Beer has been brewed in Scotland for more than 5000 years and with more than 115 breweries, stretching from the Valhalla Brewery on Unst in Shetland to Portpatrick Brewery near Stranraer, we are in the midst of a craft beer revolution. Now VisitScotland has created a craft beer map to allow beer lovers to work their way around the country discovering some of the finest craft brews. Here's a few of our favourites
Born in the Borders
The only brewery in Scotland where you can go grass sledging and the only one to have created a giant crop circle pint out of a field of barley, Born in the Borders is a multi-award winning farm-based microbrewery located near Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. Established in 2011, the brewery creates real ale using barley grown in the fields around it. Visitors can take self-guided brewery tours, eat at the onsite restaurant and visit the farm shop. Guided tours are available by appointment.
Broughton Brewery
Located in the Scottish Borders just off the A701, this is Scotland’s original, independent brewery where they have been brewing delicious beers authentically since 1979. All of the beers are hand-crafted using traditional open fermentation, and a malt mill dating back to the 1960s. Their award-winning lagers, ales, stouts and speciality beers include Hopopotamus IPA, Old Jock Ale, Greenmantle and as the brewery is only two miles from his grave, Merlin’s Ale.
Cairngorm Brewery
Situated in the village of Aviemore within the Cairngorms National Park, Cairngorm Brewery was established in 2001. Keen to keep traditional recipes alive, as well as brewing new and interesting styles, the brewery has gained many awards and accolades for their beers. This 4 star visitor attraction is open all year round while the brewery shop offers tours and tastings.
Colonsay Brewery
For a small island, Colonsay is a big player in the craft alcohol market creating both beers and gin. The pace of life on Colonsay is slow, it’s like stepping back in time – nobody is in a hurry. And that goes for Colonsay Brewery’s beers which are slow-brewed to deliver maximum flavour and refreshment. They source the very best natural Scottish ingredients, including pure Hebridean water, to make three core beers – IPA, 80/- and Pig’s Paradise Blonde.
Cross Borders Brewing Company Ltd
Brewing ‘braw’ beer since 2016, Cross Borders produce a range of multi-award-winning craft beers in cask, keg and can. Widely distributed across Scotland and North East England, you’ll find their brews in many of the finest pubs, bars and independent retailers. They use only the best ingredients, experimenting with new styles and re-inventing traditional beers with a contemporary twist. And they do all of this with a sense of adventure and excitement, always seeking to cross new borders in beer. From early 2018, visitors will be able to experience a new range of tours and tastings sessions.
Drygate Brewery Co
Nestled in the historic heart of Glasgow, Drygate is the UK’s first experiential microbrewery, creating fresh and modern beer under the iconic Seven Peaks of 85 Drygate. It is the intention of this Brewer to collaborate and cultivate links with their community, inviting all those with open minds to embark on a journey of brewing and discovery.
Fyne Ales
Fyne Ales is an authentic Scottish farmhouse brewery that has been creating award-winning beers since 2001. Based in the stunning surroundings of Glen Fyne at the head of Scotland’s longest sea loch, Fyne Ales Brewery Tap & Shop was named ‘Beer Destination of the Year’ at the 2017 Scottish Beer Awards.
Laig Bay Brewing Company
The isle of Eigg, off the West Highland coast, is only 12 square miles in size and is arguably the smallest island in the world with a brewery. In 2017 the island community of Eigg celebrated two decades as a self-sustaining island. Laig Bay Brewing Company brews small-batch artisan beer steeped in its wild locale. Its remote location means visits must be arranged by appointment.
See www.visitscotland.com/see-do/food-drink/breweries-craft-beer/map/
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here