BrewDog boss James Watt under attack for ‘toxic’ and ‘rotten’ workplace culture

In the open letter, the more than 60 ex-staffers referred to allegations made against BrewDog on Instagram accounts and said they were hoping to “explain why so many allegations have come to light”.

They claimed that workers have been subject to harassment, assault and treated “like objects” .

They said: “By placing personalities at the centre of your messaging, you have inflated egos and fostered a culture within craft beer that deifies founders, and gives weight to sexist and misogynistic brewers who claim to be standing up for free speech.

“You have become a lightning rod for some of the worst attitudes present on both the internet, and in real life.”

Scottish brewer BrewDog has won legions of fans with its tongue-in-cheek marketing campaigns, which included launching an ‘ALD’ IPA after Aldi launched a similar product to the brewer’s popular Punk IPA. 

However some of its marketing stunts have come under fire. The launch of a satirical “Beer for Girls” for International Women’s Day in 2018 sparked a backlash with critics calling it “patronising”.

The former employees also claimed that Brewdog had failed to follow through on a number of its planned campaigns, including sending a case of its so-called ‘protest’ beer to the Kremlin to mock Russia’s law banning ‘homosexual propaganda’.

Responding to the letter, Mr Watt apologised and said the focus of the company was “not on contradicting or contesting the details of that letter, but to listen, learn and act”.

He said: “Most of all, right now, we are sorry. It’s hard to hear those comments, but it must have been harder to say them. We appreciate that and we will endeavour to honour that effort and courage with the real change it deserves.

“We aren’t going to make excuses, we’re going to take action. From our commitment to sustainability to our passion for beer, BrewDog has always been defined by taking responsibility and continually improving. This is no exception.”