Dundee to gain first brewery in 30 years

Mark Griffiths, left, and Duncan Alexander of 71 Brewing. Picture: Contributed

The craft beer bandwagon is rolling into Dundee after the go-ahead was given for the city's first new brewery in three decades.

Duncan Alexander and Mark Griffiths, the brains behind 71 Brewing, have secured more than £650,000 in funding to enable them to convert an industrial warehouse in the centre of the city into a 2,400-litre production facility.

Alexander, a Dundonian who has spent the last five years running a community microbrewery in Edinburgh, will be head brewer at the new Tayside venture.

He said: “There’s something in the water here that was justification enough for us to establish a brewery in Dundee, beyond the fact that I’m a very proud Dundonian and wanted the city to contribute to this great new beer revolution that is sweeping the country.”

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Fit-out works are expected to commence next month and the brewery is due to be fully operational by October. The installation of equipment is being overseen by brewing consultant David Smith, the former head brewer at Samuel Smiths of Tadcaster, who has since assisted in the set-up of some 150 breweries throughout the UK and continental Europe.

The latest addition to the Scottish brewing scene received funding from Scottish Enterprise, regional selective assistance, the Scottish Investment Bank and private investment.