Brewdog founder James Watt has launched a bid to regain control of the craft beer firm he founded only months after it was bought by a US rival. The Scottish entrepreneur said on Wednesday that he has submitted a formal offer to buy Brewdog from Tilray Brands, the US cannabis
Felix Armstrong
Wednesday 15 July 2026 11:27 am | Updated: Wednesday 15 July 2026 11:34 am
Brewdog founder James Watt has launched a bid to regain control of the craft beer firm he founded only months after it was bought by a US rival.
The Scottish entrepreneur said on Wednesday that he has submitted a formal offer to buy Brewdog from Tilray Brands, the US cannabis and craft beer firm which now owns the pale ale maker.
This bid marks the latest twist in the dramatic Brewdog saga, which saw the craft beer firm be sold for only £33m despite once notching a £2bn valuation.
Watt has launched the bid through Second Best, the vehicle he set up to offer shares to thousands of “equity punks” who had bought shares in Brewdog but gained nothing from its eventual sale.
The craft beer founder claimed that he would give each of these investors back their stake in Brewdog. He also pledged to restore the Real Living Wage to the company’s workers and offer them shares in the business.
#mc_embed_signup { background: #fff; clear: left; font: 14px Helvetica, Arial,sans-serif; width: 100%; max-width: 600px; margin: 20px 0; } #mc-embedded-subscribe-form { margin: 20px 0 !important; } .newsletter-form-flex { display: flex; gap: 0; align-items: center; margin-top: -10px; } .newsletter-form-flex input[type=”email”] { flex: 1; padding: 2px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(18, 22, 23) !important; border-radius: 12px 0 0 12px !important; } .newsletter-form-flex input[type=”submit”] { padding: 4px 10px !important; margin: 0 !important; background-color: rgb(18, 22, 23) !important; color: rgb(255, 255, 255) !important; border: 1px solid rgb(18, 22, 23) !important; border-radius: 0 12px 12px 0 !important; } .newsletter-banner-content { margin-bottom: 15px; } .newsletter-banner-content h2 { margin: 0 0 10px 0; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 600; } .newsletter-banner-content p { margin: 0 0 10px 0; line-height: 1.5; } .newsletter-banner-content ul, .newsletter-banner-content ol { margin: 0 0 10px 20px; } .newsletter-banner-content a { color: #0073aa; text-decoration: none; } .newsletter-banner-content a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .newsletter-banner-content img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 10px 0; } #mc_embed_signup #mce-success-response { color: #0356a5; display: none; margin: 0 0 10px; width: 100%; } #mc_embed_signup div#mce-responses { float: left; top: -1.4em; padding: 0; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; margin: 0; clear: both; }
“The punks and the crew built this company and Brewdog deserves to belong to them once more,” Watt said.
More to follow.
Read more James Watt: I want to buy back Brewdog
Similarly tagged content: Sections Categories People & Organisations
