BrewDog close to opening US brewery

Scottish brewer BrewDog is close to opening its first production brewery in Columbus, Ohio, advancing its empire into the United States

In a statement released yesterday, the brewery said: “We are also delighted to announce that we are in advance discussions for a site in Columbus, Ohio that would house our USA production brewery.

“We will hopefully be able to provide you all with more of an update on this as soon as we can. In the meantime, we will continue to work hard to make this plan a reality!”

The company produced the equivalent of 75,000 barrels of beer in 2014. A brewery with a similar capacity would make BrewDog the biggest brewer in the city and third-largest craft brewer in Ohio.

The company also announced plans for a “flagship” BrewDog bar in Soho, London confirming that it had agreed terms on a site. Elsewhere a BrewDog “mega site” in Glasgow with a full kitchen and 30 craft taps will open at the end of July, while the brewer’s first site in Berlin will open at the end of this year.

Of its Berlin site, BrewDog said: “We don’t get the keys until September and we are just starting work on the designs here so expect this one to be up and running by the end of 2015 and we look to shake up the most conservative beer market in Europe”, the brewer said.

Founded in 2007, BrewDog has grown at an extraordinary rate opening 27 bars worldwide since 2010. It now exports to 55 countries and employs 360 staff and earlier this year announced a record sixth year of consecutive growth with annual turnover increasing by 64% to more than £29 million in 2014.

Earlier this month, BrewDog launched its biggest crowdfunding bid to date, calling upon investors to help it raise £25 million.