Edinburgh Beer Weekly 16/04 – 22/04

Welcome to the first Edinburgh Beer Weekly! Every Sunday we’ll be posting a preview of all the beery happenings in the city for the next seven days – so you won’t miss a thing. As Edinburgh’s beer website we want to be able to inform everyone of the great goings on here before they happen, rather than just covering the launches and reviewing the beers after the event! (which, of course, we will continue to do)

You can sign up to our subscription service, ensuring you’ll get an email notification every Sunday when the Edinburgh Beer Weekly is published. Just enter your email address in the panel on our front page. Also, follow us on Twitter (@thebeercast) to keep right up to date throughout the week. There are so many great beery things going on at the moment – stay tuned to the BeerCast, and enjoy each and every one of them!

So – what’s happening in the Edinburgh beer scene over the next seven days?

Monday 16th 7pm
The Southern Launch The Southern Bar, 22-26 South Clerk Street
Fuller Thomson website

One of the most eagerly awaited bar launches for some time takes place on Monday, as Fuller Thomson’s new Edinburgh location opens its doors to the public. Since arriving in Edinburgh with the Holyrood 9A, the Dundee-based company have also transformed Lothian Road’s Vat&Fiddle into the Red Squirrel. Their third bar in the city is in Newington – a revamp of the old student haunt the Southern Bar.

Both of the other F/T bars in Edinburgh have become wildly popular, and with a great location on South Clerk Street the Southern looks to become just as successful. Monday’s launch has a staggering beer lineup, including ultra-rare casks from the Kernel (reason enough to go) and Fife’s Luckie Ales, brand new beers from Fyne Ales and Highland – plus kegs from some of the UK’s most progressive breweries.

Wednesday 18th 7pm
Alechemy Launch Cloisters Bar, 26 Brougham Street
Alechemy Brewing website

Our recent feature on new Edinburgh-area brewers featured four producers who are eager to get their beer into the city. On Wednesday, James Davies breaks cover and reveals his first two at Cloisters Bar in Tollcross. Cairnpapple IPA and Five Sisters Amber make their very first appearance – Cockleroy Black IPA is set to follow, so head down to check out the debut beers from Livingston’s new [read: only] brewery.

Thursday 19th, Friday 20th
Bow Bar Hop-Off The Bow Bar, 80 West Bow
Hop-Off poster

Hop lovers are in for a treat at the end of the week, as one of Edinburgh’s best pubs showcases beer’s best component. The Bow Bar Hop-Off begins on Thursday, and features a tongue-tingling seventeen beers from such producers as Tempest, Highland, Dark Star, Thornbridge and Brodies. A hoptacular mini beer festival, all the beers have been selected to showcase that very special ingredient. Form a queue!

Saturday 21st 3pm-8pm
Great Grog Bottled Beer Fest Café Camino, Little King Street
Facebook Page

Great Grog first opened their doors in 1999 – and their emphasis on beer has steadily increased over the years. Saturday sees their inaugural bottled beer festival, held in the hall of Café Camino – the relaxed lunchspace associated with St Mary’s Cathedral. Tickets are available in advance from Great Grog on Dalkeith Road (£5), or on the day at the festival itself (if any are unsold, and at £10). Head along and try all kinds of beers from Scottish producers, and those from further afield.

The Edinburgh Beer Weekly will be published every Sunday here on the BeerCast. If you have an event in or around the city that you’d like to feature – please get in touch at the usual email address. Cheers!