Bow Bar Winter Festival preview

Edinburgh – the festival city – proves once again that it’s not just August when people come together to enjoy great entertainment. The first festival of the year begins on Thursday this week – mid-January – as far removed from balmy summer weather as possible. The current blast of Arctic misery is perfect pub weather, if nothing else, and as if luck would have it, one of the city’s cosiest is having a ten day beer festival. The Bow Bar sits at or near the top of every self-respecting drinking guide to Edinburgh – and from Thursday, will be pouring an even better selection of beers than usual.

The full beer list is printed below, and contains such rare gems as Black Isle’s new 8.4% imperial stout Black Run – joined by their more liver-friendly 2.8% beer (prior to its official launch). As a winter festival, darker offerings are more prevalent – such as Burnside’s Stealth (a 6% stout), Tempest Chipotle Spiced Porter (5.6%) and Tryst’s fantastic new Black IPA, Well Fired (5.0%). From down south, there are dark delights aplenty – Ilkley Fireside Porter (4.2%), Elland American Robust Porter (5.2%), and Wentworth Oatmeal Stout (4.8%).

Other beers on offer over the next ten days sound exactly like they fit with the season – Exe Valley’s Winter Glow (6.0%), Blindman’s Siberia (4.2%) and Raw Winter Solstice (3.8%). To banish the winter blues, however, there are lighter-sounding beers such as Hornbeam Citrus Temptation (3.7%) and Dark Star Hop Head Galaxy (3.8%). There’s also a great line-up of keg beer – including a rare outing for a couple of Swedish numbers – S:t Erik’s God Jule Barley Wine (8.7%) and Sigtuna Triple Hopped Weizen (5.0%).

Head down to the Bow Bar on Thursday for the first of these offerings – the festival runs until Sunday the 3rd of February. Mine’s the seat by the fire…

Bow Bar Winter Festival 2013
CASK – SCOTLAND
Alechemy Stella Hop Burst 5.7%
Black Isle Black Run 8.4%, Breakfast Beer 2.8%
Burnside Stealth 6.0% stout
Cromarty Hit the Lip 3.8%, Red Rocker 5.0%
DemonBrew Pacific Kick 5.4%, Demon Black 4.6%
Fallen 1703 3.9%, Grapevine 5.4%, Blackhouse 5.0%
Fyne Wee Stoater 4.3% Oatmeal stout
Highland Duke 5.2%, Island Hopping X Y (3.9%)
Houston Jack Frost 4.5%
Innocente Lost 6.2%
Kelburn Jaguar 4.5%
Loch Ness Prince of Darkness 10%
Stewart Chillie Reekie 6.2% Major Weir 3.9%
Strathbaan Head East 4.2%
Tempest Cascadian Blonde 4.1% Chipotle Spiced Porter 5.6%
Tryst Well Fired IPA 5.0%, Wheat Beer

CASK – ENGLAND
Arbor Motueka 4.0%, Hunny Bear 4.2%, Oyster Stout 4.6%
Blindmans Siberia 4.2%
Box Steam Dark & Handsome Stout 5.0%
Brew Co Muscovado Stout 5.7%, Hop Ripper 4.3%
Buxton Moor Top 3.6%
By the Horns Lambeth Walk 5.1%
Castle Rock Snowwhite 4.2%
Cotleigh Snowy 5.0%
Dark Star Hop Head Galaxy 3.8%, Art of Darkness 3.5%
Elgoods Mortal Wombat 4.0%
Elland American Robust porter 5.2%
Exe Valley Winter Glow 6.0%
Franklins Pudding Stout 4.2%
Fuzzy Duck Winter Waddle 5.0%
Great Heck Peace & Love 4.8%
Green Jack Ripper 8.5%
Hand Drawn Monkey Double IPA 7.2%, Monkeys Love Hops 3.8%, Saison 6.0%
Hornbeam Citrus Temptation 3.7%
Ilkley Fireside Porter 4.2%
Kelham Fireside Porter 3.8%
King Winters Tale 4.1%
Little Valley Withens IPA 3.9%
Mauldons Midwinter Gold 4.5%
Offbeat Outlandish Pale 3.9%
Peerless Dark Arts 4.0%
Raw Winter Solstice 3.8%, NYPA 3.8%
RedWillow Heartless 4.9% choc stout
Roosters Humble Pie 3.7%, Buckeye 3.5%
Sadlers Hop Bomb 5.0%
Stringers Plan B 3.7%
Titanic Choc Vanilla Stout 4.5%
Thornbridge Sequioa 4.5%, Wild Swan 3.5%
Wentworth Oatmeal Stout 4.8%, NZIPA 4.%

KEG
Camden Hells 4.6%
Cromarty AKA 6.7%
Kernel Simcode and Cascade 5.3%
Moor Old Freddy Walker 7.4%, So’ Hop 4.1%
Sigtuna Triple Hopped Weizen 5.0%
S:t Eriks God Jule Barley Wine 8.7%
Tempest Long White Cloud 5.6%
Wild Beer Co Epic Saison 5.0%, Madness IPA 6.8%