Las Vegas Strip Brewpub Loses Ethical Certification One Day Before Opening

On the eve of opening its 30,000-square-foot rooftop bar on the Las Vegas Strip, Scotland-based BrewDog has lost its ethical B Corp certification.

The status – signifying a company’s ethical commitment to the environment, community, and staff – was allegedly stripped after a BBC documentary and open letter from workers savaged the beer company, according to a report in Britain’s The Guardian.

“BrewDog is no longer a Certified B Corp,” a spokesperson for B Lab, the certifying entity, told the British news organization. “B Lab does not comment on companies that are no longer in the B Corp community. I’m afraid I cannot share any further information.”

Opening on Schedule

A certification of ethical compliance is hardly a liquor license on the scale of things required to open a Las Vegas Strip brewery. So BrewDog will debut, as originally announced, at the Showcase Mall (the one with the giant Coke bottle) on Friday, December 2.

The 30,000-square-foot pub will feature an onsite brewery with a 10-barrel brewing system, an event space, a retro game zone, and full-size shuffleboard tables. According to vegas.eater.com, BrewDog incurred $2.65 million in construction costs alone.

The Accusations

The documentary, Disclosure: The Truth About Brewdog, investigated working conditions at the company and accused its founders of instilling a “culture of fear” among employees. It ran on the BBC on Jan. 24, 2022. Afterward, BrewDog issued a statement accusing the investigation of presenting “numerous factual inaccuracies about BrewDog” that “the broadcaster failed to properly put to the company before transmission.”

BrewDog earned its ethical B Corp certificate two years ago. At the time, Watt tweeted his pride at joining a “global community of businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social & environmental performance to help build a better world.”

BrewDog issued a statement claiming that it was company’s own decision to “step aside from our B Corp certification for the time being.”

BrewDog – which has opened more than 100 bars in the past five years – is known for its provocative claims and business moves. In 2010, it produced 12 bottles of a beer called “The End of History.” Consisting of 55% alcohol by volume, it was the world’s strongest beer at the time – a title that has since been usurped.

In 2018, BrewDog introduced Pink IPA, a limited edition bottling of its Punk IPA coinciding with International Women’s Day. The bottle’s label featured the slogan “Beer for Girls,” igniting a backlash which, two years later, Watt called “justified.”