Brewdog expected to announce sale early next week

Scottish craft beer giant Brewdog expects to announce the sale of its business next week, the chief executive has said in an email to staff.

Brewdog, which was founded by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007, has breweries and pubs around the globe, including about 60 in the the UK.

It confirmed two weeks ago that consultants AlixPartners had been brought in after the firm failed to make a profit in recent years.

Staff were told that Brewdog's German arm - which includes a brewery and bar in Berlin - would not be included in the sale and will now be liquidated.

In the email update seen by BBC Scotland News, Brewdog boss James Taylor said it was a difficult decision and apologised "for the uncertainty this creates".

To ensure a smooth transition to new ownership, he said the firm would temporarily suspend its online sales.

However, Taylor confirmed that Brewdog bars would continue to trade as normal over the weekend.

He said there had been "a great deal of interest" from potential buyers, and a full update would be issued at a company-wide "all hands" meeting early next week.

BBC Scotland News has approached Brewdog but the firm declined to comment.

Investors in the firm's Equity for Punks fundraising drive recently spoke out about concerns they could lose their money in a sale.

About 200,000 people put money into the in-house crowdfunding scheme, which launched in 2009 and offered discounts and other perks.

Before it closed to new investors in 2021, Equity for Punks is said to have raised £75m, powering a rapid expansion that has turned Brewdog into an international brand, boasting four breweries and more than 100 bars.

In 2017 a US equity firm TSG Consumer Partners acquired a 22% stake in Brewdog.

But unlike the Equity for Punks' "ordinary" shareholders, TSG was given "preference shares".

That means that if Brewdog is sold, TSG is first in the queue to get back its investment plus any return owed, possibly leaving little or nothing for small investors.

Some of these people are worried their shares are now "worthless", while others accepted there was risk associated with such investments.

There is no suggestion the firm has done anything illegal.

Job cuts and bar closures

Last month, the company halted production of gin and vodka brands at its distillery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, in order to "sharpen" the businesses focus.

Brewdog announced job cuts across the business in October last year after posting a £37m loss.

Earlier in 2025 it announced the closure of 10 bars across the UK, including its flagship pub in Aberdeen.

The company currently employs around 1,400 people and as well as the Ellon site, it has breweries in the US, Australia and Germany.

When it was founded in Aberdeenshire the firm portrayed itself as a rebellious challenger to a UK brewing industry it regarded as stuffy and corporate.

But in 2024, the firm faced a backlash after revealing it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.