Scottish Real Ale Festival 2010 lineup
We’re now less than two weeks away from the 2010 Scottish Real Ale Festival at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. As ever, it’s time for a sneak peak at the entry list to get the tastebuds going. Being our hometown festival we feel a responsibility to turn up and report on what’s available – our reviews of the 2009 festival (here and here), 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. As ever, plenty of Scottish classics will be in abundance, with the likes of Cairngorm’s Trade Winds (4.3%), Harviestoun’s Bitter & Twisted (3.8%), and Sinclair Orkney’s Dark Island (4.8%) on show. They will be competing with the “new classics” – more recently established beers that are just as outstanding – Williams Brothers Joker IPA (5.0%), Fyne Ales Avalanche (4.5%), and Stewart’s Edinburgh Gold (4.8).
This year, breweries from the islands are strongly in evidence – which we’re all in favour of here at the BeerCast. The festival judges seem to agree with us, as the last three Champion beers of Scotland have all hailed from Orkney – 2007’s Dark Munro (4.0%), 2008’s Scapa Special (4.2%) – both from the Highland Brewery – and last year’s winner, Sinclair Orkney Raven Ale (3.8%). They all return, and are joined by breweries making the long trips from the islands of Arran, Lewis (the Hebridean Brewery), Islay, Skye, and Shetland (Valhalla), together with Munlochy’s Black Isle Brewery (not technically an island, but close enough). There are some great beers coming with them – such as Arran’s 4.5% porter Clyde Puffer, Skye’s Skyelight (3.8%), and Hebridean’s Berserker barleywine (7.5%). The newcomers for me are the Islay brewery – even though they were established in 2003, I’ve yet to try any of their beers.
This is what beer festivals are all about – trying new things – and there are individual ales and entire producers that have yet to appear on our collective radar. For example, Glasgow’s newest brewpub WEST are bringing two of their German-themed specials, WEST Dunkel and Munich Red, both 4.9%. Thirty miles down the M77 – and still in their first year of production – the Ayr Brewing Company put out some imaginatively-named beers such as Towzie Tyke (4.6%) and Leezie Lundie (3.8%). Scotland’s small micros are clearly well represented, as also at the festival will be Plockton, providing one of their three beers, the 4.3% Crags Ale, and the fledgling Angus Ales who were only established in October. Based in Carnoustie, as one would expect their offerings have a golf theme – Gowfer’s Gold (3.8%), Mashie Niblick (4.2%) and Driver Dark (4.4%) will all be there.
Some other new (or rare) beers on offer this year include Williams Brothers recently launched Ginger (3.6%), Caledonian’s summer seasonal Surf Sup (4.0%), and three beers from the newly re-opened Prestoungrange Gothenburg. Their resident microbrewery Fowler’s are bringing Prestonpans 80/- (4.2%), Linger (5.0%), and Gothenburg Porter (4.4%) – which last time I tried it at ‘the Goth’ was outstanding – hopefully the MarkII version is just as good. Speaking of darker things, also new is Tryst Brewery’s Sherpa Porter (4.1%) – we recently sampled their excellent Raj IPA (5.5%) on BeerCast #49. Steve and Jo Stewart are also bringing one of their latest beers Light Edinburgh Draught (3.5%), released in May for CAMRA’s Mild in May campaign. Unusually for the style, it’s a light-coloured mild rather than a dark one, and is highly drinkable. In all, there are 32 Scottish breweries attending the 2010 SRAF – proof that the scene here is flourishing.
The festival is at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on George Street, and opens Thursday 24th June (12pm-11pm), Friday 25th (12pm-11pm), and Saturday 26th (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. Follow us @thebeercast.
