BrewDog announces construction to start on its Aussie brewery

Scottish craft brewer BrewDog has received the green light from the Brisbane City Council to begin construction of its $30m brewery in Murarrie.

The development includes the construction of a 50hl, 3000m2 brewing and canning facility as well as a restaurant, taproom and visitor centre.

BrewDog announced in February of this year that it had settled on Brisbane as the home of its Australian headquarters. The development application was submitted mid-March and this week it was presented to the local council who gave their support for the development.

Zarah Prior, Director of BrewDog Australia said: “We are incredibly excited to kick things off properly here in Australia by starting construction on our riverfront property in Murarrie. We are here to deliver fresh BrewDog beer to the people of Australia, to share our experiences from the past 11 years, and collaborate with the incredible local beer scene. Today, we are one step closer to realising this mission.” 

BrewDog was founded in 2007 by schoolfriends, James Watt and Martin Dickie, who set out on a mission to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as they were.

Today, the company operates two breweries, in Ellon, Scotland and Columbus, Ohio, USA, as well as more than 50 bars worldwide.

Brisbane City Council’s approval of BrewDog’s development application means that the brewery is now on schedule to start construction in July of this year. The building is due to be completed by the end of 2018, and the first Brisbane-brewed BrewDog beer should be released in the first quarter of 2019. The brewery is planning a major launch party with the local community and fans.  

“We couldn’t be happier to set up our brewing operation in the awesome area of Murarrie," Prior added. "We’ve seen incredible support from the local community, local brewers, and council in both Brisbane and the wider QLD region. We want to build on South East Queensland’s remarkable success as the home of some of Australia’s most awarded and loved craft breweries, and add our voice to grow the appreciation of great craft beer in Australia. We’re committed to building our local relationships and the community with Brisbane’s amazing independent businesses.” 

Councillor Ryan Murphy added: “The local area of Murarrie and Cannon Hill don’t have a single pub in either suburb, now we’re getting the biggest brewery in all of Brisbane - residents are over the moon about this.

“I’ve been getting enquiries to my office on almost a daily basis wondering what’s happening with the application ... this is a really great outcome. We in the eastern suburbs are just so pleased and can’t wait to see it get started.”

Initially, the Brisbane brewery will focus on BrewDog’s core range, with world-famous beers such as Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club and Elvis Juice. The brewery will also brew small batch beers with local ingredients from the Southern Hemisphere. Production volume is expected gradually rise up to 10 million litres per year over the first few years.

The launch of BrewDog Australia is expected to generate 150 jobs in the Brisbane area over the next 5 years, and the brewery is already recruiting for a Head of Production. Further hires will be announced at brewdog.com/aus.