Brewing Scottish beer is thought to go back at least 5,000 years after suggestions that ale could have been made from barley at Skara Brae in Orkney, as well as at other Neolithic sites. Ale would have been flavoured with meadowsweet in the manner of a kvass – a fermented drink made with rye bread commonly associated with Slavic and Baltic countries – which was common in various North European tribes including the Picts and the Celts and indeed, the Greek geographer Pytheas remarked in 325 BC that the “inhabitants of Caledonia were skilled in the art of brewing a potent beverage”.
The use of indigenous plants and herbs including heather, myrtle and broom to flavour and preserve Scottish beer continued much longer in remote parts of Scotland than elsewhere in the United Kingdom. In his Tour of Scotland, published in 1769, Thomas Pennant wrote that on the Isle of Islay “ale is frequently made of the young tops of heath, mixing two-thirds of that plant with one of malt sometimes adding hops”. Although hops had replaced herbs in Scotland by the end of the 19th century, this Celtic tradition was revived in Brittany, France, during the 1990s and then later by a Scottish brewer during the same decade.
Even though ancient brewing techniques and ingredients had remained in use later in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK, the general pattern of development was the same, with brewing mainly in the hands of “broustairs” or alewives and monasteries, just as it was throughout Europe.
After the Reformation in the 1560s, commercial brewing started to become more organised, as shown by the Edinburgh Society of Brewers’ formation in 1598 and after the Acts of Union 1707, new commercial opportunities emerged that proved a substantial stimulus to Scottish brewers. Tax on Scottish beer was much lower than in other parts of the United Kingdom and there was no tax at all on malt in Scotland, giving Scottish brewers a financial advantage. During the 18th century, some of the best-known names in Scottish brewing – such as William Younger in Edinburgh, Robert & Hugh Tennant in Glasgow and George Younger in Alloa, established themselves. Scottish brewers, especially those in Edinburgh, were about to rival some of the biggest brewers in the world.
It is believed that the hard water from Edinburgh was particularly suitable for the brewing of pale ale, and that due to the quality of this water, a hoppy ale was able to be launched in Edinburgh in 1821 – a year before Allsopp is believed to have first brewed in Burton-upon-Trent – and when Burton brewers began to export strong, malty Burton Ales, so did the Edinburgh brewers under the name Scotch Ale. By the mid-19th century Edinburgh had forty breweries and was “acknowledged as one of the foremost brewing centres in the world”.
While brewing began as small, local operations, as Scotland moved into the Industrial Revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries, advancements in technology and transportation caused an explosion in the industry. By the late 19th century, the process of Scottish beer production had been revolutionised, partially resulting by the work of Louis Pasteur. It therefore became necessary for each brewery to have a chemist on staff, which ultimatelyled to the partnership of the famous brewers William Younger and William McCowan in 1877, and through this partnership that larger was pioneered in Scotland and commercially produced on a large scale. The exportation of Scottish beers from Edinburgh breweries also began to grow and were, at their peak in the 19th century, exported across the Empire, as far as India and Australia.
Following the First and Second World Wars, the brewing industry took a hit and the scale of exportation was diminished, leading to the closure or merging of many breweries. While the scale was greatly reduced from the Industrial Period, however, Edinburgh today still hosts a thriving Scottish beer industry with as many as 11 microbreweries in the city, while across Scotland more than 100 breweries are operating, and the variety and quality of Scottish beers and ales on offer is greater than ever.
Bitter and Twisted, Edinburgh
Harviestoun Brewery
It’s hard to believe that at the turn of the millennium, Scotland was still in the dark ages when it came to beer, but scratch beneath the surface and Haviestourn had started making great Scottish beer as long ago as 1983. Today it enjoys iconic status and is at the forefront of innovation, such as a version of Bitter & Twisted – finished in gin and Pinot Noir casks. The brewery says that this beer was named after the brewer’s wife – a joke that almost certainly didn’t go down as well as this zesty and refreshing session beer does.
Dead Pony Club, Ellon
Brewdog
An American-style pale ale with lemon and lime zest and a big hoppy flavour, Dead Pony Club is brewed by BrewDog – one of the most dynamic and controversial breweries which is nearly as committed to provocation as it is to brewing. Its range of Scottish beers is illustrative, though, with two New World-hopped IPAs, a Scotch whisky-aged imperial stout and a series of experimental beers in a line that they call ‘Abstrakt’.
Brewdog Punk IPA Scottish Beer
First World Problems, Edinburgh
Stewart Brewing
An independent brewery founded in Edinburgh in 2004, Stewart Brewing started with just the two founders on the payroll making three cask beers. As time passed, they introduced more experimental beers, and started to bottle their produce and sell it in kegs, but by 2010 they had run out of space and could not keep up with demand and so invested in a new 50hl Bavarian brew kit and housed it in a new brewery. The name First World Problems is tongue-in-cheek, but this is a mighty serious Scottish beer and balances Martinez’s, bitterness and fruitiness in equal measure.
Fraoch Ale, Alloa
Williams Bros. Brewing Co.
The story goes that the recipe for Leanne Fraoch was given to the brewer by a strange lady who came into the family home-brew shop. The recipe was for a beer that was made with heather, which grows plentifully in Scotland, but hops do not and so the idea of a distinctly Scottish beer product was highly attractive. The brewer teamed up with his brother to pre-sell the next batch. Now, seasonal heather is harvested and frozen to ensure year-round supply. Fraoch is genuinely different. Its aroma is both floral and smoky, and has a strong malty taste and a spicy, herbal finish provided by the hops and the heather.
King Pin, Ellon
Brewdog
Brewed with 100% malt and a big wave of hops, King Pin is a cold-conditioned lager at the forefront of giving lager a good name. Early on, there is a wave of robust, full-bodied malt character, then spicy citrus notes coat the mouth. The palate also has some green fruit notes before an assertive bitter finish brings everything together to a more-ish and balanced conclusion.
Midnight Sun
Williams Bros. Brewing Co.
Described as an instant classic, Midnight Sun is made with chocolate malt and oats, with a spicy bite of root ginger.
Punk IPA, Ellon
Brewdog
Brewdog’s flagship beer, Punk IPA is a beer that has been the antithesis of bland beer. Layers of new world hops create an explosion of tropical fruit and an all-out riot of grapefruit, pineapple and lychee before a spike, bitter finish.
Radical Road, Edinburgh
Stewart Brewing
Radical Road is from Stewart Brewing’s hop series and is triple hopped using three American hops – Cascade, Magnum and Centennial. The beer is bursting with flavour, with sweet and sour bouncing off each other, and grapefruit happiness pumping up against malty bitterness. It packs a punchy yet is still very more-ish.
Tempest Harvest, Kelso
Tempest Brew Co.
A brewing partnership between a Scot and a New Zealander who met in Canada, lived in New Zealand and are now creating Scottish beers on the Borders of Scotland; Tempest Brew Co opened in 2010 in an old dairy. Tempest Harvest is a Belgian IPA hybrid, with a Belgian strain of yeast. While each edition varies, there are distinct orange notes and fruity spiciness.
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