Brew Dog, Aldi Get Into Brand Battle With Good Nature, Not Cease And Desists
from the yaldi dept
It's been quite a brief but impactful journey for Brewdog, a self-styled "punk brewery." The history starts with Brewdog first going after a pub in the UK over trademarks, getting a fair amount of backlash for it, and then having Brewdog ownership not only rescinding all the threats, but inviting the pub to collaborate on a gin together. As part of that whole episode, Brewdog promised to "do better" when it came to IP enforcement and even covered the pub's legal costs. It was a nice story.
One which the brewery has by all accounts lived up to. Subsequent stories about them here dealt only with a strange attempt by the Estate of Elvis Presley trying to stop the brewery from trademarking a craft brew entitled Elvis Juice. Brewdog won that one, by the way.
And now again Brewdog is making news for itself by poking at a larger entity, but has once again managed to do it in such a human and awesome way that Aldi of all companies appears to be a willing participant in the fun. The whole thing started with Brewdog putting out an on-brand IPA beer entitled "Punk IPA." From there, Brendan Palfreyman, an IP attorney that specifically focuses on the craft brew industry and is a fantastic follow on Twitter, picks up the back and forth when Aldi decided to poke the Brewdog.
Phase 1: Brewdog makes Punk IPA
Phase 2: Aldi makes Establishment IPA
Phase 3: Brewdog makes Yaldi IPA
Phase 4: ? pic.twitter.com/zvq5FKBMzs— Brendan Palfreyman Esq. (@B_Palfreyman) August 20, 2020
Yeah, this is actually happening. Consider the back and forth here for a moment. Brewdog makes a Punk IPA in a blue can. Aldi decides to release a Establishment IPA in a blue can, one that harkens specifically to Brewdog's. Rather than go full IP lawyer-rage, Brewdog takes the whole thing in stride and announces the release of an IPA called Yaldi, which mimicks Aldi's branding. The whole thing is enough to make an IP maximilist keel over and die from an embolism.
And, yet, no trademark threats. The only mention of a cease and desist comes from a third party that has a Yaldi brand beer. Aldi never gets in on the threats. Instead, the game continues.
We would have gone with ALD IPA, send us a crate and we’ll talk? https://t.co/seFaTVmRlv
— Aldi Stores UK (@AldiUK) August 20, 2020
Take notice: this is a major brand basically showing a brewery a better way to create an homage to its own brand. IP maximilists they are not. And, because the folks at Brewdog are apparently made of that old craft brewing DNA, where you treat this business with equal amounts reverence and irreverence, all while maintaining a sense of humor... they did as Aldi requested.
Deal @AldiUK 🙂
We have changed the name to ALD IPA & we will send a case your way. Looking forward to making this happen 🍻 https://t.co/b4OvYnNwLV pic.twitter.com/1z0owyxnOn
— James Watt (@BrewDogJames) August 21, 2020
Aldi's response? It said it's looking forward to getting a case of ALD IPA and might even clear some aisle space for it. In other words, there might actually end up being a lucrative business deal coming out of this whole thing.
And what's really striking in all of this is just how easily this whole thing could have gone ass up if anyone on either side had decided to play IP fun-police rather than act so human and cool about this whole thing. Brewdog could have gotten pissed at an obvious knockoff beer at Aldi and tried to threaten the grocery chain. It didn't. Aldi could have decided that Brewdog's retort was a bridge too far and tried to threaten the brewery. It didn't.
Instead, we might have a business deal in the works. One wonders if this will get the rest of the craft beer industry to pay the slightest bit of attention so it can go back to its old, better ways.
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Filed Under: ald ipa, beer, bullying, establishment, non-bullying, punk, trademark, yaldi
Companies: aldi, brewdog
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There's a beer called Yaldi? Scottish, no doubt.
(Also, jeez, get over the IPA thing already. Those are only properly served after six months in heat, anyway.)
But hey, it's nice to see some companies being fun. Good deal.
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The IPA or the drinker?
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"The IPA or the drinker?"
Yes.
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This is the best answer. Ten points.
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But yeah, the whole reason IPA is what IPA is because it was shipped slo-mo from the UK to India... so in order to avoid a tasteless beer, you overdo it on the front end.
I mean, it's interesting, a beer that tastes like weed, but i don't get the continuing, market-saturating "craft brew" infatuation with it.
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Partly, I suppose, it has to do with the fact that lots of people enjoy that type of beer. Mind you, this is mostly American IPA, or regional varieties of that.
Our IPA is hoppy and fresh, not old and caramel-flavored. There are variations, of course, but generally speaking the good ones are give off a nice hops aroma and have good flavor.
The best regional variation, of course, is what is known as DeLand Pale Ale, like an IPA but with a bit of wheat in the grain bill to give you that excellent head and just a little bit of spice.
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Y'all Die IPA?
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The Aldi beer is Anti-Establishment. Check the small "Anti" at the top of the can.
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Yeah, I noticed this too. I think it makes it funnier because they are more literally 'copying' the Brewdog beer.
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I wish all naming disputes could be settled in such a fun way. I'd enjoy this story a lot more if I hadn't read all the articles over the years about Brewdog being a nightmare employer, doing transphobic ads, and their well-documented practice for years of soliciting example campaigns from potential marketing hires, only to ghost the candidates and steal their work for use in ads.
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Honestly, I think it's a pretty pathetic state of affairs for intellectual property where being a non-asshole on IP matters feels significant enough to whitewash past assholery.
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...and it's telling that even being a non-asshole is a thing you only ever see in the "Trademark" section of IP.
If this had been about Copyright it would have been off-the-wall screaming, ranting and hyperbolic accusations all the way up to the finisher of demanding all the moneyz.
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Ugh. For real? Ugh.
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Side effects
Worth doing, if only for this positive externality.
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First pass of the headline, I wondered what "Good Nature" did that got both Brew Dog and Aldi to go after them.
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Glad to k now I wasn't the only one who read it that way first.
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For me, this is good advertisement for both
Aldi and BrewDog have definitely made me want to support both businesses!
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In other news, IP lawyers everywhere are suing all IPA brewers because "IPA" contains "IP".
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And it goes without saying that the lawyers take the form of the A.
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This just goes to show that you CAN teach an Ald Dog new tricks....
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After drinking a few, I could become I P Freely...
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What you are missing here...
Brewdog is a superb marketing company that also brews reasonable beer.
It's marketing strategy has always lived on controversy; this article is a great example of that.
Why sue, when the world's media, both social and traditional, can provide all this great marketing for free!
Remember, this is the company that produced a beer served in a stuffed squirrel.
I would not be at all surprised if this was an agreed, planned out, marketing campaign between Brewdog and Aldi.
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