Scottish brewers poised to open $30m brewhouse at river site

The city’s newest brewery and tap bar is set to be opened on the banks of the Brisbane River by a global company with 93 other sites, and punters will have 28 taps showcasing its amber nectar to choose from.

SCOTTISH craft beer company BrewDog is weeks away from opening their $30 million brewhouse overlooking the Brisbane River at Murarrie.

As reported early this month the tap room and brewery is nearing completion and is expected to open next month.

BrewDog has remained tight-lipped on the opening date, only to confirm the brewhouse would open the doors “next month”, November, with the brewery planned to push its first beers off the line in January 2020.

The Brisbane tap room “DogTap” will be BrewDog’s 94th bar globally but only its fourth tap room attached directly to one of its breweries.

It will boast 28 taps showcasing the BrewDog Headliners, including Punk IPA and a list of local guest beers.

The wine list will feature an all Australian line-up, with a strong turnout of Australian distilleries on the spirits list and local-only soft drinks on offer as well.

Operations Manager of BrewDog Australia Calvin McDonald and Head of Production Lindsay Crawford look forward to the opening next month.

The brewhouse will also offer a menu of burgers, hotdogs, salads and buffalo wings alongside Korean-style chicken wings, crispy pork cheeks, baby squid calamari and barramundi fritters.

DogTap will also be serving up a brunch menu every weekend, featuring BrewDog favourites including chicken and waffles and “eggs benny”.

On top of BrewDog’s core and small-batch brews, DogTap Brisbane will be pouring local craft beer from Range Brewing, Currumbin Valley Brewing, Balter, Aether, Brouhaha and Black Hops through the bar’s guest taps.

The patio area overlooks the Brisbane River and an up close view of the Gateway Bridge.

The Brisbane brewhouse interior follows the industrial aesthetic of BrewDog bars worldwide, with a mix of leather booths, communal high-top tables and a 485sqm outside patio featuring artwork from BrewDog’s resident artist, Fisher.

The site is also home to an arcade area, innovative beer cellar made from a shipping container, and there will be a full shop complete with beer fridges to enjoy in or takeaway alongside a selection of BrewDog merchandise.

BrewDog Co-founder James Watt said DogTap Brisbane would be the first phase in BrewDog’s expansion in Australia.

The brewery will be up and running in January 2020, housing a fully automated four vessel 25HL brewing system. The vessel will allow the brewing team to scale at pace, meaning they can produce small-batch brews alongside BrewDog’s Headliners and core range.

Inside the tap bar at BrewDog Murarrie.

BrewDog Brisbane will also feature a barrel-ageing facility that will give the local team the chance to develop an Australian-exclusive set of wood-aged beers.

“DogTap Brisbane is one of the biggest and best bars we’ve ever created, and we’re so excited to open this amazing space,” Mr Watt said.

“We’ve shipped BrewDog Headliner beers to Australia for nearly 10 years, but this new brewery will now give us the capacity to reach new corners of the country.

“The craft beer scene in Australia is one of the best in the world and we’re super excited to finally open our doors, join this incredible community and get freshly brewed beer into the hands of Australian beer fans.”

A section of the massive mural on the Murarrie brewhouse.

BrewDog was established in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie and is now exporting to more than 60 countries globally.

The company’s growth has been fuelled by its record-breaking Equity for Punks crowdfunding initiative, which has seen the brewery amass an army of more than 123,000 beer fans and raise the equivalent of more than $137million since 2009.

BrewDog’s expansion into Australia has been supported by the Queensland Government through the Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund.

The massive brewery and tap bar facility at Metroplex Ave nears completion.