Innis & Gunn ramps up its gastro-pub plans

Scottish craft brewery Innis & Gunn is to open a second bar and restaurant, as it ramps up its gastro-pub plans.

Dougal Sharp, Innis & Gunn’s founder and master brewer

The new bar and bistro, which will open in Dundee as part of the new waterfront regeneration project, is the first of three planned sites expected to open this year.

The new Beer Kitchen by Innis & Gunn will comprise a 3,700 sq.ft. site with an exposed beer cellar housing limited edition oak aged cask beers and two 5 hectolitre tanks serving the brewery’s award-winning unpasteurised lager straight to the pumps. It is also intending to sell limited edition beer cocktails or boiler-makers and 2L growlers for consumers to fill to take away, as well as beer sampling flights.

Founder and master brewer Dougal Sharp said the bars were intend to be “flag wavers for incredible, flavour packed brews” rather than fixating on selling “‘flash in the pan’ beers that are all beard and no trousers”.

“Dundee is a vibrant, thriving city and with the huge redevelopment that’s happening it was always top of our list of cities to launch in as soon as we could,” he said.

The brewer, which is the second-biggest supplier of specialty beer to the UK off-trade, opened its first site in Edinburgh, on South Tay Street in July.

In 2014, the Innis & Gunn Brewery Company repatriated its bottling, canning and kegging facitilies in Scotland, and embarked on an international strategy, with new markets in Italy, France, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and Asia. It is now available in more than 20 countries.

According to accounts filed at Companies House turnover in the 12 months to 15 December 2014 rose 11% to £11m, with profits of around £7m despite being hit by an unfavourable exchange rate.