Bottled BeerCast Awards – up to 4.9%

One of our shortlistees – Knops California Common

On Friday Stewart Brewing’s Hollyrood was awarded the Gold for best Scottish bottled beer at the SIBA awards in Edinburgh. If you read our post, you’ll know that we were in attendance on the judging panel – and had a pretty good (not to mention difficult) time ranking the different beers against one another in the various categories.

Of course, we got to thinking what our personal winners might be if we held our own version of the awards…so each day this week we’ll be revealing our nominations for best Scottish bottled beer in each of the SIBA categories – starting with the first – Bitter up to 4.9%. The winner at the SIBA awards was Williams Brothers Cock o’ the Walk (4.3%), the new version of their retired Rooster.

This is probably the toughest category, as every Scottish brewer who bottles produces a session ale under 5%. There are plenty out there – I’ve yet to try Cock o’ the Walk, but Rooster was an excellent beer so its alter ego is probably also on to a good thing. One that has to be considered is Highland Scapa Special (4.2%) – for me, the quintessential Scottish session bitter.

If we blur the edges of the category to include bottled lagers, Harviestoun’s award-winning Schiehallion (4.8%) would easily go toe to toe with Williams Brothers Ceilidh (4.7%) for a place in the rundown. I know which I’d pick on cask, and which on keg – but from the bottle? Tough choice.

Moving on to other sessionables, Fyne Ales show time and again that beer under 5% needn’t be devoid of flavour, and their bottled Maverick (4.2%) and Highlander (4.8%) really bring that home. As does Inveralmond’s Lia Fail (4.7%), not to mention the weakest beer on our shortlist – Sinclair Orkney Raven Ale (3.8%).

Closer to home, Robert Knops puts TSA’s Bridge of Allan equipment to great use producing Knops California Common (4.6%), which for a first beer is seriously impressive. The final beer on our sub 4.9% BeerCast shortlist is Arran Red Squirrel (3.9%), a terrific nutty bitter which wouldn’t be out of place in a bottle shop in Northern England.

So here’s our shortlist for best bottled Scottish bitter under 4.9%…which would be your choice? All great beers – personally I might lean towards Fyne Ales Maverick or Harviestoun Schiehallion…but then, that’s just my opinion…

Beers up to 4.9% (in abv order)
Sinclair Orkney Raven Ale (3.8%)
Arran Red Squirrel (3.9%)
Fyne Ales Maverick (4.2%)
Highland Scapa Special (4.2%)
Williams Bros Cock o’ the Walk (4.3%)
Knops California Common (4.6%)
Williams Bros Ceilidh (4.7%)
Inveralmond Lia Fail (4.7%)
Fyne Ales Highlander (4.8%)
Harviestoun Schiehallion (4.8%)

* Let us know if you agree or disagree with our choices! If a beer isn’t in this list, it may be in one of the other categories as there’s plenty of crossover – check back tomorrow for the next one – Bitters 5% and over