Nearly 2,000 pubs across Britain have stopped selling BrewDog beers in the last two years, confidential industry data has revealed.
The Ellon-based brewer's range of draught beers has vanished completely from around 1,860 bars, amounting to a reduction of more than a third in its UK distribution, The Telegraph reports.
BrewDog's flagship, best-known beer - Punk IPA - has seen the biggest reduction in availability after being removed from 1,980 bars, a 52.3% drop in distribution.
An industry insider told The Telegraph the figures mean BrewDog is now heavily reliant on Wetherspoon pubs for UK distribution.
They said: “If they ever lost the JD Wetherspoon deal, then that’s Punk IPA done as a [pub trade] product."
Lauren Caroll, BrewDog’s chief operating officer, said industry-wide economic pressures had forced pub chains to narrow their ranges, adding: “It’s not just us – every independent brewer has been affected. We saw the trend coming, which is why we’ve shifted focus to high-impact channels like festivals, stadiums, and independent [pubs].”
The craft beer giant has targeted new markets of late by signing stadium deals with the likes of West Ham's London Stadium and cricket ground Lord's.
It comes as BrewDog recently announced the closure of 10 of its bars across the UK, including the original, flagship venue at the Gallowgate in Aberdeen.
The iconic bar, which had been a popular tourist destination and a must-visit venue for BrewDog fans, closed just days after the announcement with the company saying it was no longer "commercially viable".