The BeerCast Edinburgh Festival Guide

Four years ago, we published an Edinburgh festival drinking guide, with the intention of giving beery ideas to the throngs of visitors who arrive in the Festival City every August. Since then, plenty has changed (although referring to Edinburgh as the ‘city of roadworks’ is still apt, as the tram fiasco trudges glacially onwards). Looking back, picking the Holyrood 9A as the new, exciting, kid on the block was a pretty good (if fairly safe) bet – its proximity to the Pleasance and High Street continue to make it the best place to catch a bite between shows, and the beer list has steadily increased to become one of the consistent highlights across the city. Throw in the nearby BrewDog Edinburgh (renovated just this week), and there’s a foot-friendly pub crawl to put the pep back in the step of any festival-goer.

Back in 2009, our other main drinking suggestion was the Brauhaus, at the Tollcross end of Lauriston Place. Still handy for the Teviot-area venues (such as the Udderbelly and BBC tents on Bristo Square), the Brauhaus has also had a recent refurb, and is back to doing what it does best – giving drinkers a titanic amount of choice with the biggest beer menu in the city. A lot closer to the Teviot is the relatively new Bristo Bar, which always does hugely well during August (in whatever guise it is in at the time). Now going for the bar and kitchen feel, Bristo has several kegged offerings from Glasgow’s WEST brewery on offer, which are good options for a quick, reviving, cold one that isn’t of the macro-lager persuasion.

Late drinkers bumbling around between these southside venues have a great option in the Auld Hoose on St Leonard’s Street – it opens until 2:45am for the duration of the festival, and serves food (including a nacho plate that could choke a horse) until 10pm. Across the Meadows, on Lothian Road the Hanging Bat is the most exciting bar in the city to open for a while, and nine months on is still drawing a crowd for the barbecue food and 20 draught beers, showcasing the best in British brewing. Finally, anyone tired of forging a path through the street entertainers on the Royal Mile/High Street, take a short detour down Victoria Street to the best pub in town, the historic oasis of the Bow Bar.

In terms of local beer, things have moved on since the last Festival Guide – when I had to stop after mentions of Caledonian and Stewart Brewing. Now, Barney’s Beer brews in the city as well, with arguably the best beer garden in the city at Summerhall (itself a festival venue, so a great choice for ‘beer and a show’). Also, Top Out have just begun production on the outskirts of the city, and a short hop away in Livingston we have the twin lights of Alechemy and Elixir, producing a vast and fascinating range of beers. With almost 80 breweries in Scotland these days, the choice has never been better – since that last Edinburgh Festival Guide in 2009, 32 breweries have opened across the country. Thankfully, the Edinburgh scene is keeping up, so here are five beers to look out for from the aforementioned local producers:-

1. Alechemy Five Sisters
One of the most under-rated beers in Scotland, a dark amber classic with caramel, pine and grapefruit in abundance.

2. Top Out Staple
The debut beer from the new guys in town, a best bitter that should definitely be sampled if the distinctive pump clips are spotted.

3. Elixir Benedictine Groove
Recently featured on television, the most Scottish beer out there – a Scotch Ale with added Buckfast and tablet.

4. Stewart Ka Pai
Like standing on a South Pacific beach at sunset, Ka Pai is an absolute belter, tasting like a liquid mango salad

5. Barney’s Volcano IPA
The best IPA made in Edinburgh? It could well be – another refreshing, rejuvenating beer with a fantastic balance of citrus flavours.

Whatever you drink, and wherever you end up, enjoy the festival. If you need any further ideas, our Edinburgh pub guides are here, here and here. Cheers!