Scotland recommendations wanted

Duke a écrit :

Drop a line on uk.food+drink.real-ale, there's plenty of people over there that could help you...

I'm not intimately familiar with the ales of Scotland (I'm more acquainted with their distilled brethren!) but for the last two years in a row, a Scottish beer has been selected the Champion Beer of Britain. That's never happened before.

Here's a site that might help you out:

Cheers,

Bill

The Scottish Highlands are not good beer drinking country, and pubs selling cask conditioned beer of any sort are very thin on the ground. A copy of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide may be your friend here, and will make a good souvenir of your trip. There's lots of good beer available in Glasgow - again, the GBG is a good starting point. It's widely available in UK bookstores, but make sure you buy the right book - there are lots of lookalike pub guide books around.

HTH, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

My favourite place when visiting Scotland was Moulin Hotel & Brewery (near Pitlochry - between Edinburgh and Inverness)

Cheers / Per

Well, a guy I know and used to work with here in Philadelphia, Jim Anderson, is now running an inn in Inverness called "The Anderson." He is very well-versed in cask ale (ran a cask ale event here in Philly for years and consulted on real ale to bars), has about 110 malts, and claims the biggest selection of Belgian beers in Scotland. They have a good restaurant (I can say that with some confidence because I've experienced his wife's restaurant expertise before) and have rooms to rent. The owners are the same guys who own the famous Monk's Cafe here in Philly. If you do stop in, please tell him I sent you, and give him my best.

I had a blast in Edinborough, I highly recommend it if you can! There's a pub in the Grass Market (where condemned prisoners used to be hanged) Called The Last Drop. They allowed them a pint before dying, if you go in, they will pour a pint of Guinness, and instead of a clover in the foam, they draw a hangman. It's worth the price of the pint even if you don't like Guinness (which my wife doesn't like here in the States, but drank a bunch of in the UK.....)

Edinborough also is home to the Castle (just up the hill from the Grass Market) and it's easily my favorite thing I saw in all of the UK!

Or you could go to Kilsythe and f> Going to Scotland for a week in June. Plan on driving to the more remote

Be sure and check out the CAMRA website also for local beer festivals ... last year I was in Edinburgh in June, and was lucky enough to be there when they were holding their "Scottish Traditional Beer Festival".

Otherwise I second the CAMRA Good Beer Guide suggestion, because the good beer pubs are fairly scares, compared to a lot of the other areas of the UK.

Sla>

Scotland is home to some spectacular beer drinking, certainly in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but there's some rare treats to be had if you know where to look. As mentioned above the CAMRA Good Beer Guide is vital, though check to make sure that pubs listed are still open and/or offering cask beer. There are several fine non cask beers in Scotland, but that's not what you go for is it?

Here's a list of most of the currently operating breweries in Scotland:

Atlas Brewery Ltd. (Kinlochleven) - also An Teallach Ale Co. (?) Arran Brewing Co. (Arran) Belhaven Brewing Co. Ltd (Dunbar) Black Isle Brewing Co. Ltd (Munlochy) - Organic! Bridge of Allan (Bridge of Allan) Broughton Ales (Biggar) Cairngorm Brewing Co. (Aviemore) - formerlly Aviemore Brewery & Tomintoul Brewery Caledonian Brewing Co. Ltd (Edinburgh) being taken over by S&N 17 Feb.

You're obviously more likely to find the brews in tied pubs or freehouses closer to where the actual brewery is.

There are a few brewpubs going but I don't have that list handy.

A few beers of note:

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted (2003 Champion Beer of Britain)

- all of the Harviestoun products a outstanding. Scheihellion is a cask lager! Caledonian Deuchars IPA (2002 Champion Beer of Britain)

-they're right in Edinburgh, so thery're easy to get to. There's a Ceilidh (traditional music/dance party) every Saturday night. I think it's £10 or so to get in. You'll find Deuchars all over Scotland. Cairngorm Tradewinds (I think this may be out of season)

-all of the Cairngorm products are spectacular. They're up in the Highlands so you can find them about up there, though somewhat down south. Heather Ale Co. Heather Ale-

-They're in the vicinity of Glasgow and brew in an old mill house. Bruce Williams is a fabulously nice fellow. Great beers.

As far as bars these are a few of my favorites (most CAMRA rated, all have cask):

Edinburgh - Bow Bar Just up from the Grassmarket. This is my favorite pub on planet earth.

Edinburgh - The Royal Oak. They have a late license and is a hub for true local folk music. Can be a bit smokey

Edinburgh - The Guildford Arms In the New Town. Excellent ragingly victorian pub. Good cask list

Leith - The Starbank Stuning view of the Forth. Lotta character. It's a bit off the beaten path.

Glasgow - Blackfriars Nice if somewhat modern pub. Avoid at all cost before any home Celtic match as the place is mobbed beyond all reckoning. Mind if you're of a green disposition can be a fine place for the craic.

Glasgow - "Whatever the Wetherspoons near Queen Street Station is called" Crap looking modern mega pub. The beer is dirt cheap and their casks are in good nick.

Glen Coe - Claghaig Inn At the base of the Highlands. Real beer lovers seek this one out.

If you're going out to the Islands make sure you've checked in advance about the status of the pubs listed.

If you need more don't hesitate to E-mail me.