The BeerCast

There are always plenty of beer events in Edinburgh – as any regular reader of this website will know. Only a small proportion of them take place in Leith, however – which is a surprise, given how many great pubs you can find there. It’s also something of a shame, as Leith has a reputation for what Morningside types would no doubt term ‘interesting characters’. Friends of ours, for example, recently saw a woman crouched on the pavement looking through her handbag, which contained a large quantity of raw meat (although who hasn’t left the house in a hurry and picked up the wrong bag?).

A couple of sunny evenings ago – and it’s always sunny in Leith – we made the trip up there to Nobles Café Bar, and a Black Isle Brewery takeover. These type of events were once pretty rare, but have rapidly become the default beer/pub event. It stands to reason, as the brewer gets the full range of their wares showcased, regular punters can still find their favourite, and tickers get the new rates. The only losers (although hopefully they win in financial terms) are the pub management, who have to change about a dozen casks/kegs in an evening, and generally work up a sweat.

Everyone in Nobles was perspiring on Tuesday – due to the astonishing early-spring weather, the place was rammed. They aren’t known for hosting events such as this – or maybe the numbers of thirsty Leithers were underestimated – but it looked as if emergency bar staff had to be summoned to deal with the two deep queue. This says something for Black Isle – who, as we posted recently are really on a high at the moment, and obviously have an eager fanbase.

Nobles is a cracking bar – it looks great, both inside and out, and the staff (even when clearly stressed) are very friendly. We arrived about an hour before the event started, and went straight for the house beer – Nobles IPA. Brewed for them by Black Isle, I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) it to be an unfined, dry-hopped, cask Goldeneye. Hazy and with a thick head, it has the sweet biscuity malt characteristic of Black Isle beer, with some orange citrus on the finish, as the results of the dry-hopping come out through the aftertaste.

Next up, another tweaker – organic Red Kite served nitrogenated on keg. This is one I really wanted to try, as Scottish malty nitro offerings are usually fairly awful. Mentioning no names, of course, but Black Isle’s version (codenamed ‘Better’) was a revelation. It tasted like cool chocolate cream. The bubbles give it that mouthfeel, of course – but as opposed to all the others out there – the beer actually tasted of something. Demerara sugar, toffee, fruit, weetabix and cocoa. Yet, all those dark, ‘portery’ flavours served cool and gassed to the max were highly refreshing.

We finished on an experiment – a side by side tasting of Goldeneye and Unfined Goldeneye whisky cask. It’s always interesting to roll the dice on the same beer served on different dispense (although last time, at the legendary Magic Rock takeover of the Stockbridge Tap I was so far gone I can hardly remember the obvious differences – in fact, it may have just been one beer I was drinking, it only looked like there were two). Having more of my faculties this time around, we put them up against each other.

A huge difference, of course. Kegged Goldeneye is clear as a bell and properly golden in colour. It has a bittersweet, biscuity malt backbone that verges into the metallic on the finish. The newcomer (which, incidentally, was a one-off) was hazy orange, with a soft, woody flavour. Almost like a whisky milkshake, it was mild and oaky, with that whisky edge building into the aftertaste. This replaced the classic biscuity finish of the regular Goldeneye, and gave the beer a completely different feel. A quick straw poll found two votes on our table for each version…

Thanks to Nobles for hosting the event, and of course to Black Isle for the beers. Nobles Café Bar is on 44a Constitution Street – the number 16 goes right past, and stops outside. Stay tuned for our next tap takeover, as there are at least three happening in Edinburgh during April. Follow our Twitter feed to keep up to date.

Edinburgh has a rich history when it comes to breweries – the golden age at the turn of the twentieth century supported well over thirty in the city. These days, that glorious (if ultimately untenable) number has reduced to a mere one – Slateford’s Caledonian. Their last major competitor, McEwans, was recently demolished for housing – although the old Fountain brewery had been a redundant shell for a long time.

On the other side of the bypass are Stewart Brewing, who are enjoying a purple patch as they seek to enlarge their premises in Loanhead. Apart from them, Bob Knops puts out his Edinburgh beers via TSA’s equipment in Stirling, and Innis & Gunn do the same via the Wellpark in Glasgow. But there’s certainly room for other brewers to enter the local market – Edinburgh drinkers are notoriously thirsty, particularly as we’re approaching Spring and then our two weeks of Summer.

