Aussie beer drinkers give BrewDog 12,000,000 reasons to celebrate

Maverick craft beer maker BrewDog is cheering a £12 million boost to global sales thanks to its bars in four Australian cities.

The Aberdeenshire-based brewer has extended its overseas reach with bars in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and British diplomats based at the UK’s consulate general in Brisbane have been helping the firm by hosting events showcasing its craft beer range to more than 60 Australian distributors and retailers.

Australian-born Foreign Office minister Catherine West toasted the news while on an official visit to deepen economic ties and meet British businesses.

BrewDog bar in Brisbane, Australia. Picture by Kirsty Sycz

Speaking from Sydney, she said: “Brits and Aussies have a lot in common, but enjoying a cold beer brings our people together like little else. As BrewDog’s experience in Australia shows, our diplomats can open doors for British businesses so they can seize opportunities to grow.”

BrewDog was founded in 2007 before opening its first bar in 2008, in Aberdeen. The company now employs more than 2,700 people, including at its headquarters in Ellon, and exports to more than 60 countries.

Calvin McDonald, head of Australia operations at BrewDog, said: “When BrewDog expanded out here in Australia, we started from scratch with the aim of building a free-standing operation that can make a great contribution to the global business.

“We rocked up with nothing and set up the bar before we even had a brewery. But thanks to the support of the British consulate, we have built BrewDog Australia into a standalone success.”

He added: “The team at the British consulate are always available and ready to come forward with opportunities for us.”

Australia is currently the UK’s fifth largest non-EU market for food and drink exports with a value of £429.5m in 2024, only slightly below UAE and higher than Canada, Taiwan, Japan and India.

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