BrewDog launches Estonian bar as part of global expansion plans
The opening is hot off the heels of BrewDog’s annual general meeting, where the brewer announced new bar locations across Europe, starting with a flagship Paris location.
The brewer then plans to open a second site in Edinburgh as well as a third site in Glasgow within the coming months.
The news comes weeks after BrewDog defended its decision to sell 23% of the company to private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners – claiming the deal "was not a sell out".
The £213m transaction included £100m to help fund BrewDog’s “continued global expansion”, the company said.
Championing Estonian brewers
The Estonian bar, based in Tallinn, will serve the brewer’s signature headline beers, including Punk IPA and Dead Pony Club on draft, as well as championing both Estonian and international brewers across its 12 taps.
BrewDog co-founder James Watt said: “This new bar is a momentous milestone in the craft beer revolution in Estonia.
“Since Punk IPA helped kick start it all back in 2011, becoming the first craft beer that fans could get their hands on in the country, the beer scene has been slowly gaining momentum.
“Our supporters have been crying out for a bar for years now, and we can finally make that a reality.
“Not only will we be able to share our own beers with the city, but the bar will act as a platform to celebrate Estonia’s other awesome craft breweries.”
Global expansion plans
BrewDog now exports to more than 60 countries and operates 16 international bars as it continues its mission to make people as “passionate about great craft beer as they are”.
Plans are in place to establish a separate distribution network in Germany to grow its presence and promote craft beer across the Continent.
The brewer is also establishing itself in the US, where it has built its first international brewery in Columbus, Ohio, which is due to officially open later this year.
In 2016, BrewDog launched its first US bar, DogTap in Columbus, and will continue to expand its bar division in the country by opening two more venues in Columbus before the end of the year.
Expanding its international reach
“It’s always exciting to launch a new bar, but now feels like a particularly pertinent time,” Watt continued.
“We nearly doubled our UK sales last year, which gives us a solid platform to expand our international reach even further.
“We’ve been building our presence on the Continent since day one and by adding Tallinn to our list of European bars, we’re reaching even more craft beer fans in the Baltic states.
“Tallinn is an incredibly exciting city with a very keen craft beer community.
“This bar will help bring more exciting craft beers from around the world to this awesome, emerging beer scene.”
