After joining forces with the world's largest brewer, Budweiser, UK-based craft beer producer Brewdog is growing in China.
The Scottish company's Punk IPA and other beers will be brewed in China thanks to the joint venture with Budweiser China.
The second-largest economy in the world, according to Brewdog, will see the opening of more bars.
It happens after the business has encountered controversies recently and signaled that it might pursue a stock market listing.
Brewdog founder James Watt called the partnership with Budweiser "transformational" and said it would expand the craft brewery to "every corner of the world's largest beer market.".
Brewdog stated that under the terms of the agreement, it anticipates that production of its beers will start at Budweiser China's Putian craft brewery, in the southeast province of Fujian, by the end of next month.
A number of bars will be opened in the nation over the next three years, according to the company.
Less than 1% of Brewdog's overall sales currently come from China, the world's largest beer market.
Following a partnership with Asahi in Japan in 2021, which according to Brewdog helped it double its sales there, this is the company's second alliance in Asia.
According to the company, it currently operates more than 110 bars across the globe, but only one of them is in China. Brewdog Shanghai, which opened in 2020, is located in the city's Jing'An neighborhood.
The company, which has its headquarters in Scotland, employs over 2,300 people and also operates breweries in the Australian city of Brisbane and the US states of Ohio, Berlin, and Scotland.
As a result of the pandemic, pubs and bars were forced to close during lockdowns, delaying the company's plan to begin selling shares on the London stock market in 2020.
Brewdog does not currently have any plans to resume a share sale, but Mr. Watt has hinted that it might happen by the end of this year.
Brewdog reported an annual operating loss of £5.5m ($6.6m) in its 2021 financial results.
The business has received criticism for both its corporate culture and its marketing initiatives.
Mr. Watt claimed to have distributed nearly £500,000 to winners of the business' deceptive "solid gold" beer can promotion in January of this year.
After learning the cans were gold-plated, some winners expressed dissatisfaction and questioned the cans' value.
Separately, an ex-employee letter from June 2021 claimed that former employees "suffered mental illness" as a result of working for the brewer.
It made several claims, one of which was that Brewdog encouraged a work environment in which employees were reluctant to voice their concerns.
Former employees were offered Mr. Watt's apology, and he promised to improve as CEO as a result of their complaints.
