The 71 Brewing team
V&A Dundee, which opens this week, has confirmed that Dundee brewed craft beer 71 Lager will feature exclusively on tap in its new riverside restaurant.
Tatha Bar and Kitchen has been taking bookings since mid-September and is one of Scotland’s most anticipated restaurants, offering views across the museum galleries and the River Tay (Tatha meaning Tay in gaelic).
71 Brewing has fast become one of the city’s food and drink success stories since moving in to the old ironworks in 2017, part of the iconic Blackness Foundry situated close to the University of Dundee campus.
The independent brewery — the first in Dundee for more than 50 years — opened early last year after managing director Duncan Alexander selected the site and city as an ideal location to start his new business.
The historical buildings once renowned for producing metalworks of the highest quality are now filled with gleaming steel tanks, steam boilers and brewing vessels. Seven beers are continuously brewed on site weekly, which vary from the signature 71 Lager to the popular Mandarina Sky.
71 Lager is tagged as ‘Dundonian Pilsner’ on the bottle because it’s brewed using the local soft water that comes from nearby Glen Isla.
Duncan said: “Working with V&A Dundee is a big moment for us. It was one of the reasons we wanted to set up in Dundee initially, and now we’ve come full circle by being selected as one of their suppliers. It’s really great news for everyone who has worked so hard on building the 71 Brewing brand.”
‘Infused into sourdough’
Brian Canale, executive development chef for Heritage Portfolio, the catering company behind Tatha and the Living Room café within the museum, added: “We are also delighted to be working with 71 Brewing and are focusing on using local suppliers in all of our dishes.
“71 Brewing IPA will even be infused into the sourdough used in our 71 cheesy toast! Our exciting new menus will offer locals and visitors a fantastic place to enjoy everything from a morning scone to a full sharing plate
dinner.”
Shortly after moving into the foundry on Bellfield Street in Dundee, the 71 Brewing team began to run tours to educate visitors in how the craft lagers are made.
The tours include discussions about the process of brewing from raw ingredients to packaging the final product, alongside information about the history of the building so synonymous with Dundee’s industrial past, before winding up with a welcome drink in the brewery’s Taproom.
The Taproom bar and bottleshop, open seven days a week and until 10pm Thursday to Saturday, has quickly become a locals’ favourite because its proximity to the city centre, but slightly off the beaten track location.
“However, having just commissioned an artist to cover one of our 14ft walls outside the brewery as part of the city’s OpenClose Dundee design project, I’m not sure our location will stay much of a secret for too much longer,” said Duncan.
