Just a noisy hall, where there’s a nightly brawl, and all that punk: The problematic union of craft beer and punk

Abstract

It has been claimed that craft beer and punk are bedfellows. There are large numbers of Millennials among drinkers of craft beer and fans of punk, and each can play a significant role in drinkers’ and fans’ identities. Communities are built around the appreciation of each, and precision is important. Subtle distinctions between different craft beers are magnified to craft beer drinkers; subtle differences in sound between different punk bands are magnified to committed punk fans. Obscure craft beers manufactured in low numbers reflect the limited run of 100 units of an album pressed on vinyl by an obscure punk band. These similarities have not gone unnoticed by craft breweries or punk bands. Scottish brewery BrewDog uses the word ‘punk’ in its products and literature; US brewery Stone Brewing partnered with US punk band NOFX to produce a NOFX-branded craft beer. However, both breweries have suffered as a consequence. This article reflects on both breweries’ appropriation of punk and considers factors that contributed to problems that they subsequently encountered. In both cases, though in different ways, conceptions of punk that are lazy, platitudinous or both have contributed towards the issues suffered.