The main staples of a big shop: bread, milk and chilli heatwave Doritos.

Most UK “craft” breweries do what I call Copy & Paste beers! They have been doing it for years. So much so that they ran out of names and started to use sentences as names. It’s the opposite of innovation

Agree with this so much. I'm sick of seeing beers pop up in the craft beer section of the supermarket and then disappear months later never to be seen again. I'll always go for a brewery's core range rather than some fruited ice cream float soured super stout. In fact my cupboard is full of 500ml bottles of traditional stuff because you know what you're getting.

You opened my eyes to good German beers a while back I now can't stand these sweet hazy sickly concoctions in fancy cans at three and a half quid a go

There are loads of amazing IPAs out there. Available from all those wonderful independent retailers and not that much more than you pay for this supermarket rubbish. Just go to the local beer shop and support them.

£3.50 for 440ml can! Brewdog aren't just selling piss, they're taking it as well😂😂

Put your money where your mouth is and stop buying crap from the supermarkets, stop giving brewdog the airtime. Put you hand in your pocket and order direct from breweries and bottle shops

All these breweries are now flogging the dead horse of IPA and other beer styles. Everything feels like it’s been done to death. For these breweries to innovate costs money, money that they don’t want to invest in low margin supermarket offerings just to get shelf presence. And then comes a cost of living crisis where all of a sudden, £4.00 a can seems like a luxury and is to a lot of people. So people end up going back to solid, consistent core beers from other breweries and pick them up on multi-buy discounts. It’s like a perfect storm has finally come for craft beer in the UK sadly.

£3.50??? That's nearly €4 for 440ml, or over €5 a pint. I can get a pint of draught for that in Finland. Never mind, what did people expect when they didn't say nothing when the Bank of England printed money to pay 19m 80% of their wages for the best part of 2 years. The inflation caused by this has created the cost of living crisis. No wonder Brits can't afford to have a pint any more. I think Simon nailed the state of the British brewing scene, There's too many gimmicks and not enough attention spent to the quality of the beer.

all the brewdog beers are the same drink, just repackaged in a different can. I think they make the can artwork/name first, then just pour in beer from their brewdog-general-beer vat. for the me thing that says, I can tell this is a brewdog beer, for me, is always the lingering taste of slightly shampoo'y taste on the finish.

I just avoid all Brewdog beers ever since listening to the bbc podcast series “The Good Ship Brewdog”. It’s just a pity for me that the supermarkets have so much shelf space allocated to them.

Simon only ever mentions supermarket fodder breweries... Buxton, Northern Monk, Vocation, Brewdog and North don't represent the state of UK breweries or quality, especially the beers they pump out in supermarkets. Most people who are deeply into Craft beer wouldn't even bother with those beers. Buy and Review beers from Azvex, Beak, Deya, Cloudwater, Verdant, GlassHouse, Left Handed Giant, Pressure Drop, Black Iris, Floc, Track (could go on and on) and you'll have a completely different opinion/experience... You can't judge the state of the UK craft beer scene based on the crap you get in supermarkets. Supermarket IPA's are good for 2 things, cheap Untappd check-ins and for introductory beers for those just starting their journey. Seriously, spend some money on some good quality Craft beer mate.

14 pints of milk for 3.50?? where you geting your milk from Simon 😂

It’s just complete over saturation. Brewdog, Tiny Rebel, etc are going to have mix it up since ice cream, tropical squash, werthers original IPAs are now ten a penny. They’ll have to introduce more bizarre combos. Smoked mackerel and poached egg IPA, marmite and minted lamb-chop stout… can’t wait! 😳 Oh and on the subject of Brewdog what’s the bet they’ll slowly decrease the ABV of their ‘flagship’ Punk IPA to below 5% over the next few years.

I used to really like NEIPA a good one can be amazing, but I find the garish cans and cringe hipster names a real turn off. As for the comments saying we should be buying from local bottle shops, my closest one is about 15 miles away. No way am I travelling that far then be expected to pay bloody £5 per can if not more.

