Tesco carries Deuchers IPA down here in Sussex.
Innis and Gunn was set up by the people that set up the Caledonian brewery before the sold it to one of the bigger ones.

Quite like St Andrews Brewing Company selection these days.

IIRC, they use beer to season whisky barrels before using them for cask-conditioning stuff like 80/- but they used to pour the “seasoning” brew away. Then someone had the idea of selling it…..

An teallach ale or beinn dearg from the An Teallach brewery at Dundonnell is well worth trying if you are ever in Wester Ross.
If you like Caledonian 80/- you’ll like the An Teallach ale in particular
The best kept pint of the above was from the Melvaig Inn, well worth a visit (and the food is good too)

gordimhor 🙂 True picture, but I was thinking more of a couple of blocks of dry peat on the wood burner.
Give it a go, it is nice believe me. I prefer bog standard I&G to the whisky or rum one. Another small brewery with quality output is Traquair. Also for a summer drink Atlas Latitude is good.

Has to be Red Kite Ale from Black Isle Brewery. Or one of the specials they do at Christmas in smaller bottle.

I’m partial to a little Fraoch if you want a Scots brew.

Nothing like 80/- though.

Red Cuillans from isle of Skye brewery. Williams bros of alloa pretty much all of their output is good.
Deuchars is my go to beer.

Harviestoun Schiehallion is yummy. And their other stuff as well.

Home

Deuchars is quite good, on hand pull poured with no sparkler.
Red Kite Ale my fave, good malty body on it.

I love Deuchars.

Tescos Manchester has Deuchars too

Williams brothers stuff is good. Loads in Aldi usually.

Windswept’s APA and Tornado ales are loverly and along with Spey Valley Brewery’s David’s Not So Bitter are probably my three favorite ales atm. Yum yum

If you can get any Arran Brewery stuff I recommend Red Squirrel. Apparently they make the apprentices brew their own beer before they can be considered trained, that’s one result, very nice (even nicer if you can get it on tap).

southern bay hop bazooka.

Any body tried the Torrid-one from An Teallach brewery only ever seen it in the hotel in Torridon.
Also liking the Williams brothers beers

Well you can never account for other people’s palates but Calledonian 80/ is far from the best beer and shameful to say it’s better than Brewdog beers.

I agree with Cairngorn Brewery beers too they always seem promising but come across very average, yup Spey is much better.

I don’t think I’ve had a duff Williams bros. Massive range and all good.

Like: Cairngorm stuff (esp. Trade Winds); Spey Valley Brewery: did use to like a Deuchars but haven’t tried it in a while; surprised no-one’s mentioned the need to get 80/- from the diggers arms in Gorgie.; Orkney Brewery (Northern Lights); Innis & Gunn (the stock stuff)..

dislike – Black Isle Brewery for some reason, stuff I’ve tried always seemed to have over metallic taste.

Discovered last weekend at Glencoe Mountain en-route to Ft William.

Never come across Oban Brewery before yet I live in Argyll.
Also try something from the guys at Fyne Ales, especially this…

Just up the road from us and going from strength to strength.

Rob

I’m partial to a little Fraoch if you want a Scots brew.

Aye tae that. And aye tae that anaw.

Harviestoun Schiehallion is yummy. And their other stuff as well.

http://harviestoun.com/

For a reasonable sum you can pick up Hobgoblin from Lidl which is nice for the price.

tandemwarriors – Member

Just up the road from us and going from strength to strength.

Is it not Fynefest this weekend? My brother’ll probably be passed out in a ditch as we speak

A bit OT, but is still beer related, has anyone had the sixpoint brewery ‘mini kegs’ ( although they are just cans) that wetherspoons sell. I though i’d never fall for a beer in a can but i have to say they are very nice, especially the sweet action. Well worth a try IMHO.

Caledonian 80/ is a classic style of Scottish ale that’s becoming ever rarer. It’s a wonderful pint of beer on draught.

Deuchars is a modern classic that if anything paved the way for breweries like Brew Dog, making more hoppy light ales, for the kids. It used to be everywhere in the early 2000’s but I never seem to see it very often these days.