Well, buckle up Edinburgh beer fans – there are now four new players on the scene. If proof were needed that British brewing is in a healthy place, this is yet another example. We’ll be running full features on each of the new producers when we can get a chance to visit them (as only two are currently in action). Until then, here are the names to bear in mind with regard to new beer in the Lothians this year…

Alechemy Brewing Ltd Livingston, West Lothian
Official Website / Facebook Page / @AlechemyBrewing

If you looked up ‘work in progress’ in a brewer’s dictionary, it would currently show a picture of Alechemy Brewing Ltd. At this very moment, their brewery is being welded together in a prefab unit on the Brucefield Industrial Park in Livingston. Founder James Davies moved up to West Lothian from Nottingham, with designs on opening a production brewery in an area with little beery presence. Over last weekend, the conditioning tanks arrived, and at the time of writing the rest of the kit is en route or being plumbed in.

James is keen to get his beers on the market as soon as possible, with Alechemy concentrating on the cask market. Edinburgh should see a lot of their beer very quickly, with rumours of a launch event at one of the city pubs. Alongside the draught, James will also be putting out a smaller range of bottled beer on shorter runs – looking towards the bigger abv options and hoppier numbers. Clearly, if you’ve ever read more than a single post on the BeerCast, you’ll know that’s right up our street.

Keep checking their Facebook page as the rest of the gear goes in, and once the beer is flowing, we’ll be sure and try the beers when they arrive. James is obviously very enthusiastic, and wants to run an open, friendly brewery – so once they are on their feet, anyone in the Livingston area (or beyond) is welcome to head down and pay them a visit.

DemonBrew Prestonpans, East Lothian
Official Website / Facebook Page / @DaveDemonBrew

DemonBrew’s Dave Whyte isn’t exactly a new producer – his Summer Storm was well-received at last June’s Scottish Real Ale Festival, for example. But the size of the kit, lack of storage space available, and a certain amount of politics all mean his beers are very rare – and only now are beginning to appear in Edinburgh. Using the striking but archaic five barrel plant at the Prestoungrange Gothenburg (the ‘Goth’), Dave averages a brewday per week and has recently begun to set his sights wider.

The equipment is owned by Fowlers Ales, but not currently used by them – it had been operated as Prestonpans Ales, but the brewer Roddy Beveridge tragically passed away in 2010, aged only 43. Dave works independently from these two organisations, but sells his beer to the Goth – putting him in the unusual scenario of ‘cuckoo’ brewing in a brewpub with a ready market. However, speaking to him the other day he would clearly love to take the kit to a new location and go solo.

Dave’s passion is new world hops – specifically the Pacific Jade/Gem varieties from New Zealand. The Goth’s most famous beer (other than the discontinued Fowlers Wee Heavy) – Gothenburg Porter – is produced by Dave, but he clearly has his sights set on hoppier additions to the lineup. Having said that, he recently invited the Heriot-Watt Brewing Society along to produce their festival beer – a 6.6% stout. If he can get a wider distribution network in the city, look for his beers to really take off.

Eclipse Brewery Edinburgh
Official Website / Facebook Page / @EclipseBrewery

Of our four new producers, Eclipse Brewery have the longest road ahead of them – as they have no kit, and are just at the very initial stages. However, having spoken to co-founder Michael recently, they clearly have a strong idea of where they want to go. Having formed an LLP company, they are currently sourcing a bespoke brewery to be sited in Edinburgh (or more likely on the outskirts). Once in place, they are keen to get their beers on the market before the end of the year.

Michael’s background lies in Germany, and he told me he wants Eclipse to produce unusual beer that you can’t get anywhere else in Scotland – such as a recipe involving authentic Bamburg rauchmalt, for example. He’s extremely enthusiastic in his outlook, but well aware of all the huge hurdles they need to overcome before anyone can enjoy an Eclipse Rauchbier. Unlike our first two newcomers, they are going for the bottled beer market initially, rather than starting off casking their products.

Their blog will be fascinating to follow – having started from scratch following a number of years homebrewing, they have nothing concrete other than Michael’s recipes. However, once they get that concrete (and steel) in place, the real work will begin. Every frustrated blogger has thought about opening their own brewery – we’ll be following Eclipse closely to see how they get on.