I just discussed this in a video about the US craft industry. Breweries are closing down left and right in the US. Some of these breweries put out 50 different IPAs and nothing else. I went to a brewery over the weekend and every beer was above %8, some were even %16. At that high abv I can only have 1 or 2. Breweries need to get back to doing more than just IPAs and start doing more sessionable beers. I used to have 4 or 5+ pints when I visited a brewery, but that's just not possible when the beers are %16. So now instead of spending $20+ on beer then maybe buying some food, I have 1 beer and move on to the next brewery.

Unfortunately, Brewdog is still relying upon that brash advertising reputation from 10 years ago, and also their loyal fans to keep the brewery going. I also agree with you on the weird aftertaste from the water that you mentioned in another review about them. I'm sick of seeing these 'hip' craft beers that mostly use bad artificial fruit juices with the tiniest usage of hop extracts & weak-tasting malts. They're trying to pull the wool over our eyes with these flavours which many others including myself can see right through!

Your comparison to Doritos is spot on (and yeah, who doesn’t like chilli heatwave?! Lol!). Just look at what the German breweries do. One maybe 2 or 3 versions of the same beer style. Lowenbrau don’t have 16 different Helles beers. If BrewDog really had the balls to be brave, they’d release something completely new like. WiesseBeir or a Helles, or a Belgium Blonde and put some real effort into it. I’m afraid they just don’t have expertise to step out of craft beer styles and because if that they just rehash the same beers, mess with the hop profile slightly and fluctuate the ABV.

(Sorry to interject, but the cat on the Lucky Breal can is a Maneki Neko, or 'Beckoning Cat', which originates in Japan and is a good luck symbol. Japanese pop culture is widespread throughout Asia, which is why China, Vietnam, South Korea and so on have also embraced the moggy with such passion. Maneki Neko has also begun to catch on in the West, speaking as someone who owns one! With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the lettering on the can is Japanese too. This is, however, style for style's sake; a Japanese person would think it either kitsch or cringe. Which is ironic, as Japan itself has quite a healthy craft brewing scene too, with some brands even being sold in Waitrose. Anyway, keep up the good work.)

the problem is small breweries make some fantastic beers, but to make money you need to sell huge quantities, and this means compromises, and then you lose the real quality chasing cash, supermarkets do not help by paying you as little as possible but charging us the maximum. Once your beer is available in supermarkets you are only working to price not quantity or innovation

Brewdog are definitely the worst at what people in the comments are calling "copy and paste" beers. Being a craft beer head for many years i figured out what Brewdog and many others were doing a few years back way before the peak and oversaturation of supermarket craft. The trouble is modern Craft breweries have set themselves up for failure by constantly trading on novelty. There's only so many times you can "re-invent the wheel" but i don't know how they get out of it without fading into the wall of beer in supermarkets with a consistent range that will ultimately be ignored because of their prices. I myself have gone back to quality traditional and predominantly German beer. You know you're in safe hands and can trust them with hundreds of years of brewing behind them. Brewdog and the like may want to take a leaf out of thier book and stay consistent and honest. On a side note, i was very surprised to hear about Adnams, they have been at the forefront of the heritage, modern/traditional beer front for a number of years now and if they're struggling absolutely no one is safe...

The thing is that you, like many of us, have IPA fatigue. Five or six years ago the same beer might have gotten a “Stone the Crows !”. Now it’s just “meh”. I remember several years ago Simon would mark a beer down because “it’s just a bog standard lager”. Today that same beer may be looked upon more favourably because Simon is going through a lager renaissance. It’s not the beer or the breweries that have changed, because let’s face it, there are only so many ways you can combine hops, malt, water and yeast to create something truly exciting, it’s the drinkers that have changed ! We are worn out by beers that excited us just a few years ago, and we are now rediscovering styles and beers that are timeless.

do you think the problem lies with them releasing gimmick beers and neglecting/downgrading the core range over time? i didn't even know north brewing co went into administration i loved their beers when i was in leeds

You’ve hit the nail on the head regarding breweries sharing recipes. It’s why I’ve gone off craft beer a bit, they all taste the same, all hazy and orange looking

Funny you've mentioned Adnams here as their New England IPA was one of the best I've had, it had a real body to it with no artificial flavour to it. Sadly it has been discontinued, I believe they couldn't shift enough units of it.

