Beer has been brewed in Scotland for over 5000 years, so we thought we’d discover some of our local craft breweries…
Burnside Brewery has been in Laurencekirk since 2010 with Steve Lewis and wife Margo taking over in 2018. Burnside’s beer take their inspiration from the local landscape, nestled between the mountains and the sea. There are seven beers in the core range, plus seasonal specials and they also offer an alcohol free beer, all brewed, bottled and packaged on site. Local delivery is free. They also offer Be the Brewer Days and a subscription service so you can be the first to try their latest creations.
Aberdeen’s Fierce Beer has done remarkably well for a brewery that started less than a decade ago. They have an entire shelf-load of awards including carrying off the title of Scottish Brewery of the Year in 2021 and a loyal fan base. They now export to over 20 countries and have opened three pubs, including one in the city. They always product interesting beers, like Fierce Rhubarb and a peanut- butter edition of Very Big Moose, though sometimes we suspect they may have sampled a little too much product when coming up with the names.
OGV Taproom grew out of the pandemic. While most of us were unaccountably making vast quantities of banana bread, the team at OGV media decided to create a promotional beer and got a little carried away. They now have a range of vegan beers with energy-sector names like Rig Pig, Blowout and Red Adair and Taproom Pubs in Aberdeen, Peterhead and Newburgh which often feature live music and events. Try their £30 monthly subscription that brings delivery of ten craft beers, a snack or two and sometimes some merchandise, like t-shirts.
Stonehaven’s Reid’s Gold is proof that a well-chosen gift can change a whole life. Founder Barry Reid was given a home brew kit for Christmas back in 2013. By summer, there was a 50 litre fully- automated brewing kit in the shed that Barry has custom-built. When redundancy came in 2017, Barry seized the opportunity to create a 300 litre brew house, fermentation tanks, bottling, kegging and labelling facilities and Reid’s Gold became a business rather than a hobby. The smaller production runs and Barry’s unlimited imagination when it comes to ingredients mean there’s always something new to try – like Gorilla Juice, My Raisins Are Baltic, or his limited edition Stonehaven Fireballs Beer.
Further North, Peterhead’s Brew Toon create their beers on a site which was home to Hunter & Sons Tanfield Brewery back in the 1700s. Brew Toon specialise in small batch beers, often made using locally-sourced ingredients. Their style is described as bold and adventurous. You’ll find them out and about at beer festivals and local events, with their distinctive cans, which are small works of art in their own right. Check out the seagull-embellished Scurry Island or the Mohicaned pineapple skull of Pineapple Pils. Who could resist a Loose Cannon, a Raspberry Dreamola Foam or a Weekend Hooker?