Beer
Sober October: soda, ‘gin’ and ‘beer’
As ‘Sober October’ gets underway, Peter Ranscombe rounds up some of the latest non-alcohol releases and revisits some old favourites. BETWEEN “Dry January” and “Sober October”, it’s getting harder and harder for a drinks writer to earn a living… so, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The latest month of abstinence is the ideal…
Read MoreNotebook – September 2020
Scottish Field drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe delves into his notebook to share more exciting bottles. Puffing Billy Vodka (£32.99, thebordersdistillery.com) While most vodkas can be dull and boring on their own, those clever people at The Borders Distillery have come up with a clever way of giving their vodka texture. They use malted barley as…
Read MoreLeith market’s Oktoberfest starts today
THE first of three Oktoberfest weekends gets underway today at Pitt Street Market in Leith “Pittöberfest” features Barney’s Beer, Bellfield, Campervan, Edinburgh Beer Factory, New Barns, and Pilot. Barnacles & Bones and Ròst are among the street food vendors taking part in the festival. Barney’s Beer boss Andrew Barnett said: “While the cancellation of beer…
Read MoreWhy Local Selects’ gift boxes are here to stay
Peter Ranscombe reviews some of the amazing Scottish drinks featured in Local Selects’ gift boxes. ONE of the few positive results of lockdown has been the inspiring and innovative ways in which many Scottish drinks businesses dealt with the closure of bars, pubs, and other on-trade venues. The Start-up Drinks Lab in Port Glasgow is…
Read MoreOutdoor venue for Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival
ORGANISERS have moved Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival from The Biscuit Factory to The Corn Exchange’s outside venue. The event, which is due to take place on 9 and 10 October, will feature Scottish breweries including Fierce, Vault City, 71 Brewing, and new kid on the block Newbarns. Foreign breweries sending beer to the festival include…
Read MoreScotland’s first apprentice brewers get certificates
TWO brewers from Six Degrees North brewery in Laurencekirk have become the first to pass the brewing skills modern apprenticeship. Stuart Byers and Matthew Bennett, who are both aged 35 and are both from Stonehaven, received their certificates this week. Byers said: “It’s been a tough course, but really rewarding.” Bennett added: “I felt I…
Read MoreBeer fans enjoy more pints with Scottish barley
SCOTLAND’S craft brewers are poised to get more access to Scottish malted barley thanks to equipment that can handle smaller bags. Crisp Malt has spent £2 million installing a packaging line at its plant in Alloa. At the moment, craft brewers that can’t buy large quantities of malt either need to buy Scottish malt that’s…
Read MoreArdbeg’s first beer supports clean water projects
ISLAY distillery Ardbeg has teamed up with social enterprise Brewgooder to create its first beer and raise money for clean water projects in Africa. All the profits from “The Shortie Smoky Porter” will support projects in Malawi. The beer – which is named after Ardbeg’s mascot, Shortie the Jack Russell – was created by flatmates…
Read MoreTennent’s catches gas to keep lager fizzy
BREWING giant Tennent’s is to capture the carbon dioxide gas given off when it makes its beer and use it to keep its lager fizzy. Two giant 25-tonne tanks were lifted into place over the weekend to catch the gas at the company’s Wellpark brewery in Glasgow. A crane weighing 1,000 tonnes was needed to…
Read MoreNine of the best from Aldi’s summer beer festival
Peter Ranscombe slips into his slippers and remembers Aldi’s first beer festival, a decade ago, as he samples this summer’s offerings. I’M ABOUT to sound really old. German discount supermarket chain Aldi has just launched it’s 21st biannual Scottish beer festival – and it doesn’t seem like five minutes since the first one. A decade…
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