First it was penguins, then it was battleships, then stuffed squirrels, now tattoos? Seems the guys over at BrewDog are again in a bit of hot water for encouraging irresponsible drinking. They are about to open their first brewpub in Aberdeen, Scotland in September. They are planning to have a tattoo artist on hand for anyone who wants to get their logo tattoo’d on their body!
What is the reward for marring your body permanently in this way? Free Beer for life in their brewpubs. This has angered lots of people in Scotland all the way from the City licensing board to the Scottish Licensed Trade Association. Clearly what started out as an edgy kinda fun poke at the world of craft beer is now getting obscene. I could see the fun in the penguin, I even thought ok the battleship is a quad IPA, an experiment if you will, the squirrels made me uneasy, and no more than a week later they are going the route of Danny Bonaduce with making people billboards and giving them kinda crappy beer for their trouble.
It took the Bismark for Jim to fall off the Brew Dog wagon, I’m a little more tolerant, but this stunt has put them into the realm of vapid and irrelevant in my book. Way to go BrewDog…way to implode.
-Don
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
I see no problem in them doing this to a certain extent. If someone wants to get their logo tattooed on them then let them. That’s their choice, be it a good one or a bad one, and they are the one that has to live with that.
My issue is that a bar is probably not the best place for actual tattooing to be done. I’m not saying that all bars are dirty but all tattoo parlors I’ve been in are extremely clean as sanitation is extremely important.
This is the problem I have with it. 1) the drinking age in Scotland is 18, and show me an 18 year old that wouldn’t give themselves a silly tattoo for free beer. 2) If drunks are making a decision for free beer the beer will win 90% of the time. Thus BrewDog is essentially creating walking billboards. 3) what does any of this foolishness have to do with making good beer? I have said for a while BrewDog needs to focus on their product not all the hype and they will be better off. These are my problems with this scenario.
Its too bad that they feel the need to keep doing all of this ridiculousness. They make some really great beers. Unfortunately, no one is talking about those anymore.
I can’t speak from a point of knowledge for their beer. I haven’t had any of them. I do have a Tokio Stout in the bunker that I will drink in the next few weeks and I’ve heard very good things about it. I have also heard that a lot of their brews are just mediocre. I’d like to see them put as much effort into the brewers craft as they do in media hype.
Don, you should get a “The Brew Club #1” tattoo! If you do, you can read our blog for free for as long as its online!!! Woooooooo!
I agree with Mike, the location seems a little odd, but if you think about it people get them in prison all the time and seem nice and healthy. I’m thinking that people should at least be sober before getting inked, and not make a stupid decision while they’re in a stupor.
Otherwise, I don’t see a problem. Consenting adults and all that.
I’m envisioning a bunch of drunk college aged kids getting tatted up on dares etc. I don’t think there will be much clear-headedness about this stunt.
Yawn!
I also yawn.
Brewdog: meh
I like your take on them, Tex. I probably should’ve just said that and saved 500 words!