For its first couple of years, St Andrews Brewing Company operated out of Glenrothes, though its founder Bob Phaff always had a view to finding a site in the so-called home of golf.

Fast forward a few years and it now has two premises in St Andrews - the brewery and thriving brewpub. Thanks to the backing of local businessmen Tim Butler and Phil Mackie, the brewery has ballooned into a sizeable business with almost two dozen staff, a glutch of awards, growing exports and a big, bold expansion. But it’s also seen the departure of founder Bob, who sold his stake and moved to Sheffield to work with the True North Brew Co.

Popular with students, the brewpub on South Street is making a name for itself as something of a local hotspot for good craft beer, with the taps giving the St Andrews brewing team a brilliant opportunity to hone recipes and trial new beers.

The focus for St Andrews is consolidating the gains they’ve made in the past few years, and cementing their identity. Fans will notice a shift towards more European styles and flavours, with the saisons, reveals brand manager Andrew Reade, proving increasingly attractive to female drinkers as well as wine fans. But they’ve an idea on wider trends too, and a barrel-aged release may be on the cards for the brewery’s 500th brew.

St Andrews beers tend to only do small runs of their beers - usually about 750 bottles per brew - so their stuff runs out pretty fast. This small-batch approach, coupled with their new lo-fi look sums up what many people expect from a craft brewery.

SIX GREAT ST ANDREWS BEERS TO ENJOY

Blackberry Stout (5%)

With an aroma of sour fruit and a nod to Belgian flavours, you’d be forgiven for questioning this beer’s stout credentials. But carry on and this tangy stout is a smooth velvety traipse through the forest of a Timotei advert, with polished wood and waxy leaves leaving an impression among roasted coffee flavours and fragrant berries.

Mocha Porter (6.0%)

A well balanced yet big hitting porter with heaps of coffee and chocolate. Pours the colour of liquorice and tastes it too, with a mouthful of toffee malt bringing the sweetness. Big in body, it finishes dry and bitter.

Bramble Saison (6.9%)

Part of an ongoing trend towards Belgian, there’s heaps of life in the bottle,

Pours colour of burnished gold - alovely saison, bramble giving a founded delicate sweetness,

Peppery on lips from its liveliness - almost aggresive in its carbonation - then a sweet smooth finish. Gorgous. Some cloves and warming spices. a soft leather smell. Pungent summer by the river.

Rhubarb saison (5%)

Kicks off with a wheaty tang and an aroma of wet stone, this saison may be super lively but it’s also super-dry. Touch of calming sweetness on the aftertaste that follows a sea storm of rhubarb sourness and tangerine-flavoured jelly.

Girls Just Want to Have Plum (5.6%)

With a aroma of fruits and pure ozone, this porter starts with a sudden, though gentle, sourness but is backed up considerably by a bog dollop of sweet malts. It’s thick on the mouth, big and balanced with a few squares of dark chocolate and cinnamon amid the fresh plums.

Wee blonde (3.7%)

Made with 50% wheat, this beer demonstrates the tinkering and evolution of St Andrews. What was an easy-drinking session ale is, like other St Andrews beers, starting to flex its continental muscle, though its US influence is all to clear with the bitter and fruit flavours from the Citra, Simcoe, Summit and Admiral hops shining through.