Brewer brings bar concept to Ashton Lane
INNIS & Gunn is set to open its first Glasgow site this Friday (April 14) after overhauling the former Cul de Sac unit in Ashton Lane.
The new venue is the fourth bar from the brewer and the largest Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen to date, with the refurbishment said to represent a £600,000 investment from the firm.
Trading seven days from 9am until midnight, the Glasgow Beer Kitchen is spread over three floors with a bar at ground level, a first floor restaurant space and an entertainment and private event space on the top floor.
As part of the overhaul, Innis & Gunn has also installed a small brewery on site, which will produce beers tailored to match local tastes, as well as the venue’s food offer.
Innis & Gunn founder Dougal Sharp told SLTN that beers will be brewed on site “in collaboration” with the venue’s customers, adding that he’s hopeful that the on-site brewery will also feed into the firm’s larger beer business.
“One of the great things about having the small brewery is if anything is a particular hit we can scale it up at the brewery in Perth,” said Sharp.
As part of the drinks offer, the Beer Kitchen will also offer fresh tank beer, which Sharp reckons “does make a difference, particularly with the fresh, vibrant hoppy beers we’re doing”.
The food offer at the Beer Kitchen will have something of an international flavour, according to Sharp, who said the Innis & Gunn team has taken cues from venues across the globe, building a menu that offers foreign dishes as well as local classics. Dishes on offer will include Korean fried cauliflower and haggis donuts as well as a number of pub staples. The Glasgow site will also offer breakfast and brunch, with an offer that Sharp said will be “morphing as it goes” throughout the day to meet customer demand.
The launch of Innis & Gunn’s Glasgow Beer Kitchen follows a successful crowdfunding campaign which saw the brewer raise £2.5m in late 2016.
Innis & Gun also owns and operates Beer Kitchen venues in Edinburgh, St Andrews and Dundee.
While the Glasgow site is the fourth pub from Innis & Gunn, Sharp said the city was on the radar from day one.
“When we first set out to open bars we knew we wanted to open one in Glasgow, but it was about getting the right site,” said Sharp.
With a foothold in Glasgow secured, Sharp said Innis & Gunn is on the lookout for more sites both in Scotland and further afield.
“We’re actively looking at other sites in Scotland and England as well as interesting propositions in Canada and Sweden,” said Sharp.
“We’re highly ambitious to get these rolled out as quickly as possible.”