I’ve been avoiding craft beer on KZfaq for years thinking I’d be the lone dissenting voice against the tyranny of soft, hazy, juicy, tropical pales. I’m genuinely quite pleased to see I’m not alone in my utter disdain for this insipid, homogenous shite.

Well said, i have gone off craft beer over the last year or so and have stuck with just real ale and the occasional lager. Some of the craft stuff just feels like its more about whats on the outside of the can appose to the inside. As always great content! Cheers

I completely agree with you Simon, it's grim times out there for beer enthusiasts in the UK. The heart of the problem is lack of imagination amongst consumers. The brewers are going to make products that sell (because they are a business) and not take a risk with something innovative that might be a roaring success, or might be left on the shelf gathering dust. I just googled what are the top ten best selling beers in the UK. The answer that came back was 1: Stella Artois, 2: Budweiser, 3: Fosters, 4: Carling, 5: Carlsberg, 6: San Miguel, 7: Heineken, 8: Peroni, 9: Corona, 10: Desperados. There's a lot of people out there drinking poor beer. What we all need to do when we see people drinking these poor beers is put an arm around there shoulder and lead them gently into the light by buying them something that tastes better.

People just haven’t got the money at these hard times 4 cans of craft beer or 18 cans of Stella for the same time What would you pick if you were on a budget

Idea for a program .You could do a series on beginners guides to bottle-shops . We went from trying northern monk,salt,vocation in supermarkets. it was a little bit daunting trying to choose from the very different beers in the bottle shop

First off I wouldn't pay that price for the can, I understand the price reflex's the ABV but if I wanted to drink a mix fruit cordial i would buy a bottle of Robinsons. Malt Hops water and yeast is all i want.

We're in the same boat over on this side of the pond. A huge player - Fair State Brewing - which is widely distributed, filed for bankruptcy yesterday. Omni Brewing has announced they will no longer distribute to liquor stores, and will be taproom only. They're just not making any money anymore. Costs have gone through the roof for the products used to make the beer, and the cost at the tap/can can't keep up with it. The only thing that is seeming to make money for breweries is non beer products - seltzers and THC drinks. It's crazy times, and a lot more will go under this year.

Some valid points here and an honest review. I would not touch this as its overpriced and same old same old... Brewdog IM0 need to bring out a straight Helles, or a pils, or dare i say a Best Bitter. As you say "Be brave".

Same is going on in Finland. The hazy IPA wave just won't stop and now younger people in review applications are wondering is their IPA gone off or something cos' it's not hazy and has a pine-like quality. Shelves are filled with neipa cans and I find myself drinking more and more lagers

Have you tried this years Putty from Verdant? There are great beers out there but I don’t think the supermarket is the place to get it. They will just push any old thing out to Tesco.

You are correct about the British brewing for 1, the imported beere in aldi/lidl smash out the likes of ab imbev brewing for quality and price. I myself am very mixed on brewdog I haven't had a bad beer but like you say they are all very much the same.

Good point about word of mouth, focus on the product build a quality product so much so, your customers will positively shout about it. Product first. Gimmicks last.

How many variations of beer can 1000s of brewers do long term 🤔🙄

You reviewed a beer a few weeks ago which is brewed, by a microbrewery,close to me. I think you gave it 10/10. I have have great off licence where I live. They actually sell this brewery’s beer. I’ve tried and loved every one. I will drink it every time. If it wasn’t for your channel I wouldn’t have tried it. It was on the same shelf as other beers which are good. Nothing made the beer stand out!

Very much agree. I had a smell and a taste before watching this video (to be unbiased) and then watched your opinion and you nailed it with your description 👌 it’s the same old, same old 😮 where’s the creativity gone?

Sounds like there’s a metal band playing in the background all the time with the new plaque thingy haha, up here in the highlands above Inverness (Inverness too) have amazing water, everyone of my English mates mention how clean and pure it tastes. Maybe Ellon take theirs from a a waste line or something lol

Brewdog with another IPA - can't they do anything else? Anyway, I wouldn't touch any of their stuff after reading/hearing about how they operate.

I'm feeling done with brewdog too. I'm on Paulaner at the moment. My local Tesco sells it. Lovely crisp beer.

