Two ex-oil and gas workers have used their own money to set-up a new micro-brewery in Aberdeen, the only one of its kind in the city.
Former Expro director David Grant took the risky decision to leave and become self-employed after getting such great feedback from his own home-brews.
With full support from his family, he says the sleepless nights and living on a “quarter” of his previous salary has been worth it.
He said: “I jumped. It’s the best thing I could have done and I have saved someone’s job by doing so.”
Co-founder Dave McHardy, took voluntary redundancy from Veripos just before enrolling on a brewing course
in Sunderland.
He said: “Home-brew had been a hobby for a couple of years and I decided it was time to move away from oil and gas.”
The pair met on the course and discovered coincidentally that they both shared the dream of opening a brewery in the Granite City.
The new team came up with the name ‘Fierce Beer Co’ one night whilst drinking beer in The Casc Bar.
Mr Grant said:“We want to excite people’s palettes; we called it ‘Fierce’ beer because we don’t just want to be a lager and pale ale.
“We want the tastes to be ‘in your face’, if it’s raspberry beer, we want you to taste the raspberries.”
Initially brewing from Mr Grant’s house on Great Western Road, sales were to local craft beer bars and stands at the Stonehaven and Newton hill beer festivals, where he received ‘rave’ reviews.
Dave McHardy, wanted to find a different take on beer in the local area, he said: “That is why we are going for big flavours.
“Our next batch will include a Thai green curry flavour and a Chai spiced porter.”
Using redundancy pay-offs, the pair along with some other small investors, have poured £250k into their new premises and equipment, at Kirkhill Industrial Estate, Dyce.
Already realising that they need for more space, the pair have leased the premises next-door where they have plans to open an off-sales bottle shop and extra storage space for laying down barrel-aged beers.
They are planning to take on a new member of staff in July to help with administration and sales and also an assistant-brewer by the end of the year.
The company has just received an order from German supermarket Lidl for 2,500 bottles of ‘Ginga Ninja’as part of the chains June beer festival which will appear at 65 of their stores across Scotland.
Production is due to start at the Dyce Brewery next week and Dave McHardy is confident they will reach the Lidl deadline.
He said:“It will be manic, but it’s a nice manic to have.”