Eight high-profile British breweries have been criticised for not pulling out of the Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen (MBCC), which runs next week.
Mikkeller founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø
Mikkeller has been at the centre of sexism and bullying claims brought forward by a number of former female employees, and first reported in July. A number of prominent breweries, from around the world, have already pulled out of the event.
But yesterday, Boundary Brewing, Burnt Mill Brewery, DEYA Brewing, North Brewing Co, Northern Monk, Track Brewing, Verdant Brewing, and Wylam Brewery defended their decision to pour at the event, on 23rd and 24th October.
In a statement, the brewers said: “As a group of invited brewers from the UK, we have been meeting over the past few days to decide what approach to takeourselves.
“We do not believe that pulling out of the festival will bring about the kind of industry we want to be part of, nor will it serve the man festival attendees who have travelled far and paid money to enjoy celebrating together with our beer.”
They said, however, that while in Copenhagen they would call a meeting, independent of the festival, to “begin a vital and overdue process of coming up with the concrete proposals for (a) addressing the incidents which have taken place to date; and (b) transforming the culture of the industry moving forward, towards full and proper inclusion.”
The breweries added: “We expect Mikkeller to attend this meeting. This is a condition of our attendance at the festival.”
‘We support activism for social justice’
Despite the breweries saying that this was their preferred option rather than discussing the matter on social media, Instagram and Twitter have lit up with mostly critical responses.
These have asked why it has taken three months since the allegations were revealed to come up with this meeting idea. Another said: “A lot of words for ‘We *really* want to go to Copenhagen with our mates’.” The phrase “Money over integrity” has been used.
Mikkeller, for its part, has addressed the issue in a statement signed by owner Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and the brewery team. It said: “We support activism for social justice, safe workplaces, and inclusion.
“And we have responded clearly to any allegations of employee mistreatment at Mikkeller and have, and continue to, prioritise a safe and inclusive workplace above all else.”
It says it has a clear whistleblower practice and has removed employees. It also hired a third party consultant to address issues, and updated its policies on harrassment, diversity, equality, and inclusion.
It added: “MBCC will have specific guidelines on conduct during the celebration, which will be circulated to all employees, brewers, and volunteers attending the festival.”
