At the bottom of Glen Fyne, a couple of hundred metres from the shores of Loch Fyne and the famous oyster bar and deli, nestled among mature trees and a pretty Highland river, you'll find the old farm estate that is now Fyne Ales, one of Scotland’s most picturesque breweries.
Fyne Ales have been around for a decade and a half, and in that time they’ve produced a steady stream of award-winning beers, from their Superior IPA - Camra's silver champion bottled beer of Britain - to the best-selling Jarl. Their peat-smoked FyneBank has proven a hit in countries such as China where there’s already a strong taste for whisky and other Scottish produce.
Their hugely successful FyneFest is one of the country's best beer festivals (this weekend's Craft Beer Rising at Glasgow's Drygate is another) and the 2200 people who went this year will surely agree. As well as fine food and excellent music, some 170 different beers were on offer at the three-day bash. Not bad for a festival that kicked off in the brewery's courtyard five years ago with a mere 150 people.
Fyne Ales like to try new things, and a recent upgrade to their brewkit has seen a welcome gear change in the scope of beers Fyne Ales produce, cementing their position as one of Scotland's leading breweries.
Beer festivals, collaborations, brewery tours, beer taps, Fyne Ales now also offer forest foraging excursions, of which their latest beer is the fruit.
Farmer, a limited edition 7.4% saison that comes in mighty 750 bottles, is golden coloured with a head of snowy froth. It's a tart beer at first, with a winey flavour containing Granny smiths and some apricot. First impressions are of a sweet start, airy body and a dry, salty and smokey finish. But give it time and this beer really opens up. Caraway and tangerine among the bowl-full of fruit and and herbs. Enjoy with grilled fish.
Five other great Fyne Ales Beers
Jarl blonde ale (3.8%)
Fyne’s most popular beer, Jarl has been heaped with plaudits and is easily one of Scotland’s best session beers. It’s a golden ale with a firm citrus hop aroma and flavour, and the easy-going finish will have you reaching for more. Keep an eye out for Jarl’s imperial brother, Ragnarok, a 7.4% turbo-charged variation of their classic.
Sanda Black IPA (5.5%)
A deliciously dark yet fruity beer with roasted malt flavours and a deep coffee bitterness. Heavily hopped with Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand, this Black IPA blasts out juicy-fruit flavours of gooseberry and passion fruit. A classic.
Sanda Blonde IPA (5.5%)
The black IPA’s fairer relation, it’s a golden coloured IPA with those same citrus and tropical flavours. Crisp and clean, this has a lovely rounded bitterness that makes for some easy-drinking. The pair takes their name from the Sanda lighthouse on the Mull of Kintyre.
Highlander (4.8%)
Fyne’s first beer is an amber ale, with a sweet caramel aroma and a hint of lemon and grapefruit citrus. Caramel malt and citrus flavours continue, with some toffee and floral notes coming through too. Closes with an enjoyably hoppy, medium bitter finish.
Mills and Hills imperial stout (9.5%)
Brewed in collaboration with Holland’s Brouwerij de Molen, Mills and Hills is a black beast of a beer with flavours of prunes, chocolate and bourbon-soaked Christmas cake. Potent yet smooth with a beautifully balanced finish, Mills and Hills has a rich sweetness and a bitter bite. Fyne also do another stout – the aptly named 6.8% Sublime Stout, a personal favourite.
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