AN independent Scottish brewery has reported a near 50% increase in sales and sealed its first export deal.

Noah Beers, which also runs the WEST bar and restaurant in Glasgow, saw revenue jump from £1.1 million to £1.65m in 2011 as on-trade sales began to accelerate.

The company has also started exporting, with a first container of its lagers, all brewed in accordance with 16th-century German purity laws, shipped to Italy.

Genoa-based importer Biscaldi already looks after Glengoyne whisky and was responsible for taking Corona lager to 20 million cases a year in Italy.

Noah Beers owner Petra Wetzel said: "I met Biscaldi at a supplier conference at the Glengoyne distillery a few years ago when we had St Mungo lager on draft.

"They loved the beer and the story of the German woman brewing in Glasgow and we have kept in touch.

"A few weeks ago, I got an email from them saying they thought it was time to take WEST to Italy.

"They have a fantastic set-up in Genoa and great working relationships with restaurants, hotels and bars.

"The first container has just been shipped, so we will see what the demand is like."

Around half of income at the business comes from a Munich-style beer hall in the former Templeton carpet factory building on Glasgow Green, with the rest being made through on and off-trade sales. While beer sales have been accelerating, the company said that its brewing facilities are now running at full capacity.

Negotiations on a long-planned-for £6.6m new brewery in Glasgow are understood to be progressing, and a more detailed announcement is expected later this year.

Ms Wetzel declined to give a pre-tax profit figure but said operating profit grew from £750,000 to £1.2 million.

She said: "I'm delighted with our results as you have to be a good operator to make money in difficult times.

"However, I don't think we could cope with more growth than what we have experienced so far.

"Even though beer sales are growing faster than the restaurant, we actually have tried to slow things down as our new brewery is not up and running.

"We are trying to tweak efficiencies and are looking at how much yield we are getting from each of our existing tanks.

"But a new brewery is crucial for the long-term strategy of the business and we hope to have some exciting news soon.

"We have a philosophy which is about getting better before getting bigger as we don't like letting people down."

A new 4% lager has been launched into the on-trade and may become the first product to go into cans rather than bottles.

Ms Wetzel added: "We are thinking of targeting large outdoor events.

"Many of these festivals you cannot take glass bottles into and we are working with a canning facility in England looking at the options."

The company uses the Reinheitsgebot standards, which were set down in 1516.

Only four core ingredients – water, malt, hops and yeast – are used to brew the beers, with no artificial additives or colouring.