Sonja Mitchell founded Jump Ship Brewing after arriving in Scotland in 2009 and falling for the country’s food and craft beer culture. What she could not find, she decided to make for herself: an alcohol-free beer that still felt properly brewed, rather than a compromise. After leaving her marketing role in 2019, she began in her garage and worked with a local brewery to contract-brew her early recipes.

Jump Ship has since grown into Scotland’s first dedicated alcohol-free brewery, with a range that includes Yardarm Lager, Jackstaff IPA, Steamboat Hazy Pale Ale and Stoker’s Stout. The beers are vegan, gluten-free and naturally brewed to stay below 0.5% alcohol. The company also says it runs on 100% renewable energy and gives at least 10% of profits to charities chosen by customers.

Demand eventually justified bigger ambitions. In early 2024, Jump Ship opened a purpose-built brewery in Midlothian, just outside Edinburgh, giving it the capacity to increase production and broaden its range. According to trade reports, the move allowed the business to quadruple output, while also creating space for tours and public engagement around alcohol-free brewing.

The brewery’s growth has been matched by recognition. Yardarm Lager has won awards in major beer competitions, while Stoker’s Stout was also honoured more recently. In 2025, Jump Ship raised more than £300,000 through crowdfunding from 89 investors to support wider UK expansion, expand its team and release new beers, underscoring how far the business has come from those early garage-brewing days.

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