Brewdog forced to pour away millions of pounds of 'infected' beer at flagship brewery

The deluge of wasted Punk IPA came after a 'major quality incident' at their world-famous brewery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

Brewdog, the Scottish beer titan, has been hit by a costly blunder that led to millions of pounds worth of its Punk IPA being discarded due to contamination. The company suffered a "major quality incident" at their renowned Ellon brewery in Aberdeenshire.

The extent of the issue was revealed in a scathing email from Chris Fielden, Brewdog's chief supply chain officer, who criticised staff for sour beer sent to customers and slammed the team for not sticking to basic hygiene standards.

Fielden disclosed that the loss of their flagship Punk IPA brew reached unprecedented levels. He detailed that the "major quality incident" caused the company to fall short of its August productivity goal by an eye-watering £950,000, with the total waste running into the millions, reports the Daily Record.

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Some of the tainted beer was disposed of, while some made it to customers, resulting in what Fielden described as the "highest rate of customer complaints" Brewdog has ever experienced. In the startling email to employees, Fielden condemned: "The reality is that it was an incredibly tough month in which we significantly missed our productivity target and have been working through a major quality incident."

"Throughout August and even now we've had millions of pounds of beer that has been impacted by basic hygiene issues that have resulted in infected beer. Not only have we had to throw beer away, we've also shipped sour beer to customers and have Punk running at the highest rate of customer complaints it's ever seen."

The startling email reveals: "Through the investigation we've ruled out many things and keep coming back to the same basic causes. Poor hygiene standards, particularly around the brewing operation."

"What's most disappointing is that when I chat to people about this I've seen very little personal accountability with people blaming other teams or other parts of the process. As such, I wanted to be really clear that shop floor hygiene is the responsibility of every single one of us."

It goes on to highlight a significant productivity loss valued at £950,000, noting: "Obviously, this is a huge number and has a direct impact on business EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization)."

Commenting on such issues, beer industry specialist Melissa Cole said its not unusual for contaminations to occur in beer production, while adding: "The wording of the email seems very demoralising for staff, when they should perhaps be saying we recognise that this is a problem, how can we help fix it? That has never been the Brewdog way it's always pointing the finger."

In a twist earlier this May, Brewdog's co-founder and erstwhile CEO James Watt, who's no stranger to controversy, resigned from his role after 17 years at the helm. The 41 year old entrepreneur acknowledged his "demanding" nature and distinct approach could have contributed to past issues causing strife amongst employees.

Last year, after facing criticism over claims of inappropriate behaviour and being dubbed "semi-autistic" he sought expert help. He continues to serve as both director of the firm and strategic adviser to the team.

His partner, 'Made in Chelsea' star Georgia Toffolo, expressed pride in his decision to step down.

Addressing concerns about a batch of sour-tasting Punk IPA, a Brewdog spokesperson acknowledged the situation but pointed out that the volume lost was quite minor compared to their overall output, insisting refunds were issued to any customers who complained.

The spokesperson from Brewdog explained: "Beer quality is our absolute number one priority. Unfortunately, earlier this year, we discovered that some batches of Punk IPA did not meet our high standards due to a minor, irregular process issue."

The vast majority of the questionable beer never reached the public, according to the representative, but a small amount made it to consumers representing an extremely tiny fraction of the yearly production, approximately 0.02 percent.

The statement continued: "While most of the affected beer did not leave the brewery, a small quantity reached some of our customers. The affected beer, which represents a minuscule proportion of our annual production (approx 0.02 per cent), did not meet our high standards and did not taste as good as it should but we would like to reassure customers that it did not pose a health risk."

Wrapping up, the spokesperson added: "The cause of the issue was quickly identified and resolved and any customer who raised concerns with us were recompensed appropriately. We apologise to anyone who has had a less than perfect beer."

Fielden, who was appointed as Brewdog's chief supply chain officer last May, previously held roles at Warp Snacks and Innocent drinks.

A spokesperson for Brewdog did not provide specific details regarding the number of pints wasted, the extent of the contamination's impact, or the exact number of complaints received.