BrewDog plans first hotel as part of £25m crowdfunding campaign

By Emma Eversham

- Last updated on GMT

BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie hope to raise £25m through their crowdfunding scheme which would help expand their brewery and build a craft beer hotel, among other plans.
BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie hope to raise £25m through their crowdfunding scheme which would help expand their brewery and build a craft beer hotel, among other plans.

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Craft brewer BrewDog has announced plans to build a craft beer themed hotel as well as expand its UK bar estate and extend its brewery capacity by raising £25m through its Equity for Punks crowdfunding campaign.  

The Scottish brewer previously raised £4.25m in less than six months through the scheme, but now wants to 'catapult independent crowdfunding into the mainstream' to help it finance growth of the business which currently comprises 27 bars in the UK and abroad and a 100HL brewhouse in Ellon, Aberdeenshire. 

With new funding BrewDog plans to build its first hotel, which would be based in or around Aberdeen with a restaurant focused on beer and food pairing. Mini-bars in rooms will be filled with craft beers from around the world and stays would include brewery tours and visits to on-site bar Dogtap. 

A spokesperson said plans were in the early stages but the motivation behind the hotel was to provide a base for BrewDog customers wanting to visit its brewery.

"As the brewery is quite far in North-East Scotland, BrewDog wants to make it even easier for beer fans to get the BrewDog experience," she said. 

Expansion

Funds raised through the crowdfunding scheme would also enable BrewDog to build a new 300HL brewhouse, which will operate in tandem with its existing brewhouse in Ellon. Money will also be invested in expanding the number of bars it operates, building a sour beer facility, a craft beer distillation plant and in environmental technologies. 

The brewer also hopes to build a USA-based brewery operation 'to quench the growing thirst for its beers in the North American market'. 

James Watt, who co-founded BrewDog with Martin Dickie in 2007, said the company was 'redefining business finance' with its scheme which allows its customers to become shareholders. 

Business finance

"The craft beer revolution has succeeded in redefining beer and Equity for Punks is redefining business finance. By making profit king, the financial institutions of the City gave rise to the bastardisation and commoditization of beer. To grow BrewDog whilst being true to our values, we have had to build a whole new generation of business model.

Equity for Punks puts the people who really care about our beer in control and keeps the passion and integrity in people’s beer glasses.

This round of the UKLA-accredited investment scheme will see 526,316 shares in the brewery being made available for anyone to buy for a minimum investment of just £95 for two shares

“This is about a generation of change-makers ignoring the status quo and building a brand new future in a social economy with a different balance of power. We already have 14,568 passionate shareholders and with this new round we invite tens of thousands more to join the craft beer revolution and help us change the world forever," said Watt. 

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