Let’s say cheers for the beers at Scottish awards

The winners of the third annual Scottish Beer Awards have been revealed at the biggest ever celebration of Scottish brewing held in Edinburgh.

Nearly 400 guests from across the UK brewing industry gathered to hear news on award winners after a wide-ranging competition which has been running since February.

Awards were presented for both business performance and taste after 296 Scottish beers were presented into the blind tasting competition.

Edinburgh’s Stewart Brewing were presented with the ultimate award of the night, Scottish Brewery of the Year, after a phenomenal year of growth in turnover, exports and product development.

Stewart Brewing also walked away with awards for Growth Business of the Year and two taste award medals for their Corpse Reviver and Cascadian beers.

However, it was Fierce Beer from Aberdeen who triumphed in the hotly contended taste awards, winning a total of four gold medals and one silver medal. The 2017 champions, BrewDog enjoyed further success this year winning a total of six medals in the IPA, Barrel Aged, Stout and Amplified Beers categories.

Hilary Jones, chair of the judging panel, said: ‘Now in its third year, the Scottish Beer Awards is an eagerly awaited celebration firmly fixed in the UK brewing calendar. With a proven record of inclusivity and collaboration across the whole sector, these awards are truly representative of an exciting industry making first class products.

‘To see so many breweries, both large and small, triumph this evening is hugely encouraging and a sign of the growing success of Scottish companies in the world of brewing.’

This year’s competition saw the introduction of a new category, created in collaboration with headline sponsors, ALDI to recognise emerging talent.

The Emerging Brewer of the Year Award was presented to Jonathan Robinson of Innis & Gunn who was praised by the judging panel for his passion and commitment to the sector and specifically towards his role as a young brewer in a rapidly growing business.

Graham Nicolson, group buying director, ALDI Scotland, said: ‘We’re hugely proud to have been headline sponsors of the Scottish Beer Awards since 2016 and privileged to work with so many of the breweries recognised at the awards this evening. The popularity of Scottish beer continues to grow, and we are pleased to be a part of such an exciting time for the Scottish brewing sector.

‘The quality of beer being produced in Scotland continues to be second to none and the industry offers some exceptional career prospects for young people. We extend our congratulations to the winner of the emerging brewer award and wish Jonathan from Innis & Gunn every success in his future career.’

The full list of winners is:

Scottish Brewery of the Year sponsored by Bruce Stevenson Insurance Company, winner Stewart Brewing. finalists: Eden Mill, Edinburgh Beer Factory, Fierce Beer, The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company.

Beer of the Year, winner: Belhaven Brewery – Twisted Grapefruit IPA.

Best Lager or Pilsner : Gold medal: Tennent Caledonian Breweries – Tennent’s Gluten Free Lager; silver medal: Eyeball Brewing – Eyeball Yellow; bronze medal: Brew Toon – Weekend Hooker. Finalists: Bellfield Brewery – Bohemian Pilsner; BrewDog – Fools Gold; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Lager; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Arctic Swell; Drygate Brewing Co. – Chimera India Pale Lager; Edinburgh Beer Factory – Paolozzi Unfiltered Helles Lager; Edinburgh Beer Factory – Paolozzi Helles Lager; Eyeball Brewing – Eyeball Black; Merchant City Brewing Co. – Vienna Lager; six°north – Peloton; Stewart Brewing – Franz Lager; Stewart Brewing – Stewart’s Lager; Tempest Brewing Co. – Hell-Es Lager; Tennent Caledonian Breweries – Caledonia Double Hop; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Lager; Williams Bros Brewing Co. – Caesar Augustus.

Best Pale Ale. Gold medal: Eden Mill – Three Pistons; silver medal: Barney’s Beer – Cloudburst; bronze medal: Stewart Brewing – Cascadian East. Finalists: Belhaven Brewery – Bridge To Nowhere Pale Ale; Black Isle Brewing Co. – Rhode Runner; Born in the Borders – Flower of Scotland; Bute Brew Co. – Straad Ass; Campbell’s Brewery – Gunner; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Rogue Wave; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Happy Chappy; Cross Borders Brewing Company – Braw; Cross Borders Brewing Company – APA; Ferry Brewery – Ferry Fair; Fierce Beer – Day Shift; Merchant City Brewing Co. – American Pale Ale; Redcastle Brewery – Crusader; Stewart Brewing – Ka Pai; Stewart Brewing – Hollyrood; Tempest Brewing Co. – Long White Cloud; Tennent Caledonian Breweries – Caledonia Outpost IPA; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Frank & Sense; The Orkney Brewery – Orkney Gold; Williams Bros Brewing Co. – Birds & Bees.

