There’s a new beer delivery service in town…

Peter Ranscombe puts The Beer Town’s new delivery service through its paces with a quartet of lighter Scottish brews.

REMEMBER pubs? Those were the places where we used to go for a pint of beer and to moan about the fitba.

I miss pubs. But one of the few bright spots during the lockdown has been how Scotland’s drinks industry has rallied to continue serving customers who are staying safe at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

Wine wholesalers like Alexander Wines, Berkmann and Inverarity Morton have switched to selling direct to consumers, with some excellent bottles on offer.

Now, Dunns Food & Drinks – Alexander Wines’ partner – has unveiled The Beer Town to cater for craft beer fans.

Deliveries are being made to addresses around Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Motherwell and Paisley, with a full list of postcodes on its website.

American, Belgian, German and – most importantly of all – Scottish beers are available through the new service, including some old favourites…

Innis & Gunn Lager
With so many high-quality Helles-style lagers being made in Scotland, it’s always been hard to pick my favourite, but I think Innis & Gunn’s version just edges it for me (sorry Paolozzi and St Mungo…!). I’m a fan of all its formats, but I think the 330ml glass bottle suits it better, with slightly less fizz than the cans or on draught and a slightly rounder mouthfeel. The pine, red apple and caramel notes are all present and correct on the nose, with red apple taking the starring role on the palate and the caramel taking a more subtle supporting role.

Brewgooder Clean Water Lager
The lager that wants to change the world by donating its profits to clean water projects in Africa – I’ll drink to that. Pine, lemon and tangerine on the nose lead into a lively mousse and more of the citrus flavours on the palate. It’s thinner and fresher than the Helles style, as you’d expect, with a great bitter finish. Again, I think it suits the 330ml glass bottle more than the can.

Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner
Edinburgh’s gluten free brewer made its name with this pilsner and rightly so; it’s got the classic metallic tang and a deliciously bitter finish, all wrapped up in a touch of spun sugar and caramel. Brought back happy memories of the opening night last autumn for the brewery’s tap room.

Black Isle Blonde
A wee taste of home – or across the Moray Firth, anyway. Switching from lager to a blonde ale brings with it more body, but no compromise on the lively mousse, demonstrating that lighter ales can make equally as refreshing brews. Red apple and caramel flavours nicely balance the freshness.

Read more of Peter Ranscombe’s beer, whisky and wine reviews on his drinks blog, The Grape & The Grain.