BrewDog expanding – and heading to pub

Published on Wednesday 18 February 2009 20:27

BREWDOG, the Fraserburgh-based brewery, yesterday revealed plans to sell its wares in pubs and clubs and to more than double its production.

James Watt, BrewDog's managing director, said the move was a "major leap forward" for the business, which sells bottled beers in 11 countries, including Sweden and the United States.

Beers from the BrewDog range – including Punk IPA, 77 Lager and Trashy Blonde – will be available to the on-trade in bottles, casks and kegs.

Zeitgeist, a new larger, is due to be launched next week.

The company already sells about 200,000 bottles of beer each month – in shops including Tesco and Oddbins – and Watt plans to ramp up production to 500,000 bottles.

Last September, Watt and business partner Martin Dickie shared the entrepreneur of the year prize at the National Business Awards for Scotland, of which The Scotsman was the media partner.

BrewDog yesterday hired Richard McLelland – who launched alcopop Smirnoff Ice before being head-hunted by Red Bull – as UK sales manager.

Watt said: "Bringing Richard on board is very much in keeping with our aggressive and expansive plans for BrewDog. We have had Richard on our radar for a while now and are delighted to have him as part of the team.

"We know from people getting in touch that there's a strong demand for BrewDog in pubs up and down the country. The trial events that we have held have been very successful and now it's time to push forward with products available in a variety of formats."

McLelland added: "BrewDog is a global success story that has been incredible to watch, but this is only the beginning, based on what James and Martin have told me – I'm very excited about being on board.

"I'll be concentrating on the UK side of things while James will look after global activity.

"For the drinkers, bloggers and others who follow and support us, rest assured that beer world domination is very much still on the agenda."

Watt described the link up as "the one-time enfant terrible of the UK on-trade" having "joined forces with the bad boys of British brewing".

BrewDog has never been far from controversy. Speedball, the name given to one of the beers produced by the North-east brewery, and a name shared with a heroine and cocaine cocktail, was slammed by the Portman Group, an alcohol industry watchdog, for "profiteering from the scourge of illegal drugs". BrewDog had threatened to sue the Portman Group for defamation but has since drawn a line under the row.

Tokyo, another of the company's brews, was criticised by Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems for its 12 per cent alcohol content.