The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Drinkers develop thirst for city’s new brewery
71 Brewing aiming to be part of fabric of Dundee
The first brewery to open in Dundee for nearly 50 years has got off to a flyer.
It was in January when 71 Brewing launched its flagship lager, and its reputation is spreading quickly.
The firm has already gained more than 60 accounts for 71 Lager, including a draught listing in the Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen chain.
As headline sponsor for Carnival 56, the team brewed more than 15,000 pints for the music festival.
71 Brewing is also involved in BrewDog’s fifth annual #collabfest, and has creating a special-edition beer that will go into BrewDog’s UK bars during the October 20-22 festival.
In addition, Dundee’s only brewery is one of just 10 selected to sell their beers in BrewDog’s European estate over the same weekend.
71 Brewing co-founder Duncan Alexander said: “This collaboration is incredible for us as it will give us national exposure across BrewDog’s bar estate, putting us right in front of a hugelydiscerning community of beer drinkers that otherwise would have taken months, if not years, to reach out to.”
71 Brewing’s inspiration is the great lager-brewing traditions of central and eastern Europe, with its lager modelled very closely on a Bohemian pilsner.
“When we had samples analysed of the water we’re using at the brewery, we found very clear similarities between it and the traditional pilsen water, which is soft, free from most minerals and low in bicarbonates,” Duncan said.
“This results in a very clean, fresh and crisp lager. It was a result for us too as we’ve not had to treat the water at all.
“Dundee’s a proud working-class city and I felt very strongly that we needed to stay true to our roots.
“So this is a finely-crafted session lager for the everyday man and woman.”
Following a positive reception at recent beer conventions, two limitededition brews have now joined the firm’s portfolio – an India pale lager and a Munich dunkel, Ferrous Red.
The other co-founder of the business is Mark Griffiths, and they named the firm 71 Brewing in tribute to the site on which the 7,200 sq ft craft brewery sits.
The brewery building was once part of the former Blackness ironworks complex, based at 71 Blackness Road, and remains a proud symbol of Dundee’s industrial heritage.
Duncan and Mark received planning permission in February 2016 to convert the building into a brewhouse.
The company secured £650,000 from Scottish Enterprise, Regional Selective Assistance and the Scottish Investment Bank, as well as private investments, for the conversion.
An on-site bar and off-licence are also planned for 2018.
A proud Dundonian and former software engineer, Duncan spent five years running a community brewery in Portobello before deciding to follow his dream and start 71 Brewing.
“Dundee is undergoing a period of significant regeneration and investment,” he said.
“We want to place ourselves firmly in the centre of this and add to the flourishing reputation of Dundee as a fantastic place for the arts and culture, business and innovation.
“We want 71 Brewing to become synonymous with this new and growing confidence and weave ourselves into the fabric of the city.”