Promising collaboration, creativity and a range of beers that are ‘brewed fearlessly’, Drygate, the UK’s first experiential craft brewery, was unveiled in Glasgow today.
With its brewers offering to take drinkers on a journey from ‘the everyday to the exceptional’, visitors can now preview the site and watch the beginnings of Drygate’s first on-site brew take place. Apanoramic glass wall will allow guests to watch the brewery in action from its bar and kitchen, which will open from this Friday (23rd) to serve award-winning food and drink.
Drygate was a derelict 1960s box factory that has now been transformed into a cutting-edge brewing centre of excellence. By the end of June, there will be the freedom not only to explore, taste and talk about beer at Drygate – but also imagine and create your own brew too.
As an experiential brewery, an inclusive ‘open doors, open minds’ approach will see anyone with an interest – from craft beer novices to aficionados – being encouraged to experiment on the Drygate Studio Kit, which can be booked in advance for individuals or groups to brew their own beer. The Studio Kit will be launched from the end of June.
For all visitors, a core range of beer with label artwork designed by Glasgow School of Art alumni will be available at the bar: Bearface Lager, Gladeye IPA and Outaspace Apple Ale. Over the next few months, other guest beers will regularly be created with the first examples expected to be available from early July. It is projected that up to one million litres of craft beer will be produced by Drygate in its first year.
Expanding west from Edinburgh, the award-winning Vintage bar & kitchen – which originally opened in Leith and was awarded ‘top 50 UK gastropubs’ in 2014 – will lead the Drygate restaurant.
The Vintage at Drygate will serve a menu of ‘fearless food for the soul’, including British charcuterie such as spreadable chorizo, pork scratchings and smoked pigs’ cheeks.
Drygate also offers a 24 tap beer hall, an elevated beer garden, a bottle shop, a multifunctional venue / gallery space and a craft beer-inspired menu.
As an independent joint venture between C&C Group, the owner of Scotland’s oldest brewer, and Williams Bros. Brewing Co, one of Scotland’s most successful craft brewers, Drygate has brought together some of the industry’s brightest talents to form a brewing collective. Together, Ed Evans, Jake Griffin and Alessandra Confessore will collaborate to create the beer of Drygate.
Ed Evans explains more:
“When we say that Drygate is about a journey from the everyday to the exceptional, we mean it’s about opening doors to the craft beer experience and giving people the chance to get hands on in a brewery for the very first time. It’s an amazing place, whether you’re here to brew your own beer, or simply coming in for a pint with friends.
“What’s adventurous, what’s innovative, what’s next in beer? These are the questions we’ll explore, not just within our brewing team but also along with our visitors.”
The background of Ed’s colleague, Jake, perfectly sums up Drygate’s ethos that everyone can learn to brew and begin their own personal discovery of craft beer.
His own journey began in his Glasgow allotment where he turned surplus fruit into home brewed beer. A chance decision to enter a brewing competition saw his beer – Zombier – become an overnight success story, launching him full time into the UK craft beer scene.
“The Drygate Studio Kit is about breaking down barriers to brewing and creating opportunities for people to experiment, regardless of experience,” says Jake.
“There’s a real sense of freedom at Drygate, we’re not constrained by snobbery or convention and that means there’s every chance we inspire a new generation of brewers; people who may never have developed a passion for craft beer had they not taken those first few steps at Drygate.”
Alessandra, who is originally from Italy but studied brewing at Heriot-Watt, explains how the collective works:
“There’s no hierarchy at Drygate. There are no rules. Each one of us is involved in every part of the process; from recipe creation to brewing, packaging to engaging with new brewers. In this way, we can play to one another’s strengths, experiment, debate and seek inspiration from our different styles.
“When it comes to beer, this is the home of great ideas and we can’t wait for others to experience Drygate.”
The bar and The Vintage at Drygate will open to the public from this Friday (23rd May). The first brew will commence at Drygate from next Monday (26th May) and the Studio Kit will be available to book from the end of June. Visit www.drygate.com for more information.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Drygate Brewing Co. is located at Wellpark, in Glasgow’s East End, 10 minutes’ walk from George Square.
Drygate has created 29 new jobs in total – 6 in brewing and 23 in The Vintage.
The Drygate brewery consists of a 24 HL brew kit, capable of producing one million litres of craft beer annually. The Drygate Studio Kit has a capacity of 2.5 HL, capable of producing 1,000 HL of ‘DIY craft beer’ every year.
The Vintage was awarded ‘top 50 UK gastropubs’ in 2014 and also featured in The List’s Hot 100 2013. The Vintage at Drygate will be managed by Operations Director, Darren Blackburn and seats 120.
An upstairs beer hall linking to an outdoor terrace will feature 16 keg and 8 cask beer taps as well as a 200 strong bottle list.
An upstairs venue / gallery space has capacity for 300 people will be used for events such as live music and exhibitions.
The Drygate brewery team includes: Jake Griffin, Edward Furmston-Evans and Alessandra Confessore. Managing Director, Scott Williams, and Operations Director, Colin Johnston, complete the team.
Scott Williams explained how the project came about:
“I was approached by C&C Chief Executive Stephen Glancey who had been watching what other international breweries were doing, particularly those in the US, and he wanted to break the mould here too. He admired what we were doing at Williams Bros. He showed me the Drygate building and said ‘There’s a blank canvas, what can you do with it?’
“As a Glasgow native I’d always wanted to brew in the city, so this helped to accelerate things.
”For both us and C&C Group, Drygate is about investing in the next generation of craft brewers, letting them take the reins and brew fearlessly.”
The Drygate core range – Bearface Lager (4.4% ABV), Gladeye IPA (5.5% ABV) and Outaspace Apple Ale (4.7% ABV) – is available in keg and 500ml bottles.
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