The 8,500sq ft site will be the biggest BrewDog bar in the world, second only to the taproom at the brewery’s Columbus production facility in the USA, and will produce a number of small-batch exclusive BrewDog beers for the London market.
The BrewPub will be situated a short walk from The Tower of London and London Bridge, and around 25 minutes’ walk from a number of existing brewery taprooms in Bermondsey. It will have a 10hl brew kit and room for 400 guests at a time.
Flagship London bar
The bar will be the seventh BrewDog site in London when it opens in the first quarter of next year, and will be the brewery’s new flagship bar in the capital.
Bar acquisitions manager Andrew Statham said: “Our mission and ethos is to make the world as passionate about great craft beer as we are, so we are delighted to be launching our first ever BrewPub in the UK, and our first venue in the City of London.”
Earlier this month, BrewDog co-founder James Watt spoke to The Morning Advertiser about the brewery’s recently launched Equity For Punks Five (EFPV) crowdfunding initiative, and defended the price of BrewDog beer.
On-trade and off-trade pricing
On the subject of whether BrewDog beers were too cheap in supermarkets and whether this was harming the pub and bar sector, Watt said: "Our average price point in UK supermarkets is £4.53 per litre according to Neilson data. Industrial beer in supermarkets averages about £2 per litre. We are twice as expensive as industrial beer so I don't think we are culpable there.
“The fact that pubs are struggling? Good pubs are not struggling. I think pubs need to look at what they are serving, their environment and their staff. So many pubs are doing fantastically well at the moment and pubs that are not good will not do too well. Consumers are going to vote with their feet and their cash."
BrewDog is hoping to raise between £10m-£50m from EFPV to support further expansion of its business, and has plans to build breweries in Australia and Asia, as well as a dedicated sour beer facility in the UK.