Sadly since my visits to Fieldworks and Alameda breweries in Berkley and Oakland the Brewdog and others have fallen so short of the mark. Maybe ive raised the bar but not enjoying the offering atm . Great chanel as always mate

Even before getting into beer and certainly prior to me discovering your channel, I found Brewdog so uninspired and samey. You nailed all the points we must all be thinking whenever we've drank one of theirs or even think about them.

Full circle. Big breweries buys up smaller breweries that have superior product. Big breweries then discontinue better product, or make rubbish cheap mass produced version of it, and decent beers become harder to find. Small micro / craft breweries then start to spring up again due to gap in the market. Has happened many times before

Well said. I did comment on the last video "just more IPAs, where's the darker stuff" or words to that effect. I'll still pick this one up as I like the Japanese can art, and it might be ok!

To be fair to Brewdog, they have tried to appeal to the mainstream crowd recently with their Shore Leave and Black Heart beers. But this one you’ve just reviewed, I knew just from looking at it, before you even said anything, exactly what it was going to taste like. I’m not a fan of these pineapple beers, although I do still enjoy a number of Brewdog’s other offerings.

I had the Brew dog Grind only because I was asked to try it . Apart from that , I now never by brewdog beer . The worst thing about it is . A one point they were the go too craft beer house in town . Ours in Leicester has gone now , as has my love for them too . . Shame . 😢

I’ll pass, I do like a somewhat fruity ipa made with hops that give the citrus flavours, however as soon as I find one I like it’s no longer available in the supermarket. Bit like Flaming Hot and Roulette Doritos that are no longer available.

The brewing industry seemed to reach peak saturation during covid and is now dropping off

Good honest review as ever Si, agree on the craft industry in retail its all the samey repackaged with a different label and new name for a new season, I think BrewDog have lost there soul for a few years now mass producing the same beer for easy cash, all there marketing at the moment seems to be on there Guinness take off just is crap. Pity about Adnams I do hope they get back on track and dont disappear

Lost lager is one of my favourite lagers, but the rest from them are shocking, hazy janes ok tbh. I think part of the issue with UK lager is now we have such great access to amazing international beers they have to up their game.

That's a real shame about Adnams. The lovely town of Southwold is almost built around the brewery. Good beer, as well as a gorgeous part of the world.....

They need to think also that customers buying it know what there drinking, I see that can, but I thought it probably tastes like double hazy Jane. Slow down on brewing as we don't want to keep drinking the same beers. I stick to my local tap houses nowadays .

I don't buy these "craft cans" they are always far too expensive and normally of the same cloudy, citrus variety. Nothing wrong with a more traditional bitter - certainly worked well for Sharps (Doom Bar). Very sad to hear that Adnams having tough times as well. Broadside in a bottle is wonderful...

The beer industry is not in crisis. You seem to exclusively review cheap supermarket craft beer these days knowing full well they are not the same quality as the stuff available in bottle shops. Real Ale 'Supermarket & Sent to me' Craft beer!

Hi there, I’m relatively new to the IPA craze. I live in Scotland and occasionally travel to London and noticed that most small breweries are only locally distributed. You do find Brewdog and Northern Monk in supermarkets here, but there’s also a lot of local breweries’ beer on offer. Am I missing something? I’m a newbie to some extent, and I do find some of the local beers very interesting and unique (even though they are sold at supermarkets).

This has to be good Brewdog, you’ve summed the whole situation up here mate. Perhaps some breweries need to start putting as much effort into the ACTUAL BEER than the art work on the cans!

i love your brewdog videos...one day they'll listen dude...one day...

I kind of feel that Brew Dog are finished, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went down the tubes in the next year or so. I used to by boxes of brew dog but they hadn’t done anything new on there website for about a year until recently.

9:16 Hit the nail on the head. Shiney new can designs but the same shite inside. £3.50 is an absolute hipster disgrace.

I agree, a lot of these new BrewDog beers are exactly the same, just slightly different ABVs. I am however a bit gutted that they stopped selling Mallow Laser Quest. Sure it was another sweet, tropical IPA but it genuinely had something different.