Best IPA sponsored by Bairds Malt & Brewers Select. Gold medal: BrewDog – King of Eights; silver medal: Fierce Beer – Split Shift; bronze medal: BrewDog – Hazy Jane. Finalists: BrewDog – Jet Trash; Bute Brew Co. – 48 Ferries; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Black Hop Down; Drygate Brewing Co. – Seven Peaks; Drygate Brewing Co. – Galdeye IPA; Spey Valley Brewery – Hardware; St Andrews Brewing Company – Notorious B.I.P.A.; Stewart Brewing – Radical Road; Stewart Brewing – First World Problems; Stewart Brewing – Voss IPA; Stewart Brewing For Lidl – Bright Lights IPA; Swannay Brewery – Muckle IPA; Tempest Brewing Co. – Brave New World; Tempest Brewing Co. – Soma IPA; Tennent Caledonian Breweries – Tennents Export IPA; Top Out Brewery – The Cone; Up Front Brewing – Ishmael; Windswept Brewing Co. – Tornado.

Best Session Beer. Gold medal: The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Session IPA; silver medal: Barney’s Beer – Glory Days; bronze medal: Tempest Brewing Co. – Vermont Sessions. Finalists: Born in the Borders – Foxy Blonde;
BrewDog – Dead Pony Club; Bute Brew Co. – Scalpsie Blonde; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Whiteout; Cross Borders Brewing Company – Wee Braw; Drygate Brewing Co. – Ax Man Rye IPA; Eden Mill – Weize Guy; Ferry Brewery – 3 Bridges; Fierce Beer – Heffen Heff; six°north – Omnium; Spey Valley Brewery – Stillman’s IPA; Stewart Brewing – Session IPA; Tempest Brewing Co. – Pale Armadillo; The Orkney Brewery – Corncrake; Windswept Brewing Co. – Lighthouse; Windswept Brewing Co. – Hurricane; Windswept Brewing Co. – Aurora.

Best British Style Ale sponsored by Wolffe. Gold medal: Fyne Ales – Maverick; silver medal: Belhaven Brewery – 80 Shilling; bronze medal: Inveralmond Brewery – Ossian. Finalists: Barney’s Beer – Good Ordinary Pale Ale ; Belhaven Brewery – Scottish Ale; Born in the Borders – Game Bird; Bute Brew Co. – Red; Bute Brew Co. – Thorough Bread; Eden Mill – 19th Brew; Inveralmond Brewery – Lia Fail; The Orkney Brewery – Orkney Raven; Swannay Brewery – Scapa Special; Williams Brothers Brewing Co. – Fraoch.

Best Amber or Dark Ale. Gold medal: Spey Valley Brewery – Spey’s Hopper; silver medal: Windswept Brewing Co. – Wolf; bronze medal: Fyne Ales – Vital Spark. Finalists: Dalrannoch Brewing Co. – Red Skelp; Edinburgh Beer Factory – BUNK! Edinburgh Brown; Ferry Brewery – Ferry Alt; Inveralmond Brewery – Daracha; Late Night Hype Brewing Co. – Lennox Amber; Merchant City Brewing Co. – Unit 1 Red Ale; Stewart Brewing – St Giles; Stewart Brewing – Embra; The Orkney Brewery – Orkney Dark Island; The Orkney Brewery – Orkney Red MacGregor.

Best Porter sponsored by Barr Printer. Gold medal: Fierce Beer – Dirty Sanchez; silver medal: Tempest Brewing Co. – Red Eye Flight; bronze medal: Top Out Brewery – Smoked Porter. Finalists: Barney’s Beer – Capital Porter; Black Isle Brewing Co. – Double Hit; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Ghost Town; Cross Borders Brewing Company – India Porter; Ferry Brewery – Thomas Miller; Tempest Brewing Co. – Elemental.

Best Stout. Gold medal: Drygate Brewing Co. – Orinoco Breakfast Stout; silver medal: BrewDog – Jet Black Heart;
bronze medal: Williams Bros Brewing Co. – Profanity Stout. Finalists: Belhaven Brewery – Scottish Stout; Belhaven Brewery – Scottish Oat Stout; Born in the Borders – Liquid Velvet; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Brewed Awakening; Drygate Brewing Co. – Dark Skies; Eden Mill – Imperfect Storm; Fierce Beer – Moose Mousse; Fyne Ales – Sublime Stout; Stewart Brewing – Cauld Reekie; Stewart Brewing/Electric Bear Brewing – Not Your Buddy, Guy; Tennent Caledonian Breweries – Tennent’s Export Stout; The Orkney Brewery – Orkney Dragonhead Stout; Up Front Brewing – AHAB; Williams Bros Brewing Co. – March Of The Penguin.