I’d still take a pint of Calleys over anything Brew Dog have ever made though.

Whenever I’ve had Brew Dog beer, it tasted like Bud light with a handful of hops thrown in. Hoppy, yes, but watery, without any true taste or body, bar the hops.

On the harviestoun front I don’t know if it’s available down south but they brew a craft lager for Sainsbury’s that is rather pleasant.

As for Brewdog, well some of their beers are pretty good, 5am saint is one that I like, but I agree that the marketing is a bit of a turn off.

Williams brothers beers are generally better and with far less marketing to go with it.

Is it not Fynefest this weekend? My brother’ll probably be passed out in a ditch as we speak

Yep sure is. We had planned to spend the weekend there but mrs tandemwarriors had to do family duties so I’m at home fettling the VW instead.
Been a beautiful day here by the Holy Loch until the rain arrived about an hour ago. Cairndow is 30 mins up the road so probably a midge-fest now unfortunately. Still, after a few Vital Sparks & a few Highlanders you’ll never notice the little blighters 🙂
Rob

Pint of Deuchers in The Goblet if you’re ever around Kelvinbridge. Only bar I’ve ever been refused service in with a compromise of a half pint (that I never even asked for).

Feeling the notion of being underwhelmed by Cairngorm, never something that leaves me feeling satisfied. Inveralmond can be a bit hit and miss as well tbh.

If you like Fraoch you’ll probably like it’s seaweed based cousin Kelpie as well.

If you like the Whisky beers, try Tullibardine 1488. It’s not easy to come by but is very definitely the finest beer I have ever tasted.

In a pub tonight with a water Whisky tap on the bar top 🙂

Fyne ales do make some rather fine beers.

http://www.purplemoose.co.uk/

Next time you guys are in Coed y Brenin head to Porthamdog to the purple moose brewery.
They make some fantastic ales.

I am a relatively new convert to real ale but love a pint of Butty Bach.

Butty Bach.

😆

bigG – Member
I have a similar geographically challenged desire for Wadworth 6X that I’ve never managed to buy anywhere other than the South West of England. Which is about 450 miles from where I live.

I’ve seen it in That London, but it generally doesn’t travel too far from Devizes.

CaptainFlashheart – Member
Chubby, please see my gif posted above.

Oh, and enough with the boring Scotchish beers, people!

Mikkeler Monk’s Elixir, oak barrel cranberry version
Oakham Green Devil
Hop Back Summer Lightning
Agatop Farm Beer*

*My home brew.
Funny you should mention Hop Back, my local has HB’s Bob on at the moment, along with Doom Bar and Courage Best*, and next week, once the Bob has gone they’ll have Summer Lightning on.
New people running the pub, they’ve just been recognised by CAMRA, and the Bob seems to be weaning the regulars who will only drink Courage off of it.
If they can sell another 100 pints a week, they can get a fourth pump going.
*Its ok, but I wouldn’t make a habit of drinking it.
😀

iolo – Member
http://www.purplemoose.co.uk/

Next time you guys are in Coed y Brenin head to Porthamdog to the purple moose brewery.
They make some fantastic ales.
Damn right they do!
I tried some at the Chippenham Beer Festival last year, and kept going back for more!
Lovely brew, that.

Enville Ale
Salopian Oracle

After 30 years of sampling hundreds of real ales these are the as yet undefeated winners of my taste buds, and some 🙂

(re Fyne Ales – a good friend who I used to work/brew with works there – he’s an awesome brewer it has to be said – but not been up there yet so look fwd to sampling some in the summer!)

Deuchars IPA does it for me. Great session beer.

IIRC, they use beer to season whisky barrels before using them for cask-conditioning stuff like 80/- but they used to pour the “seasoning” brew away. Then someone had the idea of selling it….

They should have stuck to Plan A. Vile stuff 🙁

Scapa Special, Dark Munro, Dark Island, Orkney Mist, White Wife… damn I miss the northern brews.