I like the original Punk IPA, brilliant drink, BUT . . . it's quite a price compared with other beers. This one at £3.50 is to pricey! When you can get Franziskaner for as little as £1.69 from Asda (4 for 3 offer) or Shipyard (I like it) for £1.50 or even Feldschlosschen Lager for £1.10 for 500ml, £3.50 is an awful lot for a 44ml can of beer. They have to look at ALL their production and shipping costs. Yes, this is a higher ABV, but no matter, people want to buy to just enjoy and for £3.50 they would want a great deal of enjoyment.

Over saturation of NEIPA/Hazy IPA has become a huge issue also. Certainly on the supermarket shelves. And we have to be honest here. This is where most people get their beer from. People have less money in their pockets. So the days of splashing big cash on beer is gone. So people look to supermarkets for their supply. And these supermarkets are squeezing brewers to the limit price wise. So what we end up with is yet another bog standard ipa on the shelf. Which we have all had before. I bought £50 of beer from my local taproom fridge last night. But only because I had a voucher for Christmas. Another issue we have. I genuinely believe some of the beers are judge re skinned versions of other beers. Always Famous from Brewdog was a rebadge of BD Vs Cloudwater. And I wonder how many of these “new” beers are actually like that Simon. The trade is in trouble.

You're right. Trouble is this kind of beer does taste the same and with very little variation. It's been like it for years but this type of IPA style has so far down the rabbit hole there's no going back. So many 'craft' producers jumped on the IPA bandwagon with little thought of other examples of 'old fashioned' beer. It was refreshing when 'craft' became a thing but now it's as old fashioned and boring as some of the old beers it kicked into the long grass. I'm not surprised they're struggling.

I follow the beer industry news of the world as much as I can and I've seen that the UK government is once again trying to impose more taxes on brewers and pubs. Oh and Russell Brand wants to turn a historic pub into a podcast studio, lol

I started drinking alcohol pops then straight on to Guinness then a 15 year obsession with real ale and craft beer but these days I think I am bored of it all . I now mostly drink macro produced German or Czech lager .

Cool haircut mate, good honest review. You are looking better after your booze break :)

Oh no - not Elland Brewery! - the 1872 Porter on cask is superb

The Cheery Sour by Vocation is an amazing beer, as good as a proper Belgian Lambic, you even gave it a great rating. Even the Peach Ice Tea from Vault City does itself justice. Not mentioning the Northern Monk Tank Petrol Faith in Futures which is a lovey ddhipa. This beer drop to me has been a winner ! 😋🍺👍

I can't help but think that two of Brewdog's key issues is firstly that they grew too big, far too quickly. Secondly, they're beer is far too expensive and to be quite honest, most of those beers taste near identical . They could do with finding a way to lower prices, perhaps down to the £1.99 level making them more accessible to working people. Personally these days I just buy Aldi's knock off versions of Elvis Juice, Lost lager and Punk IPA if I'm in the mood for a beer resembling the type which Brewdog produce.

Ellon is 11miles north of Aberdeen,by the way.situated next to the river ythan.

Totally agree. Even Brewdog stouts taste the same. Grind tastes like Rattle & Rum, bought on the same shelf. I've moved away from Brewdog for a while

Looking good and fit for fight Simon. That haircut and more did wonders! (not that you looked terrible before!)

Im F'in fed up of IPAs bring more weissbier and malty beers into the market, absolutely saturated with pisswasser atm..

I absolutely agree with your take here. I think you like "the brew dog taste" or you don't. I've been in and out their pubs for years in Glasgow and everything just tastes the same- with a little variance. I have mates who are into it and that's fair enough. But to me it's marmite. Plus they are ripping the piss with their prices

Gutted that Windswept closed its doors recently. Some fantastic ales. Wolf was my favourite.

If Brewdog went down i couldnt give a feck, awfull company, the way they treat their staff is disgusting. Not only that they produce 90% muck, cant stand them. Id be gutted if Adnams goes under though!

I know what you’re saying like, the hazy market is over saturated. But… let’s face it, so is the lager market! Sooo many! They’re all similar, but slightly different strength, colour, profile, label, origin, etc. Then something slightly different comes along and slightly diverts the market. The reason so many breweries do so many hazies is because so many people love em, but yeah, there are A LOT 😂 and A LOT are average.