St Andrews Brewing Company Glenrothes, Fife
Official Website / Facebook Page / @standysbrewing

For a business to succeed, one of the things needed is to find a gap in the market. Bob Phaff identified one – the lack of any decent beer in St Andrews. Other than a couple of decent pubs – and one very decent bottle shop – all those thirsty golfers, students and tourists have a disappointing set of options from which to choose. No longer, as the St Andrews Brewing Company have arrived to supply eastern Fife (and beyond, as Bob’s beers have already arrived in Edinburgh).

Currently working on a 4bl plant located in Glenrothes – which came online in late February – the eventual plan is to operate nearer to St Andrews itself, but having a central location probably works in his favour at the moment. With Yorkshireman Stuart Noble on board, they have already produced a core lineup of five beers – all in bottles at present. Ticking every box, their lineup includes an IPA, golden ale, and an oatmeal stout – each one with a distinctive label designed by local artist Susan McGill.

St Andrews Brewing have strong foundations – they are positioning themselves into a ready market, have their range of beers already formulated, and are already putting them into local bottle shops. As the word spreads, look for more beers to be added to the selection as Bob and Stuart build on their early momentum.

It’s exactly twelve months to the day since BrewDog Edinburgh opened its doors, signalling the start of the southward charge of the Fraserburgh concern’s bar empire. The second BrewDog tied house to open (behind the original in Aberdeen), the Edinburgh branch has since been followed by another in Glasgow, and then a whole host – either open or in the planning – in England. Edinburgh being our hometown, we were there at the ‘soft’ launch a year ago, powering through eleven high-gravity beers on a school night.

Fast forward those twelve months, and this is as good a time as any to reflect on what their arrival has meant to the Edinburgh beer scene. Following the Cowgate fire* that area of the city became even more run down than it already was, with a steady stream of stag and hen groups wandering up and down from the Grassmarket. I said at the time the location would always see a steady stream of customers – and even now BrewDog Edinburgh fills up very quickly at weekends (also; it’s pretty small).

Prior to converting the dilapidated Chasers cocktail bar, BrewDog had no permanent presence in the city, instead hosting launch events in places like Cloisters and Holyrood 9A whilst supplying plenty of other pubs. Since then, quite obviously, the events have transferred to their own bar – but also (and this is only a personal observation) their number of outlets across the city have reduced. This makes sense, to get BrewDog fans – of which there are many – spending their money in BrewDog bars rather than those of the competition. (BrewDog even print their own money these days).

Actually, other than the excellent Holyrood 9A, there really wasn’t anything like the BrewDog bar here before it opened. Brauhaus served a range of imported bottles, 9A had a good mix of kegged lagers – but that was about it. Surely it’s no co-incidence that over the past year both of those bars have raised their game significantly when it comes to beer choice – last week Brauhaus had a De Molen import on keg, for example. Holyrood had the ultra-rare Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 on cask.

This could all be down to the increased availability of these interesting beers, of course, but BrewDog Edinburgh started to give people a focus for a different type of drinking. As we discovered on the opening night, instead of buying four pints in a round we ended up buying a bottle and four glasses. To be honest, other than trying each new beer they release, I can’t remember the last time I drank a BrewDog beer in their Edinburgh bar – the imports are usually too good to pass up. You pay a premium for this method, of course – an eye-watering £12 for a 330ml bottle of Kernel Imperial Brown Stout springs to mind.

But, as ever, people will pay a premium for quality products served well. I’d challenge any ‘hater’ to visit BrewDog Edinburgh and chat to the staff, and not be surprised. Extremely well-trained, they are surely the friendliest bar staff in the city. Flying in the face of all the PR twaddle about being uncompromising and punk, the people that work there are fantastic. Boy, are they ever patient too – as I overheard first hand when the bloke next to me asked for a pint of Guinness. He got something better, in the end, of course.

Anyway, the bottom line is that it’s different enough to fit in well, and it’s great to have the choice of going to somewhere like it. Cask ale may not be on the menu – the writing was on the wall for Trashy Blonde long ago – but the bar has become a must-visit on Edinburgh’s beer tourist trail. There may be significant competition on the horizon, but I think BrewDog Edinburgh has a long future ahead of it, and long may it stay open.

*Which we were a part of – on a night out with London-based BeerCaster Andy, he suggested going to a Jazz club (it was a majority decision). On arrival, there were flames billowing out of the door, leading Andy to utter one of his classic all-time understatements – “Oh, it’s on fire.” We ended up in the City Café before being evacuated by the police, and leaving to a wall of heat from the bottom of the hill. Despite all the damage though, thankfully nobody was hurt.

