Business

One of the U.K.’s Biggest Craft Brewers Is Dreading Brexit

Life outside the EU could slow BrewDog’s momentum.

The BrewDog Seven Dials pub in London.
Source: BrewDog

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By Edward Robinson and Thomas Buckley

January 24, 2019 at 5:01 AM UTC

Corrected

January 30, 2019 at 7:44 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

This article is part of the January 28, 2019 issue of businessweek.

Twelve years ago, James Watt was fishing for mackerel and halibut on a commercial trawler off the northeastern coast of Scotland. He had a dog, a modest paycheck, and few prospects in a region in decline. Today, Watt is worth $337 million and jets from Europe to Asia to the Americas managing one of the fastest-growing ventures in the U.K.

He didn’t make his fortune as a tech entrepreneur or a securities trader. He and his business partner, Martin Dickie, produce craft beer. Their company, BrewDog Plc, is known for its zesty “punk” ales and over-the-top publicity stunts: The two founders once drove a World War II-era tank through the City of London waving banners displaying their company logo, a yelping dog.