BREWDOG LOVES to put modern twists on retro-style beers

It is a fascinating story of how a global beer brand, BrewDog came into being. Co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie as they say “were tired of the boring, stuffy beer scene in the UK and the total lack of flavourful beers in the market. They tried the hop-forward beers of the American craft beer scene, were blown away and started trying to make their own. From tiny little batches brewed in Martin’s mum’s garage, they set up BrewDog. Once Michael Jackson, one of the best beer writers ever to live, tried their beers and turned to them saying ‘Boys, quit your jobs and start making beer’. The rest, as they say, is history.

James Watt was a fully qualified deep-sea Captain, having earlier completed an honours degree in Law and Economics. He traded in being a salty sea dog to become a BrewDog in 2007, pursuing his passion for great craft beer by setting up the company with Martin.

James Watt, Captain & CEO – BrewDog, talks to Shalini Kumar and shares his vision, plans and challenges. This ‘BrewDog’ is fully committed to sharing his love for incredible, hoppy beers with the world, and also cares passionately about the planet.

How do you think BrewDog is distinct from many other major craft beer players in the west and in India? What is its essential brand USP?

There is such an exciting, eclectic craft beer scene in India, and every brewery has its own fantastic angle and ideas – it is a really interesting landscape. I have been delighted with my recent experiences with the launch of our newest venues in India. BrewDog stands apart from most breweries because of our Punk ethos. We believe in doing things our way and making the beers we want to drink. If we don’t love something, we don’t do it ever. We have the very same attitude towards mainstream beers as the old-school punks had for pop. We want to shake things up and make people sit up and think about what is in their glass. That has helped us make waves in the UK, and we have seen the start of a similar sea change in India’s beer scene too.

How many styles of beers are in demand these days? Do you think that the classic style of craft beers is making a comeback and making a dent in innovative beer styles?

IPAs are our bread and butter. We adore making incredible hop-forward beers, from classic English IPAs to aggressively bitter American west coast IPAs to the gentler, hazy New England IPAs. There is something for everyone across the broad spectrum of India Pale Ale. However, here is certainly a time and place for big bold stouts, and we recently launched our newest one – Black Heart. It is a delicious, delectable classic stout with loads of toasted coffee and cocoa, with a hint of caramel. It is one of those classics revitalised for the 21st century – that is definitely a trend we like to play with; delving into the history books and putting modern twists on retro styles.

In many countries in the West, the drinking trend shows that though IPAs remain king but cracks are emerging. Your comment.

I would agree. There is definitely a huge swell in favour of IPAs, and I am here for it as a big fan of the style myself! There is still a lot of love for lagers in Europe, and our beer, Lost Lager has definitely made a dent in that market; bringing people across to craft beer from the traditional mainstream lager category.

To read more subscribe to the magazine