DemonBrew cease operations

Back in the first few days of the year, we made the short trip along the curve of the outer Forth Estuary to a blisteringly cold Prestonpans, for a brewday with Dave Whyte of DemonBrew. Fast forward three months, and although we’re the other side of Easter, surprisingly the icy weather is only just taking its leave. It’s not alone, either – last week, the announcement came through that Dave is doing likewise, and parting company with the Prestoungrange Gothenburg; DemonBrew, in its current form, ceasing to exist (bar the casks already out to pubs).

It seems the gnarly issue of politics raised its head at the Goth, and Dave had finally had enough. The backstory there takes some unravelling – for a start, you need to begin with the many layers of ownership involved, which are baffling in their complexity. The Goth is owned by the Baron of Prestoungrange, and run as a registered charity, but leased to a further company (BLT) who run the pub side of the business. The brewery gear is owned by a separate organisation – Fowler’s Ales – who lease (or did, until last week) the gear to Dave, for the actual brewing. So, effectively, Dave was an independent brewer-in-residence.

Clearly, as his most immediate customer, beers he produced were sold to the Goth – both as DemonBrew and re-badged as Gothenburg Porter (which, together with Fowler’s Wee Heavy, still attracts beer fans from all over the country). To build the business, though, Dave also supplied pubs across the Lothians – and, crucially, with no fixed-amount contract in place for the Goth, this success appears to have created the problem. Seemingly, the pub’s increased and irregular requests for beers could not be fulfilled – as Dave had earmarked the casks for other bars – leaving the Goth short.

From what I can gather, this was the flashpoint – and it eventually resulted in guest beer being brought in from other sources (at, presumably, a higher cost). The problem is, the brewery is so small, and the 5bbl equipment so antiquated – brew runs are often only 2/3bbl – that demand is forever outweighing supply, and probably always will. It must be frustrating for both parties – Dave can’t brew more as the space is so limited, but needs the stock to grow his brand; the Goth can’t get enough of his beer, but see full casks ready to head off elsewhere.

Such are the vagaries of nano-brewing. However, this supply problem looks to have recently come to a head in fairly spectacular style, with Dave’s brewing job allegedly being offered to somebody else without his knowledge. When this – inevitably – filtered back to him (the beer industry being such a fishbowl), Dave’s position was clearly untenable, and he unsurprisingly ceased brewing with immediate effect. It’s a real shame – for all parties – particularly as DemonBrew beers were about to appear in bottles, to raise the profile of the brewery still further.*

*As it happens, they will still appear, so keep an eye out in Edinburgh’s bottle shops.

One key point to make is that brewing is only suspended in both locations – Dave is adamant that he can rise again and resurrect the DemonBrew name. Conversations have already happened with this in mind, in fact – so fans of his most recent beers such as Pacific Kick should be able to get hold of some in the future. Also, once the Goth have sorted themselves out, hopefully the famed Porter can appear once again, brewed on location behind the bar, and transported that short distance to the counter. As a hundred-year old institution, and a centre of the Prestonpans community, everyone in the area should hope that this comes to pass.

Making beer is a business, after all, and it seems as if the conditions and equipment at the Goth – whilst fascinating to see – don’t make it easy. Speaking to Dave (and going out there to witness it first hand), he was always frustrated by the scale of the kit, and the piecemeal supply arrangement with the pub. Making the best of that situation clearly hasn’t worked out – let’s hope that the DemonBrew name will be seen on Scottish bars again very soon, once the final casks of this run have been polished off…
In writing this article, I contacted the Goth for comment. BLT supplied me with the following statement:-

Indeed, David Whyte is ceasing to brew at the Fowler’s Ales microbrewery, but rest assured there is every intention to continue with brewing at The Prestoungrange Gothenburg. Whilst maintenance and new pipes that don’t chill the ales are being installed, invitation real ales will be served. We’ll make an official announcement of the next stages in the coming weeks. David Whyte made great beers as guest brewer at The Prestoungrange Gothenburg and we wish him all the very best in the years ahead.