Watchdog makes claim over brewery
PROMOTIONS AND PACKAGING SEEN AS PROMOTING ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
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AN AWARD-WINNING north-east brewery could see its beers blacklisted from outlets across the country after a national watchdog group said its promotions and packaging could encourage antisocial behaviour.
BrewDog at Fraserburgh has picked up a slew of industry awards since it began making its first beers just over a year ago. It is now one of the country’s biggest independent micro-breweries, exporting its products across the globe.
But it has come under fire from the Portman Group, the industry body set up to monitor promotion and advertising of alcohol.
The authority has highlighted three of its beers which it claims are in potential breach of its official code of practice.
One of BrewDog’s best- sellers, Punk IPA, is described on its label as an “aggressive beer” which, according to the Portman Group, “associates its consumption with antisocial behaviour”.
Another favourite, Hop Rocker, is marketed as including “nourishing foodstuff” and its label reads: “Magic is still there to be extracted from this drink.”
The Portman Group believes this implies the beer could enhance its drinkers’ mental and physical capabilities.
And the Rip Tide beer – described as a “twisted merciless stout” – is also deemed to be associated with antisocial behaviour.
BrewDog has now been given four months to alter its branding or packaging or face being blacklisted from outlets across the country.
Last night, BrewDog’s owners James Watt and Martin Dickie said they had been unfairly targeted.
“Does Jamie Oliver saying that a pepper is spicy encourage those who eat it to be hot-headed?” Mr Watt, 25, argued. “Does naming a dessert death by chocolate increase the murder rate in the UK?
“Does a drink called Blue WKD encourage people to be wicked?”
He said: “We are not going to cure society by taking the words on labels completely out of context and punishing a small boutique producer when large producers sell beer cheaper than water.
“The Portman Group has some admirable aims but their execution lacks focus, commonsense and a basic understanding of the industry they attempt to police.”
David Poley, the Portman Group’s chief executive, said last night: “We have asked this company to take remedial action to address potential problems that have been highlighted to them.
“If a company fails to remedy the perceived breach, the matter will be formally referred to our independent complaints panel and, if a case is upheld, we will issue an alert advising retailers not to stock the product until it has been amended.”
BrewDog, based at the Broch’s Kessock Industrial Estate, recently scored gold at the Brewers Association World Cup, held in Colorado. The company has also landed lucrative deals with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Oddbins.
