West Brewery turns 18 and reveals new beer plans

West Brewery, based in Glasgow, is celebrating its 18th birthday and marking the occasion by releasing a range of new limited edition beers.

The brewery was originally set up by Bavarian Petra Wetzel who studied at the University of Glasgow in 1994 before discovering a gap in the market for German-style beers which led to her launching West.

The business, which was located in the former Templeton’s carpet factory building on Glasgow Green opened on 10 March 2006 but, in 2021 Wetzel stepped back from the day-to-day operations and handed over the reins to Matt Munro who took on the role of managing director.

Speaking to the drinks business, Munro said that the plan for the 18th is to mark the occasion with a year of celebration as well as launch a limited edition range to mark the anniversary as well as include a summer festival on the green and reveal a new look for its pale ale.

According to Munro, West is the only UK brewery to abide by Reinheitsgebot Purity Law of 1516 and now produces at least 14 brands at any one time – from staples like St Mungo and West 4 to Heidi Weisse and Munich Red

The brewery has stayed true to its slogan of “Glaswegian heart, German head” and its beers – all brewed, kegged, canned, and bottled on-site in Glasgow’s East End – are ever-present in hundreds of venues across the city and beyond.

Munro observed: “The industry has changed, the craft beer boom has been and gone in the years since we launched, but we’ve just stayed relentlessly focused on doing what we do best – brewing the very best beer. I think that’s why we’ve endured through recessions, Brexit, Covid and all the upheaval of the last eighteen years. People need a constant and brands that they trust regardless of what’s going on in the world.”

He explained: “While Petra’s no longer around during the day-to-day, her vision is what made this place what it is and we’re very much staying true to that. Our job is to protect the ethos of the brand and grow the business in the years to come.”

Wetzel added: “West was designed to be a third place – somewhere different to work and a home that is sorely lacking in society today. This is more the case now than ever before. We set out with a vision to create somewhere truly open to everyone, young and old. Being independent, we’ve always been able to focus on what’s best for the customer. Our growth has been organic, it’s all come because of our chase for perfection. I love nothing more than returning to West for a perfect pint and people watching – it has a very special place in my heart and remains a huge part of my life.”

West Brewery is also preparing to launch a new live entertainment schedule, with a host of different events throughout the year, and an exciting new food and drinks menu.

Munro, who joined West Brewery after more than 20 years working in the drinks industry,following roles with C&C Group, said: “While we’re always focused on getting better at what we’re already great at – I don’t think we’ll be drastically different 18 years from now. We certainly won’t compromise on how we brew our beer. We aren’t resting on our laurels as Glasgow is a very different city to 2006 and we are aware of changing audiences. I think customers old and new will be pleasantly surprised with our plans.”

Munro emphasised that “Reinheitsgebot Purity Law is the foundation of everything we do and what the brand is built on. Brewing a beer using only four natural ingredients may sound simple, but it takes a lot of skill to brew consistently flawless premium beer because there is nowhere to hide.”

He told db: “The fact we have 15-20 beers available every year brewed this way shows the quality of the brewing team at West” and added: “We are constantly challenging them to create fantastic new beers that appeal to the modern consumer using this very traditional ideology.”

Munro insisted: “If we are asking drinkers to believe in our brand it is imperative we never cut corners. Do it well, or don’t do it at all” and asserted that “you simply can’t talk about quality if you are not in control of every step of your production process: brewing, canning, bottling and kegging. We spend so much time and effort brewing amazing beer, asking someone else to package it undoes all the hard work. We love the fact that we can say that every pint, bottle and can was produced on site on Glasgow Green.”

Munro also hinted: “We are giving NIX a fresh new look in time for summer” and added: “The NIX pale ale has been a huge success for us, so much so that we took the decision to launch it on draught in our beer hall in 2022. It is technically quite challenging to have a low ABV beer in keg, but the brewing team have done an amazing job with it. That’s been the game changer for the brand as we are now seeing our customers asking for it on draught and committing to pouring it as a permanent tap on their bar.”