Beer Travels - Scotland

Finally made it to Scotland! We were originally scheduled to go in 2020 for our 25 year anniversary, but Covid spoiled those plans. Too much going on last year to make it for our 3oth, but we were able to finally get there in May of 2026!

While it wasn't a beer trip per se, we did get plenty of opportunities to sample some local brews and to take in the beer culture among some truly incredible sites and scenery.

Glasgow: Beer culture is alive and well in Glasgow! The city is the grittier cousin of more refined Edinburgh and still proudly displays its history as a working class city with industrial roots. As far as beer goes, I was surprised to see a vibrant craft beer scene alongside historic old pubs. Notably, the big global macro-brands, while present, were not predominant. People seemed to gravitate to the big regional brands like Tennent's, or to one of several small independent craft breweries around town. Below were some of my favorites.

Tennent's Beer Company https://www.tennents.com/us : The brewery was originally founded in Glasgow in 1740 and their large production brewery is still located there today. We didn't have a chance to visit, but I was able to sample their lager as it is ubiquitous at pubs and restaurants all around town. The brewery was acquired by InterBrew and later AB InBev, but was sold to the the Irish-based C&C group in 2009. Their flagship is a European Pale Lager and I found it to be clean and crisp with some nice noble hop bitterness. I thought it had much more character than the other big regional favorite, Innes and Gunn (now owned by the same company as Tennent's).

West Brewery https://westbeer.com/: These guys have an incredible German themed beer garden and restaurant and their beers are widely available in bottles and cans around town. The brewery was founded by a Bavarian and they brew all their beers according to the Reinheitsgebot. I had the St. Mungo lager named after the city's patron saint in the shadows of the St. Mungo cathedral. The beer was outstanding! Malt sweetness balanced by some noble hop bitterness made this a perfectly balanced beer. It is described as a Helles lager, although I thought it leaned almost towards a marzen given it's slight amber color and malt richness, likely from the addition of Munich malts. I highly recommend this beer and brewery if you are in Glasgow!

Shilling Brewing Company https://shillingbrewingcompany.co.uk/: Vibrant brew pub right in the heart of the city center serving up their beers and a few other locally-brewed craft offerings alongside some great wood fired pizzas. I got a flight of their flagships including a czech pils, pale ale, hefeweizen, and german pils. All were excellent choices and, as is typical for the area, all came in at around 5% ABV or less. This really speaks to the beer culture in Scotland and the UK in general - most beers are designed to be sessionable and enjoyed socially with friends and family over the course of a few hours at the local pub.

Edinburgh: Fantastic city! Beautiful castle, old town, and well preserved historic buildings. Also a vibrant pub scene with classic little places as well as some great craft breweries. More touristy and crowded than Glasgow but still a must visit location when in Scotland. Only made it to one classic old-school pub and one craft brewery but both were great!

I had a cask drawn IPA from Fyne Ales at a little pub filled with locals (mostly men aged 50+ looking to escape the rain...and maybe their wives?). Fyne Ales is out in the country side and we didn't get a chance to visit, but it looks like a great farmhouse style brewery - would be a great place to visit next time https://www.fyneales.com/!

Cold Town House https://coldtownbeer.com/: Beer highlight of Edinburgh was a visit to Cold Town House brewing. We visited the brewpub right in the shadows of Edinburgh Castle - a truly incredible location! These guys brew a nice range of styles from crispy lagers, to juicy IPAs, to Imperial Stouts. I had the Baltic IPA which, I admit, is a style I have never had or heard of before. The style is a crisp, cold-fermented IPA that bridges the gap between a traditional West Coast IPA and a clean, refreshing lager - sounds like a "Cold IPA" to me. Anyway, the beer was very good - a bit hazier than expected but still very clean, tropical, and refreshing. This beer won IPA of the year in the 2026 London Beer Competition for good reason!

The Highlands and Isle of Skye: This was the highlight of the trip. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and much to my delight accompanied by a great selection of craft breweries and classic pubs along the way. I had a cask drawn Chestnut Scottish Ale at a little pub right by the shore of Loch Ness. To me this seemed like a perfect style for a cask ale - rich, creamy and not negatively affected by being served at room temperature with just a hint of diacetyl. Best beers of this part of the trip were from Black Isle Brewing in Fort William, and Isle of Skye Brewing in the remote village of Uig.

Black Isle Brewing https://www.blackislebrewery.com/: While most of the beers on this trip were 5% ABV or less, an exception was at Black Isle. I had their limited edition Scotch Ale matured in ex-bourbon sherry casks from Tomatin Distillery. This beer, clocking in at 8% ABV, was outstanding! Dark roasted malts, vanilla, fruitcake, and cherry rounded out the highest ABV beer I had on the trip. The brew pub also has great wood fired pizza.

Isle of Skye Brewing https://skyeale.com/: Scenery on the Isle of Skye is incredible. After a day hike in the pouring rain and gale-force winds to the "Fairy Pools" (which were more like roaring rapids on this day!), Kilt Rock, and the Old Man or Storr, we pulled into the little village of Uig and came upon the welcome site of Isle of Skye Brewing. Sadly there was no tasting room, but happily our tour bus allowed open bottles on the drive back into town! I had the Blavin Golden Ale which was fantastic! Rich and malty but also with some nice hop bitterness - much more so than the Skye Gold which I also had while in the area. You can find bottles of their beer all across the island and I would encourage trying as many of their styles as you can.

Needless to say, we also visited a couple of distilleries and had some great whisky on the trip. I'll save that for another post...maybe on a future "Seasons of the Dram" website?