DONKEY rides have long been a staple of British seaside resorts.

But saddling up to get down the pub is surely a novel twist on the traditional pastime.

BrewDog, no stranger to wacky publicity stunts or indeed stuffed animals, is offering rides on a taxidermy donkey on England’s south coast today to mark the launch of its bar in Brighton.

Craft beer fans can flag down the wheeled beast by simply tweeting #TaxidermyTaxi @BrewDogBrighton, and it will trundle to the venue on Marlborough Place, just north of Brighton Pavillion.

Fans of the irreverent brewer will know it is not BrewDog’s first stuffed animal stunt. It recently launched its latest crowdfunding drive by parachuting “fat cats”, each carrying an investor prospectus, on to the City of London.

And once upon a time it packaged limited edition brew The End of History inside stuffed squirrels.

Co-founder James Watt said: “We’re delighted to be launching in Brighton, and what better way to get locals in the door than personally delivering them there with a donkey Taxidermy Taxi service.

“We always like to fit in with the culture of our latest venue’s city with suitable BrewDog irreverence. Tradition is great, but not as good as something with an extra kick of eccentricity, a rule we also apply to our beers. The Taxidermy Taxi rides are great for people looking to take in the Brighton scenery from an interesting vantage point, and we’re delighted to be able to open our unique cab rides for the bar’s opening weekend.”

The 120-capacity bar will offer 30 beers on tap and is the 31st to be opened by the Ellon-based company. Further openings are scheduled later this year in Glasgow and London’s Soho and Islington, with Rome, Berlin and Brussels also on the agenda. BrewDog’s second bar in Stockholm – and third in Sweden in total – opens later this month.

The company is aiming to raise £25 million to fund its expansion with its fourth crowdfunding campaign. It attracted £5m of investment within three weeks of its launch in April.

Mr Watt added: “We have long been looking to open a beer mecca in Brighton, it’s a city with a cool indepedent vibe and a growing craft beer scene.”