Following on from our two previous guides to Edinburgh pubs – here and here, we felt it was long overdue to post a third. There really are so many great places to drink in the city, that another selection was definitely required. If you’re in town for a short break, you need to be visiting a few of these pubs for refreshment…

Some young-looking cats in this photo

Cloisters 26 Brougham St Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Twitter Feed: @Cloisters_Bar
Cloisters Bar doesn’t look like your average pub, being shoehorned into an old church at Tollcross. Located near the Meadows, it is one of Edinburgh’s best real ale pubs. With four regular cask beers and five guest (which are rotated pretty much constantly), there’s always something interesting on. Their keg range has recently become just as interesting – Guinness was booted off to be replaced by Black Isle Porter, for example. If rare beers are your thing, locals Stewart Brewing do a beer just for Cloisters, called Holy Grale.

The Stockbridge Tap 2 Raeburn Place Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Twitter Feed: @StockbridgeTap
The sister bar of Cloisters and the Bow Bar, the Stockbridge Tap is a freehouse in the affluent northern suburb of the same name, well worth a visit after a stroll along the Water of Leith footpath (which at the time of writing is closed, so more time in the pub). It used to be Bert’s Bar, and when I lived nearby was pretty much my local. If you like people watching, sit on one of the window seats and watch the Stockbridgers go about their business. Has a great range of whisky, too – and keep an eye out for brewery events, the Magic Rock takeover has already become Edinburgh legend.

The Caley Sample Room 42-58 Angle Park Terrace Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Official Website
Twitter Feed: @TheCaley
Owned by the same people as the Cambridge Bar, the Caley Sample Room may be located a brisk stroll from the city centre, but it’s well worth it. From the outside not much is given away, but the refurbished interior and range of beers are fantastic – two permanent taps for Black Isle and Tempest Brewing, plus four guests (as well as two for the Caledonian). The food is outstanding, having come second in the pub food category at the 2010 Scottish Restaurant Awards. There’s a regular supper club for people eating during the week, and live music. Having recently expanded their bottled beer lineup, the drinking choices are superb.

The Cask & Barrel (Southside) 26 West Preston St Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.00pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Facebook page
Twitter Feed: @CaskandBarrelSS
Open for the best part of a year, what had previously been the student-friendly Junction Bar in Newington is now the Cask & Barrel (Southside). Having the same imposing looped bar as the original C&B (see our first Edinburgh Pub Guide), it looks similar both inside and out. Plenty of room to stand if it gets busy, there are barrels and shelves aplenty to lean on until a table becomes free. As with it’s precursor, has a good selection of eight changing real ales, with plenty of Scottish beers amongst them. They also booted Strongbow out for real cider, if apples are your thing.

The Holyrood 9A 9A Holyrood Road Map
Open: 10am-12am (1am Fri-Sat)
Link: Facebook page
Twitter Feed: @Holyrood9A
Twenty beers. Handmade burgers. What’s not to like? Fuller Thomson have since opened a few more bars along the same lines – such as Lothian Road’s Red Squirrel – but Holyrood 9A has a bigger area at the bar, and seems to fit the space slightly better. And what a bar it is, too – until BrewDog opened it had the best keg lineup in the city. Even now they source some fantastic rare beer – a recent visit found Magic Rock’s session golden ale Curious next to Harviestoun’s barrel aged monster Ola Dubh. It gets busy here on Friday nights, but elbow your way in and make a stand.

Thomson’s Bar 182-184 Morrison St Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.00pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Twitter Feed: @ThomsonsBar
Thomson’s is a classic one-room drinking house, sitting halfway along Morrison Street near the Conference Centre. Frequented by an older crowd during the day, and then office workers later on, the beer is always in great condition. Usually at least a couple of guest blonde ales are on in summer, alongside a Fyne Ales beer and one from Harviestoun (usually Bitter & Twisted). The old brewery mirrors and memorabilia on the walls give it a similar feel to the mighty Bow Bar. Can get busy, but feel free to spill out onto the pavement and watch the commuters bustle down to Haymarket station.

The Abbotsford 3-5 Rose St Map
Open: 11am-11pm (11:30pm Fri-Sat)
Link: Official Website
Twitter Feed: No
The Abbotsford sits between Hanover Street and St Andrew Square, and is head and shoulders above the other Rose Street boozers. The historic island bar dates from 1902, and was carved from Spanish mahogany. The sister bar to the Guildford Arms, there are usually some interesting beers on, as a result – served from five traditional tall founts. If the traffic lights work in your favour, you can walk between the two in a handful of minutes, making an easy east-end crawl. Also a great place for a Princes Street pitstop, the Abbotsford has a restaurant above, called…Above.

