BrewDog asks for input on specific sites to deliver eight more 2012 openings

BrewDog opened the fifth site for the company in Nottingham last month and is in the process of refurbishing two locations in Manchester and Newcastle to open in April. However the business, formed by James Watt and Martin Dickie, plans another eight openings in 2012 and has lined up four potential sites it is looking for feedback on.

Pictures of the venues, in Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and Spitalfields, London, are all available to view on the BrewDog blog​ with readers encouraged to leave feedback on the properties or suggest other possible locations to help reach the openings target for the year.

Adapted elements​

Co-founder Watt told BigHospitality BrewDog always wanted to get fans of the company involved in the hunt for new bars and was looking for feedback on towns or cities it should consider, bars or pubs that are closing down that could be transformed or empty properties in strong locations.

"We do adapt certain elements for each bar based on location and the local area. For instance, when we launched Nottingham, we created a beer called Hops Kill Robin Hood especially for the opening to poke fun of mass marketing. Every bar launch is looked at independently to work out the best way of reaching out to the locals and positioning ourselves in the region as the place to go for the best beers in town," he said.

BrewDog Nottingham opened in an abandoned factory building in the city in February which took its portfolio to five. The first site for the company outside Scotland opened in Camden, London in November adding to bars in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, where the company was founded.

Each site for the company, which is based on what it describes as 'punk ideals', contains a unique food menu, usually consisting of meat and cheese boards to complement the beers on offer. The Camden site contains a burger and pizza menu from former Masterchef winner Tim Anderson.

Craft beer​

The mission statement for BrewDog is to brew artisan beer and open bars that are an alternative to what it describes as 'industrially brewed lagers' and indistinguishable pubs and bars.

However the availability of craft beer and bars serving it has increased greatly in recent years with the growth of companies like the Draft House, Mason & Taylor and the Meantime Brewing Company. However Watt does not feel these rivals are putting pressure on the Scottish business.

"There's no pressure except what we put on ourselves.  We're proud to fly the flag for craft beer in the UK and are exceedingly pleased that so many people support the cause. It's tough to accommodate for an influx of raised demand, but we're confident that the craft beer scene is clever enough to keep up with it," he said.

New Brewery​

Watt also announced BrewDog would be opening a new brewery at the end of the year to add to the existing factory in Aberdeen in order to cope with worldwide demand.