it.  Smells like a slice of hop heaven with a 40 IBU and goes down easy. Too easy.

Creative flavors abound and they are just starting to tap the beers they have brewed in the US instead of those shipped over from the HQ in Scotland.

The Brewery, Bar and everything else

This is a large place with ample seating and an inviting bar. Who ever did the decorating had fun. There are great murals and art all over the place.

I had the Meat and Cheese Stack for dinner and it went well with my flight. They have a full kitchen on site and everyone I asked was happy with their food. It all smelled great.

After the flight and dinner I went on the tour. Our guide was the awesome Kayla. I have been on A LOT of brewery tours all over the US. This is an impressive place. There have cut no corners in order to make stellar beers in huge quantities. They have some equipment I had not seen before, like the “hopinators”. The brewery is also built for expansion. They can double their output without adding on to the building.

The staff made me feel like I was visiting a friend’s house. I was invited to hang out with some of them after the tour and learned some great things about James and Martin. Like the fact they pay a living wage to the employees and are actually as nice as they seem. A company with happy employees speaks volumes.

This is a destination for any beer lover. Great beer made my people that not only love making tasty beer, but sharing it.

In full disclosure, I am an Equity Punk.  This means I own “shares” in Brew Dog ( I own 4) I also helped them on the IndieGoGo campaign for the craft brewing hotel. But I get nothing for writing this post other than sharing the love of good beer.

“WE HAVE SWORN OUR ALLEGIANCE. THERE IS NO TURNING BACK. WE ARE THE CHANGE. AND SO ARE YOU. WE ARE BREWDOG AND THIS IS THE CRAFT BEER REVOLUTION. SO HELP ME DOG.”

For the record, I use ride sharing all of the time if I am going to be drinking. Life is too good and too short to take the risk.

Be good to yourself and drink good beer.

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