BrewDog Edinburgh 143 Cowgate Map
Open: 12pm-1am; 12:30pm-1am (Sun); opens 4pm Mon
Link: Website
Twitter Feed: @BrewDogEdin
Converting an abandoned karaoke bar (Chasers) into a ultra-cool urban hangout is very much the BrewDog way of thinking. Slap bang in the middle of the Cowgate (aka Rankin’s ‘Little Saigon’) – what was the second of their bars still comes up with the goods. If your definition of ‘goods’ is extremely hoppy, kegged, imported beer served to a background of eclectic music, that is. Several of BrewDog’s own beers are on as well, but the highlights are the guest beers from around the globe, they can be really something. If the choices are just too baffling, listen to the recommendations of the staff – the friendliest and most helpful in the city.

Other Edinburgh pubs…

The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to Edinburgh, Part 1
The Baillie
The Blue Blazer
The Bow Bar
Cask and Barrel
The Cumberland
Kays Bar

The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to Edinburgh, Part 2
The Halfway House
Bert’s Bar
The Cambridge
Guildford Arms
Bennet’s Bar
The Malt&Hops
The Dalriada

Why would you not drink beer? I mean, seriously, it’s pretty much the best thing there is. Fair enough, if religious or health reasons preclude you from taking alcohol, but if not – why don’t you drink beer? How can you be satisfied with cheap lager or wine? What does Smirnoff have that decent beer doesn’t? Other than alcohol content, obviously. But if that’s your thing – there are so many ways of fulfilling that urge through beer. British ale might traditionally be lower in strength, but not anymore. Get your buzz from beer. Numb those fingertips with something other than spirits. I’m not being a hypocrite here – I love gin, wine etc etc but I also drink a shedload of Britain’s most revered non tea-based drink – the bitter, malty stuff you get in pints. Or half pints. Or three/eighths of a pint. Drink it from a test tube if you like – but just drink it. Try it. Even if you don’t really like what you’re tasting, there are plenty of other styles of beer to try. And here’s a little truth – nobody really likes their first taste of beer. Bitter, astringent – it takes some getting used to. But then, so does every food or drink that is ultimately rewarding. It’s not a chocolate milkshake – you’ve got to put the work in. I’ve put in plenty of work over the years, trust me – in pubs all over the country. Take last night in Edinburgh’s Bow Bar. Sat in the best seat in the best pub in the best city in Britain – does it get any better? Yes – when the bar sports about a dozen beers on cask and keg from the UK’s best new breweries. Sitting there, in that window seat looking in at the pub (not out at the canyonlike Victoria Street), you realise why pub seats have their backs to the windows. In coffee shops you sit down and look out at the view – in public houses, everything worth watching happens inside. At that moment there was literally nowhere else I would rather have been. Not a rooftop bar in Sydney. Not a hip dive bar in New York. Even typing that sounds faintly daft, but at that time I truly believed it. And that is what makes Britain’s pubs, and British beer, the very best thing about this country. The sense that the outside doesn’t exist when you’re there. Nothing else matters. People passing by the Bow on the way to somewhere else are making a huge mistake – this has everything you will ever need. Take the beer – it’s as good tonight as it’s ever been. From Hardknott Katalyst – a zingy grapefruit bitter – to the sweet, pineapple flavours of Tempest Citra. If you’re not a fan of fruit, then drink the stunning Cresta Black – also by Tempest. Rich, smooth, with a nutty chocolate aftertaste – I defy anyone not to like it. Put down your pints of Fosters and just bloody try it. These guys are the best brewery in Scotland at the moment. They really are. Hardknott are also doing astonishing things. As for Dark Star – it’s hard for me to express in words what it’s like (to non beer drinkers) to appreciate their Imperial Stout. A 10% cask ale that slides down as easy as anything. Sweet, oaky marzipan. Anybody who enjoys sherry or port should be made to drink this. People who like the fortified stuff but don’t like beer. You do like beer – you just don’t know it. Or rather, you don’t like the wrong kind of beer. Try the right kind. Try it in somewhere like the Bow Bar. Believe in what British breweries are producing, and how British pubs are serving. Now, more than ever, both need your support. They already have mine. Give them yours – I promise they won’t let you down.