The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned two paid Facebook advertisements by Scottish craft brewer BrewDog for promoting a fixed-price hospitality offer. The campaigns, which promised 90 minutes of unlimited beer for GBP 19.95 (USD 26.53), were ruled to be socially irresponsible as they encouraged excessive drinking.
According to the regulator's ruling, the first advertisement featured a video of two men drinking, implying that alcohol possesses mood-altering qualities as their expressions changed from neutral to positive. A second post showed a woman running toward a glass of beer, which the watchdog interpreted as an incentive to consume as much alcohol as possible within the restricted timeframe to maximize financial value. BrewDog defended the campaigns, arguing that the terms "bottomless" and "unlimited" merely described the promotion rather than directing consumers to drink heavily. The company stated that the running woman conveyed enthusiasm for the deal. Nevertheless, the regulator ordered that the posts must not appear again. In response, the brewery announced plans to tighten internal review procedures and involve legal counsel prior to publishing future campaigns.
This regulatory intervention adds to a challenging period of restructuring for the brewing brand. Following severe financial difficulties, the UK operations of BrewDog were acquired by US-based Tilray Brands in a pre-pack administration deal valued at GBP 33 million (USD 43.89 million today’s value) earlier this year (inside.beer, 2026-03-03). The company has since been undergoing significant organizational changes, which included the recent departure of CEO James Taylor without a direct replacement (inside.beer, 2026-07-02).