What I have noticed lately is the NEIPA run where every brewery started to do this style has now fizzled out, seen BrewDog, Northern Monk and Vocation starting to produce classic English style beers.

How about a review of the Allsopp’s range, their Pilsner is awesome 👌

Terrible if Adnams has to change, because I love their cask beer and that's probably where they will be cutting out. I have zero f's left to give about Brewdog.

I'll stick to Butty Bach and 1698 in the Asda 4 for 3 deal. Dunno about that Brewdog swill your sampling Simon... doesn't look like beer in my book.

What people need to wrap their heads around is the fact that the market is saturated with small craft brewers and it is not sustainable. Most of them are scrambling for new beers to brew and a great deal of it is crap. A lot of craft brewers here in the U.S. are in trouble. There is too much competition. I live over 60 miles from a city with a population over 100,000 people and yet there are SIX craft breweries within a 40 mile radius of my house. That is insane. This is compounded by rising prices among craft brewers. A local brewery makes a very good Heffe Weissbier, but they are selling it for $4.25 for a 16oz can. Why would I buy that when I can get Weihenstephaner for $2.99 for a half liter bottle?

Ive not heard when Home Bargins are going to start releasing there own brand beers after buying Love Lane Brewery in Liverpool, going to be interesting what route it takes

Brewdog business plan… 1. Create punk IPA.. people like it and it sells well… 2. Water down the punk IPA to create more margin… 3. Make new label and name and put original punk IPA in it… it sells well… 4.Water the new beer down to make more margin…. 5. Repeat

I believe that Brew dog didn't make a loss, they made a massive investment overseas and also paid themselves directly by licencing their own IP from a tax free haven therefore off shoring profits.

Unfortunately brewdog will keep doing this as them “new” people are very similar aged to yourself. Where as the younger generation love brewdog and their extravagant beers and I don’t see them changing it for a while. They are with the times and not 15 years ago trying to do something for the +40s. It’s what you called very clever marketing!

Brewdog are the same as macallan whisky. They are ok, but overpriced for what they are. On a night out i would drink them if thats all they have, but allways pick local real ales instead. Better and cheaper.

The odd thing I find living in London is with Brewodg it's always in the supermarkets but you very rarely see people buying it, or drinking it in pubs, it's very rarely on draught, no-one I know drinks Brewdog, it all feels as if someone is posting fake sales figures somehow,

Brewdog increased the prices let the standards fall in their pubs with regards staff, the de ent staff will leave if you dont look after them only the dont give ashit staff stay. tampered with proven beers they pioneered, the greed will kill them in the end ,and I'll not miss them

yeah i saw this in Tesco's but couldn't bring myself to buy it...i've accepted the fact that i just don't like the Brewdog brand...and it might be a little bit due to what you've said over the last few brewdog vids but...they just have a nasty corporate "we're trying too hard 'cos we don't know what to do" kinda vibe...would rather give my money to Vocation...or North Brewing Co....Northern Monk...love their work :)

Not forgetting Brewdog have opened their own Hotels 💰💰

I don’t really get it for the price point. Kernel still produce great IPAs and you can get them for cheaper than this. You can spend a relatively small amount more online and get some great proper IPAs from Track, Cloudwater, Beak etc. Supermarket IPAs not really for me I think.

The trouble with these beer companies is that they bring out to many different beers instead of just sticking to tried and tested beers.i used to know a guy who had his own brewing company called kitchen brewery,he started off with 2 or three excellent beers,but spoiled it when he was bringing out a new beer every month or so.

Seen it in Morrisons too

To be blunt at £3.50 for 440 ml think the price may be affecting sales !

Love the sign!

Just awful how everything has shot up in price with this current cost of living. Now good breweries like Adnams may end up going bust under these economic conditions. Probably wont be the only ones either with previously great beers being altered or having their ABV cut to keep the costs down for brewers. As a shopper do I really want to keep adding mediocre £3.50 beer to my shopping? answer is no ofcourse. Almost like they brew the same beer and just add a new gimmicky name to it. Northern monk isn't much better I use to really highly regard their beers.