Scottish Beer Festival 2009 Lineup
We’re two weeks away from the 2009 Scottish Real Ale Festival at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, and as ever the entry list of beers has been released early to get the tastebuds going. Being our hometown festival we always like to turn up to see what’s on offer – our reviews of the 2008 festival and the 2007 festival show what kind of treats can be found if you search hard enough. Or get there early enough, as inevitably the best ales make the most fleeting of visits. Speaking of which, Scottish classics will be in abundance, with the likes of Cairngorm’s Trade Winds (4.3%), Harviestoun’s Bitter & Twised (3.8%), and Sinclair Orkney’s Dark Island (4.8%) on show. Not forgetting the ex-Champion Beers of Scotland from the Highland Brewery – 2007’s Dark Munro (4.0%), and last year’s winner Scapa Special (4.2%).
Of course, beer festivals are all about trying new things – and as we’re in the depths of the balmy Scottish summer there are plenty of offerings for the season that we’ve yet to sample on the BeerCast. For example, Coulson’s EPA from the Broughton Brewery and Isle of Skye’s Skyelight are both 3.8% zesty numbers that sound enticing. As does Brude, a 3.5% oatmeal ale named after an ancient Pictish king, and brewed by the newly re-named Deeside Brewery from Aberdeenshire (previously Hillside). There seems to be a few milds on offer as well, which always pleases the purists – Cairngorm’s Mild May (3.7%), Tryst’s Brockville Dark (3.8%), and Traditional Scottish Ale’s Stirling Dark Mild (3.8%) will be on some visitor’s cards. As will the most diminutive beer on offer, Belhaven 60/- (2.9%).
As an IPA fan, personally I’ll be charging towards a few I’ve yet to experience – such as Strathaven’s Clydesdale IPA (3.8%) and Sinclair Atlas’s Wayfarer IPA (4.4%). There are a few treats that nose over the 5% barrier too, like Starboard IPA (5.1%) from Plockton, one of the smallest producers in Scotland. Raj IPA (5.6%) from the Tryst Brewery in Larbert is made with three hop varieties, and sounds like it could be a great drinker. As could TSA’s Ginger Explosion (5.0%), not to mention the walloping Highland Orkney Porter (9.0%). There’s just so much to choose from – even established BeerCast favourites have new ales on offer – Williams Bros Birds & Bees (4.3%) and Stewart’s Edinburgh Marathon Ale (4.2%). It could well become a long-distance event come the festival close.
The festival is at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on George Street, and opens Thursday 25th June (4pm-11pm), Friday 26th (12pm-11pm), and Saturday 27th (12pm-9pm). Entry is £5, or £3 for CAMRA members. If you see us there, come and say hello. If you can’t make it along, look for our review after the fact – along with live Twitter updates on the beers we’re sampling.
