Bosses at winemaker Chapel Down have set their beer goggles on a second crowdfunding campaign in a year, this time for their burgeoning brewery business.

The board hopes to raise £1 million by offering shares in its beer and cider company Curious Drinks as it tries to meet growing demand for niche ales in the UK and overseas.

High-end restaurants, bars and hotels are buying the tipple, with sales up 40% a year and Curious Brew lager now the best-selling craft beer in Majestic Wine.

Investors have until the end of February next year to put in as little as £100 to own part of the company via crowdfunding website Seedrs.

In return they will receive guided tours of where the beer is made, limited edition lagers and could qualify for 30% tax relief.

“Demand for our Curious beers and cider has increased significantly since we first started making them four years ago and in order to meet demand we need to invest in all areas of the business..." - Frazer Thompson, Chapel Down

Proceeds from the campaign will be used to construct a state-of-the-art new brewery and visitor attraction in the heart of Ashford, with its ideal transport links to London and the continent.

It is hoped the brewery – which bosses say will “transform the image and layout of Ashford” – will be open by the end of next year and will allow the company to brew and bottle its range on a single site.

Bosses said they are in final negotiations to acquire a 1.7 acre location next to the International Station.

The corner site is located between Victoria Way and the rail line.

Chapel Down, which has vineyards in Tenterden, Blue Bell Hill and in the Weald, raised £4 million in a successful crowdfunding campaign last year – the first ever by a listed company.

It used the cash to buy the lease on more land to plant vines.

Chief executive Frazer Thompson said: “Curious Drinks is a unique proposition – a range of beers and cider made by winemakers, benefiting from our passion for ingredients, our thirst for knowledge and our dedication to creating the best possible product.

“Demand for our Curious beers and cider has increased significantly since we first started making them four years ago and in order to meet demand we need to invest in all areas of the business.

“We want to bring our customers on the journey with us and are offering some fantastic benefits along the way.

“We were humbled by the overwhelming response to last year’s record-breaking Chapel Down crowdfund and hope to build an equally impassioned army of shareholders for Curious Drinks through this latest campaign.”

Ashford Borough Council leader Cllr Gerry Clarkson said: “We welcome the news of these truly exciting proposals.

"Obviously due planning processes must be adhered to but it is clear that Ashford continues to be a real draw for the very best commercial enterprises.

“To have such a respected local business as Chapel Down advocating Ashford as a ‘sensational’ location is a real incentive to us as an authority.

"We will continue the proactive work we are undertaking regionally, nationally and internationally, to convey our aspirations for the borough and work with businesses to achieve those goals for our residents and visitors, growing our tourism industry and night-time economy.”

Chapel Down also revealed it has made two new appointments to its board.

Stewart Gilliland, currently executive chairman of Booker plc, will join as non-executive chairman while Rachel Montague-Ebbs, supply chain director at CPM Retail, will join as non-executive director.