Craft brewer BrewDog plans to build in Ohio
Scottish firm will locate its U.S. HQ near Columbus.
Scottish craft brewer BrewDog is planning to build its U.S. headquarters, complete with brewery, canning and bottling lines, restaurant and taproom, in central Ohio.
The company is close to closing on a 42-acre site outside of the city where it will build a 100,000square-foot plant. The site has not been disclosed, the company says, because incentives and other pieces of deal need to be finalized.
BrewDog co-founder James Watt answered a few questions during an email exchange with The Columbus Dispatch.
He touched on the company’s unique funding mechanism – a mix of crowdfunding and stock issuance – big plans for its U.S. operations, football and the other football, and Ohio’s alcohol by volume law, which caps beer at 12 percent. It has been edited for length and content.
Q: Because we’re a little insecure, we have to ask: why Columbus, Ohio?
A: Columbus has a really vibrant, burgeoning beer scene, and any time we have visited, we’ve found the (people) were super friendly and welcoming. That put it high on our list of places to set up our USA operation as the culture and community resonated with our own. It has a great water supply and transport links, so it’s the dream location for us.
Q: Why did you pick a location outside of the city? Is it more like your home location in Ellon, Scotland?
A: We have big plans for our USA operation, so we wanted to ensure we had room to expand from the outset. With the brewery, restaurant and tap room we’re going to need a bit of space. We’ve been continuously expanding our operation in northeast Scotland as fast as we can build, so for our USA operation, we’re setting up where we have room to grow. The new site will be accessible by rail and road.
Q: Obviously you are hoping to create a destination with this brewery/ restaurant/tap room. What were some of your sources of inspiration for the project?
A: We want to create an awesome craft-beer destination where people can come and get the full BrewDog experience and get excited about all things beer.