[Closed] Scottish beer

Black Isle brewery Red Kite Ale and Yellowhammer are v well constructed beers

I recall Diggers when it was as chicken man - and scotroutes - describes. Happy days.
Deuchars IPA was very very good - though I think production has shifted and general quality is a bit less.

[ @NZCol - see I have had a couple of Black Isle beers - some way back - and don't hold to them very much, just an off taste to me. Was in bottles, and a while ago, so maybe just a duff batch ]

Must dig out the labels for David's Not so Bitter / Sunshine on Keith, too.

...
Todd's Tap. Now *that* was a pub 🙂

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One of my local beers.

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You lot would hate this

^^^ That Spey Valley glass is very nice. Will have to add one to my collection at some point!

Squirrelking - get yourself along to the village inn, they've got schiehallion and pivo estivo on draft, mucho brawness.

Can't remember the last time I had a chance! Summer now though so hopefully get a few cheeky pints in on the ride home.

From the north......

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Heavy has changed completely in the last few years My default used to be McEwan's heavy,or if they had it,a pint of number 3.Now you can't tell the difference between the McEwan's and the generic John smiths pish.

Ahh...Youngers Number 3...takes me back. Haven't had it for years.

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Now you can't tell the difference between the McEwan's and the generic John smiths pish.

Bleh, Caledonian Best comes to mind.

For proper old man drink though:

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I find Innis and Gunn original isn't what it used to be. Doesn't taste as fresh or as bitey somehow. Granted the quality is more consistent (every bottle tasted different) but it has lost something. Used to be 7.2 as well if I remember correctly.

Their Scotch Whisky Porter is absolutely lovely, as is the Irish Whiskey Finish. Oh and the Blonde too. Not a fan of the Rum though.

If I could only drink one kind of beer for the rest of my life, from anywhere in the world, it wouldbe Deuchars IPA.

Everyone raves about it in every pub you go into in Edinburgh, I found it bland at best.

Im a big fan of Orkney Beers, although Skull Splitter made me rather poorly once.
This look interesting....
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After a decent length ride on my local trails, I quite like something a bit more refreshing than a real ale. As much as I didn't like the idea of a JDW opening in town, they offer the following on draft that all do the trick, hard bit is not having one of each!.

Innis and Gunn IPA
Innis and Gunn Lagery stuff
Brewdog this is lager
West St Mungo
Devils backbone IPA

All cold and good. Flame me for the lager, care I do not!.

Loch Fyne ales are probably my favourite - they've a few lovely beers. Surprised they've not had more of a mention.

Loch Fyne Jarl..nomnomnom

I remember trying some Innis and Gunn, I think after seeing a recommendation on here. Thought I'd picked up an alcopop by mistake, it was so sickly sweet - disgusting stuff. And that's the way most Scottish beer used to be. Thankfully, improvements in transport have introduced the hop to Scotland and things are improving.

Anything from Williams Bros. and Loch Fyne breweries.

Also the Lade Inn is a great place to stock up!

[url= http://www.scottishrealales.com/ ]They do online orders!![/url]

without joining in the 'mine's more obscure than yours' malarkey up there...

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is fantastic and you can drop in and get your Growler filled from the taps in the shop. Thoroughly recommend it if you are passing by Bilston on the A701.

😉

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In all seriousness, I'm thinking of getting a brewery set up in Dumfriesshire. Watch this space (for 5 years or so...)

Edit: wondered when Stewart's would get a mention!

I remember trying some Innis and Gunn, I think after seeing a recommendation on here. Thought I'd picked up an alcopop by mistake, it was so sickly sweet - disgusting stuff.

Local offi sells the Wlliams Bros stuff. Really nice range. Especially like 'Birds and Bees' and joker IPA. The did a collaboration with Brooklyn Lager. That was interesting!

Ah yeah had that Joker IPA too and liked it - forgot about that.

Unfortunately most Scottish beer is like it's food i.e. poor compared to what you'd get south of the border. Cairngorm, Bitter & Twisted and Deuchers are decent, but most of the rest is just meh or worse. Inns & Gunn is horrific stuff, stay well away.

Ceasar Augustus is probably my favorite of the Williams Bros ones (7 giraffes also very good)
Sheihalllion always hits the spot
Loch Fyne Jarl and Hurricane Jack also excellent
But Black Isle Yellow Hammer is probably my favorite of them all

Atlas Brewery (of Kinlochleven) used to be widely available and did a brilliant beer called Nimbus Blonde but I've not seen it recently

Williams Bros stuff is all good I like their Midnight Sun and Birds n Bees

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@dragon - pathetic attempt 3/10 you will have to troll harder than that.

@dragon - pathetic attempt 3/10 you will have to troll harder than that.

Did used to be true in a lot of cases IME, and I've travelled around Scotland pretty extensively over the years. Not really the case any more though.

Scottish beer is fantastic these days, some really adventurous brewing going on. Forget brew dog etc

Easily found from the supermarket - Black Isle Brewery Red Kite, their other beers are great too though I'm biased as it is just down the road from where I grew up.

