Scotland on the brink of independence?
What would Mel drink? Scotland is dominating the news agenda at the moment – so either the national team has just lost to San Marino, or it’s something to do with independence. The thorny I-word has appeared again, dragging itself onto the front pages like a mythical sea monster emerging from the Highlands. The SNP […]
Breweries to watch out for in 2012…
As we head into the New Year, the UK brewing scene seems to be in great shape. The economic climate might be as bad as a Scottish hurricane, and the Government seems intent on sticking it to everybody in the industry (with a few, notable, exceptions) – but this is a fantastic time to be […]
2011 SIBA Scotland Bottled Beer Awards
The SIBA Bottled Beer awards were judged and announced yesterday, and just like last year the BeerCast were there, taking part. In actual fact, last year’s competition also took place this year – the epic winter of 2010 meaning December’s judging had to be abandoned and moved to January, so our SIBA branded blue pencils […]
Black Isle Brewery – scaling new heights?
Red Kite, released into the wild (etc) For a brewery to make that next step, several things need to happen. Firstly, building on a solid base, to make the leap they clearly need a great brewer. Someone onboard who really knows their onions. From this, diversity is key – be consistent with the flagships, but […]
BeerCast #64 – Big BeerCast
BeerCast #64 – Big BeerCast. On the 1st of October 2011, the UK Treasury increased duty on all beer over 7.5%. Listen to this podcast to find out why that’s a terrible idea, and might have serious implications for British brewing. We also sample four of the very best strong ales this country has to offer as we go, and manage to reveal the surprising history behind Bluetooth, why coffee is the new drug of choice, and how to find a greyhound on Orkney. The panel today – Richard, Grooben and Shovels.
1. Sinclair Orkney Skullsplitter (8.5%)
2. Traquair House Jacobite Ale (8.0%)
3. Thornbridge St Petersburg (7.7%)
4. BrewDog Abstrakt AB:06 (11.2%)
www.thebeercast.com thebeercast@gmail.com @thebeercast
Orkney Porter
Looking around for a suitable starting point for our month of strong beer, there was one obvious place to begin. Sitting in my mahogany panelled, climate controlled beer storage area – just behind the ironing board, watch out for the spider – was a 2009 vintage Highland Orkney Porter. Waiting for the right moment to […]
