BrewDog looking to raise £2.3m from share sale

BrewDog, the maverick brewery responsible for producing the UK's strongest beer, is to invite the public to invest in the company via the internet.

BrewDog, founded in Aberdeen two years ago by James Watt and business partner Martin Dickie, will offer 10,000 shares in the group at £230 each. The offer represents 10 per cent of the company's value.

Investors will limited to £9,000-worth of shares per application and shares will rank equally for dividends alongside existing shareholders. The stock won't be traded on the stock exchange, instead there will be 'matched bargains' available for shareholders to sell their investment.

Watt and Dickie claim the share deal, labelled 'Equity for Punks' is a first in Europe, and would "shorten the distance as much possible between ourselves and the people who drink our beers".

The funds raised will be invested in a new brewing facility in Aberdeen, which the company describes as the "world's first carbon neutral eco-brewery".

BrewDog hit the headlines earlier this year with its 18.2 per cent ABV bottled beer called Tokyo. In the wake of the furore it produced a 1.1 per cent ale called Nanny State.

In addition to offering the shares online, BrewDog has also seen two US investors take minority stakes in the business.

Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio, both drinks industry veterans, have also joined the brewer's management team with a view to growing sales and distribution in the US and other markets.

Greggor believed that BrewDog was one of the few "game-changing players" to come into the industry in recent years.

"The whole craft beer movement is becoming a common global phenomenon, with no other beverage alcohol sector having such a committed involvement from its consumers," he said.

"Equity for Punks provides a unique opportunity for those committed consumers to become part of the fabric of the industry. It goes well beyond the task of simply raising capital by developing a community of BrewDog beer lovers who become an army of BrewDog brand ambassadors," Greggor added.

BrewDog posted a profit of £9,817 in the six months to the end of July this year, on turnover of £851,000.