The controversial company behind one of the world's strongest beers is to receive a Scottish Government grant to help open a new brewery.
Aberdeenshire-based firm BrewDog is to receive £551,000 from the Scottish Government as part of the latest round of food and drink funding.
The cash will assist the company - which came under fire from animal campaigners after it launched a 55% volume beer called The End of History which was sold inside dead stuffed animals - to set up a new brewery in Ellon.
The funds will create a number of jobs and allow BrewDog to switch production to Scotland from England and Belgium. In addition, a new storage facility will see the firm increase the amount of Scottish barley it uses. The expansion also means BrewDog will be able to produce a new non-alcoholic malt-based range of soft drinks.
James Watt, the firm's co-founder, said: "The grant award has ensured that our state-of-the-art eco-brewery is being built in Aberdeenshire. The new brewery will increase our production capacity tenfold and give us the capacity to keep up with the overwhelming demand for our beers and continue to grow our business. In addition, the project will create 20 full-time jobs and significantly increase the amount of Scottish malted barley we purchase."
With almost £10 million being awarded in the latest round of funding under the Food Processing, Marketing and Cooperation (FPMC) scheme, Heidi Beers in Glasgow, which trades as the WEST Brewery, is another of the companies to receive a grant.
It will use £1.85 million for its expansion plans, which will support 18 new employees and means the company will move all its production to a new facility in Scotland. The brewery will source more than 90% of its barley from Scotland and will also launch a new low-alcohol lager.
Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said the food and drink industry was "one of Scotland's greatest success stories". He added: "The funding announced today will benefit a wide range of small and medium-sized businesses across the country and support the creation of new jobs and further investment."
Mr Lochhead said Scottish beers and ales were "highly sought-after" and added: "Heidi and BrewDog are innovative Scottish companies and this investment will not only create jobs, but boost Scottish agriculture through more locally sourced barley. I particularly welcome plans to diversify their products to include low and non-alcoholic drinks."
Since 2008 a total of 159 projects have benefited from £38 million under the FPMC initiative.
