A microbrewery that was set up by two unemployed oil and gas workers in Aberdeen six months ago has had to produce twice as much beer as expected just to keep up with demand.
Fierce Beer, launched by Dave Grant and David McHardy in May, has already brewed about 12,000 gallons of beer, with its owners filling in excess of 80,000 bottles by hand.
The pair are now looking to add another 2,400sq ft of warehousing after having already extended the firm’s premises in Howe Moss Avenue, Dyce, to 24,000sq ft.
They have also just been granted an off-sales licence, in time to launch an online store in the run-up to Christmas. In addition, they can host brewery tours.
Fast-growing demand is reflected in export figures showing Fierce has already sent more than 10,000 bottles to the Netherlands and Belgium.
And the company recently hired its first employee, while it aims to recruit more staff in 2017.
Mr Grant, managing director, said: “We are delighted with the success of Fierce and it’s growing popularity to date.
“A lot of time has been invested into the beers and we are continually developing them to make the brews better than ever.
“Market demand has been exceptional and we have now secured a contract with Oddbins to supply all nine Scottish Stores with more than 1,500 bottles of Fierce Beer over the next few months. We are also in talks with one of the big four supermarkets.
“The addition of the online store and the ability to offer brewery tours is very exciting for us, and we are looking forward to welcoming faces from across the country to our premises.”
Fierce, which is running the first brewery of its kind in Aberdeen, is now targeting monthly production of around 4,400 gallons from this month.
The firm, whose products include Ginja Ninja, Cranachan Killer, Eskimo Joe, Peanut Riot and Dirty Sanchez, also sells its brews through craft beer shops around the UK, as well as some Spar and Aldi shops in Scotland.
Its first major order was for 2,500 bottles of Ginga Ninja, with Lidl featuring the brew as part of its June beer festival.