Loch Fyne Jarl is ace and in the supermarket too

Lots of small breweries that you'll probably only easily get up here, my memory fails me but:

http://www.cromartybrewing.co.uk/beer - Red Rocker is a fantastic Rye beer but their others are absolutely superb.

Top Out The Cone IPA - http://www.topoutbrewery.com/

Pilot Brewery - Blond is great but some of their others are really unusual http://pilotbeer.co.uk/?page_id=244

Fallen Dragonfly and Grapevine are fantastic, not tried the others yet http://www.fallenbrewing.co.uk/our-beers/

Also some good ones from http://www.lochnessbrewery.com/#!regularbeers/cwvn

I'm sure there are more I've had but I forget

And if you live in Edinburgh you absolutely need to go here http://www.growlerbeersuk.com/ to take home great beers straight from the keg/cask

Top Out (Brewery) Schmankerl.

Do it

Tempest Brewery in Kelso

Unbelievably good

^^^^ +1 ^^^^

I was just going to say 3 pages and no one has mentioned Tempest Brewery. Disgraceful.

Their Brave New World IPA is seriously good. On par with the likes of Buxtons Axe Edge, Magic Rocks Cannonball, etc, etc.

Interesting, I'm a big fan of Magic Rock Canonball - will have to check out Tempest's beers. Thanks!

+1 for Fallen - probably the best small brewery in Scotland at the moment. Pilot and Cromarty also do great stuff.

Of the slightly bigger players, Tempest and Fyne ales are generally great and don't forget Brewdog.

RichMTB - Atlas went under (or almost) and was bought by the Orkney guys. The brewery in KLL is closed but at least some of their beers appear as "Atlas range" or something like that.

This thread is the like the lidl beer isle! 😆

There's a beer isle? where does the ferry leave from?!!

Nigg

Just ask the locals 😆

I was going to suggest some of the ones bigjim suggested (Cromarty, Loch Ness, Black Isle) mostly as they are all local to me too. Note the Cromarty Red Rocker is so named as they are situated just a few miles from Learnie Red Rock trails. I'd say Black Isle Brewery are trend setters to some extent, at least locally, as they started out very small scale probably around 20 years ago and branched out to the big time when they first stocked in Sainsburys I think. Seem to be a lot of little breweries pop up since then and all power to them.

I would add Orkney Dark Island. One of my favorites.

I am also a fan of plain old 80/- (McEwens) and the extremely hard to find Tennants Ember equivalent is also very good I think.

Had some Moray IPA from previously unknown to me Speyside Brewery last week and was also very good.

Top thread.

I'm very lucky to have a fantastic offy - 'Cornelius' just around the corner. They claim to have 200 Scottish beers, which is pretty amazing. Me and the lad have random mini 'beer festivals' where we buy several bottles of something we've never had and taste score them. Can't remember much of the results. I do remember not buy 'Man Overboard' double IPA again though.

Also lucky to have the Hanging Bat here in Edinburgh. Their Alpha Project IPA is wonderful and I'd very much recommend it but I think a few folk on this thread might self combust at the thought of entering a pace that refers to itself as a beer cafe.

There seems to be a lot of good beer, a bit of a trendy boom - small breweries everywhere. I wonder how well it will last.

Last week I was in Aldi and picked up a River Leven Blonde (In other contexts a statement often followed with 'and then got in a fight with a local'). Beer good.

I tried a couple of Black Isle beers the other week, Sainsbury's in Peebles were selling them.
They did a nice Blonde and the Red Kite was good. http://www.blackislebrewery.com/beer/Black-Isle-Blonde-Beer.html#.VXBTapXbLIU

There seems to be a lot of good beer, a bit of a trendy boom - small breweries everywhere. I wonder how well it will last.

Me and the lad have random mini 'beer festivals' where we buy several bottles of something we've never had and taste score them. Can't remember much of the results.

Since I've been majorly procrastinating instead of thesis writing, I put this together.

Map of Scottish breweries
https://kitcarruthers.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/scottish-brewery-locations/

Well worth visiting if you're in the area

http://www.scottishrealales.com

[quote=Kit ]Since I've been majorly procrastinating instead of thesis writing, I put this together.
Map of Scottish breweries
https://kitcarruthers.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/scottish-brewery-locations/
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Spey Valley Brewery, Mulben, AB55 6YH

I was just going to say 3 pages and no one has mentioned Tempest Brewery. Disgraceful.

The were mentioned on page 1, no? But yes, awesome brewery.

Forget brew dog etc

While not every beer is a hit with them, they do do some really good beers, no point in writing them off just because they're popular.

While not every beer is a hit with them, they do do some really good beers, no point in writing them off just because they're popular.

Yeah I quite enjoy some of Brewdog's beers and they've certainly helped kick off the craft brewery movement in Scotland. They're not niche enough for STW now I guess.