We had some shares, sold them a while back, because yeah, it's a subscription/membership scheme. While I don't blame them for taking the VC shilling, continuing to pretend they were some kind of independent business was a bit rich (I'm no purist, if someone wants to sell up, good on them for building a decent business – and yeah, it'll get trashed but I don't believe there any moral purity in not taking the money and running). Some of their beer is OK but their range is pretty generic these days, though I'd rather drink a pint of Punk IPA than Greene King IPA on account of the fact that the latter in 99% stale monkey piss.
That said the various news stories were often a bit of a millennial whine by kids who seemed surprised by the fact that they had a job not a hobby. At least they paid living wage for a bit, unlike those that never pay it. The owners were a bit twatty, but when you build your brand around publicity you have to expect it'll come back and bite at some point. I do think there's an element of knocking down a successful business though, which is a very typical British trait, unfortunately. Ultimately though, there's plenty of better beer around, and their business is now mostly focused on being the least worst option. Crowdfunding is usually shit, stay away from it, you're basically just making a donation.