Snags delay US production for BrewDog

BrewDog had hoped to start producing beer at its new brewery in Ohio last month

Scottish brewer BrewDog has postponed the launch of production at its new US headquarters, following a delay in the delivery of key equipment.

The Aberdeenshire-based company had hoped to produce the first beer at its 100,000 sq ft brewery in Columbus, Ohio, last month.

But BrewDog said on Wednesday it had encountered "a small delay" with the delivery of brewing kit from Germany.

It now expects production to start in February or March.

According to a local Ohio newspaper, the company will start hiring staff in January, having also been hit by construction delays in Ohio.

BrewDog said more than 1,000 people attended its inaugural shareholder meeting in the US last month

The snags appear not to have affected BrewDog's efforts to raise cash for its US operations via a crowdfunding initiative.

Its Equity for Punks USA scheme has so far raised $2.5m from 3,000 investors since its launch in August.

Shares in the funding round cost $47.50 each, with a minimum investment of $95.

The company has set a target of $50m by the time the scheme closes in February.

Cash raised will be used to fund expansion into the American market and establish an unspecified number of BrewDog bars across the USA.

BrewDog said it served up 50 kegs of its beer during the inaugural shareholder meeting in Columbus

In a statement sent to BBC Scotland, BrewDog said: "Things across the pond are progressing super well - we've seen an incredible response from our US community, especially within Ohio where 30% of all investments to date have originated. Awesome to see our home state backing us with such confidence."

It added: "We did encounter a small delay with the brewing kit coming across from Germany, but it's en route now and we're on our way to rolling the first beers off the line in February/March 2017."

BrewDog said more than 1,000 people attended its inaugural shareholder meeting at its new US base at the end of September.

Over 12 hours, the brewery served up participants with a total of 50 kegs of BrewDog beer, which had been flown over from the UK for the event.