BrewDog brings roulette pop-ups and “Casino Rye Ale” beer to its UK bars and opens a new site in Hackney
Scottish craft beer maker BrewDog has launched a Casino-themed beer and roulette pop-ups to stir up excitement for its new brewery in America.
The beer, called "Casino Rye Ale", will hit 28 of the bar owner's UK locations along with roulette tables where customers can try their luck at winning a half pint of the limited release beer.
BrewDog today also announced the opening of its eighth bar in London, opening 2 December in Hackney.
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Co-founder James Watt said East London is the perfect spot for a a new BrewDog site because of the area is a "thriving epicentre" for craft beer, home-brewing and micro-breweries.
BrewDog, one of the UK's fastest growing independent drinks businesses, is holding the casino-themed stunt to build excitement around its new brewing facility in Columbus, Ohio.
While British customers will be betting on drinks, US investors will have the chance to double their stake in the business through BrewDog's Big Bet, when the co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie put the money raised on red or black in February 2017.
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The founders expect to gamble anywhere up to $50m (£39.7m) in a single bet.
Investors will be able to opt in to the bet by agreeing to risk all or part of their investment on the roulette table.
If the bet is successful, BrewDog will immediately double the capital raised by investors that opted in and investors double their stake in the business.
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However, if they lose, investors keep the benefits of being an Equity Punk investor, which includes a lifetime discount on beer, but their shares are returned to the company.
The money raised will fund new bar openings including the Ohio brewery.
Watt said:
In 2009 we tore up convention and reinvented small business finance with Equity for Punks. And now with one crazy bet we are going to shake the yawn-inducing financial establishment to its foundation.