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BrewDog has acquired a brewery and taproom in Berlin from US-based Stone Brewing, as it aims to further elevate the status of craft beer in Germany.
Located in the Mariendorf neighbourhood, the facility contains a 100hl brewhouse, a 10hl pilot brewing system as well as a taproom and beer garden.
The site will be closed for between six to eight weeks for refurbishment, with BrewDog moving in on 1 May.
San Diego-based Stone Brewing initially worked with BrewDog for a collaborative beer at the Scottish brewer’s original site in Fraserburgh, Scotland. In 2015, BrewDog agreed to a deal to import Stone Brewing beers into the UK. As part of the Berlin agreement, the site will continue to brew Stone Brewing beers.
Greg Koch, co-founder and executive chairman of Stone Brewing, said: “Ultimately our project in Berlin turned out to be a bit too aggressively big and bold, and a little too far from home, for Stone to continue to operate. It’s also a much shorter flight from Scotland to Berlin than it is from San Diego. By a lot.
“We wish our friends at Brewdog every success with the Mariendorf gasworks property. We loved it and brought it to life, and we know they’ll do the same in their own way. They will do great things. And from time to time, as we’ve done in the past, we’ll do some of those great things together.”
BrewDog co-founder James Watt added: “We are really excited to become a small part of the craft beer movement in Germany and the German beer scene overall and we are also really excited to be part of the Mariendorf community.
“Beer, people and community have always been the foundations of our business and that is what we will be focusing on in Berlin too as we look to share our passion for craft beer with as many people as we can.”
BrewDog has also launched the Berlin Craft Collective, which will see the company open up the new brewery to the independent craft brewers of Berlin, providing them full access to its 10hl pilot system. “We want to make our new Berlin brewery the hub for the craft beer movement and use it to help elevate the status of beer and craft brewing in Germany,” Watt said.
Founded in Scotland 2007, BrewDog launched its Equity for Punks crowdfunding initiative in 2010, which saw the company raise £67 million over five rounds. It now has 80 bars globally and exports to 60 countries.