Best Amplified Beer sponsored by Cara Technology: Gold medal: Fierce Beer – Very Big Moose; silver medal: BrewDog – Pulp Patriot; bronze medal: Barney’s Beer – Marshmallow Milk Stout. Finalists: Black Isle Brewing Co. – Scotch Ale; Black Isle Brewing Co. – Systems Theory; BrewDog – Cocoa Psycho; Drygate Brewing Co. – Orpheus; Fyne Ales – Mills & Hills; Merchant City Brewing Co. – Jaggery Imperial Stout; six°north – Chapeau; Swannay Brewery – Orkney Porter; Tempest Brewing Co. – Marmalade on Rye; Tempest Brewing Co. – Mexicake; Williams Bros Brewing Co. – Double Joker IPA; Williams Bros Brewing Co. – Alba; Windswept Brewing Co. – Chinook.

Best Sour Beer. Gold medal: Fierce Beer – Tangerine Tart; silver medal: Stewart Brewing/BrewDog – Corpse Reviver; bronze medal: Fyne Ales – Origins Brewing – Expedition. Finalists: Barney’s Beer – Cosmic Ripple; BrewDog – Zephyr – Lime Gose Edition; Cromarty Brewing Co. – Udder Madness; Fierce Beer – Very Berry; Fyne Ales – Origins Brewing – Goodnight, Summer; Tempest Brewing Co. – Drop Kick Me Jesus.

Best Fruit Forward sponsored by Foodies Magazine. Gold medal: Belhaven Brewery – Twisted Grapefruit IPA; silver medal: Williams Bros Brewing Co., Exclusively for ALDI – Rubus; bronze medal: Dead End Brew Machine – Death III. Finalists: Belhaven Brewery – Twisted Mango IPA; BrewDog – Clockwork Tangerine; BrewDog – Elvis Juice; Drygate Brewing Co. – Disco Forklift Truck; Edinburgh Beer Factory – BUNK! Cherry Saison; Fierce Beer – Cranachan Killer; Late Night Hype Brewing Co. – BoomTang IPA; Merchant City Brewing Co. – Kiwi & Lime Saison; Tempest Brewing Co. – Dios Mio; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Mangoes on the Run; Top Out Brewery – Simon Says-On.

Best Barrel Aged Beer. Gold medal: Fierce Beer – BA Very Big Moose; silver medal: BrewDog – Dog G; bronze medal: Windswept Brewing Co. – BEAR. Finalists: Black Isle Brewing Co. – Systems Theory (East Coast); Black Isle Brewing Co. – Systems Theory (West Coast); Cromarty Brewing Co. – Double Barrel Rocker; Eden Mill – Russian Caravan Imperial Stout; Merchant City Brewing Co. – Bourbon Barrelled Vienna Lager; St Andrews Brewing Company – Party Like an Australian; Stewart Brewing/Electric Bear Brewing – Not Your Buddy, Guy (Barrel Aged); Swannay Brewery – Barrel Aged Orkney Porter (Arran Ed); The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Blood Red Sky; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Kindred Spirits; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Mika’s Choice; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – The Original; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company – Vanishing Point; The Orkney Brewery – Orkney Dark Island Reserve; Windswept Brewing Co. – WOLF of Glen Moray.

Master Brewer of the Year. Winner: Scott Williams, Williams Brothers Brewing Co. Finalists: Andrew Fulton, The Orkney Brewery; Dougal Sharp, The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company.

Breakthrough Brewery. Winner: Edinburgh Beer Factory. Finalists: Bellfield Brewery; Brew Toon; Dalrannoch Brewing Co; Merchant City Brewing Company; Redcastle Brewery; Up Front Brewing.

Emerging Brewer of the Year sponsored by ALDI. Winner: Jonathan Robinson (Digger), The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company. Finalists: Adam Gray, Merchant City Brewing Co; Thomas Willis, Redcastle Brewery.

Growth Business of the Year sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons. Winner: Stewart Brewing. Finalists: Bellfield Brewery; Fierce Beer; St Andrews Brewing Company; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company.

Innovation of the Year sponsored by Kegstar. Winner: Fyne Ales for Origins Brewing. Finalists: Bute Brew Co. for Thorough Bread Beer and the Circular Economy; Eyeball Brewing for Innovative Product Range; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company for Barrels into Beer; Williams Brothers Brewing Co. for Innovative Bottle Design.

Exporter of the Year, winner: Belhaven Brewery. Finalists: Black Isle Brewing Co; Fierce Beer; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company; WooHa Brewing Company.

Excellence in Marketing. Winner: The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company. Finalists: Cross Borders Brewing Company; Fierce Beer; Merchant City Brewing Co; Stewart Brewing; Tempest Brewing Co; Williams Brothers Brewing Co.
Product Development Team of the Year, winner: Barney’s Beer. Finalists: Cromarty Brewing Co; Dead End Brew Machine; Edinburgh Beer Factory; Tempest Brewing Co; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company.

Beer Bar of the Year, winner: six°north, Glasgow. Finalists: Barney’s Beer; Black Isle Brewing Co; Brew Toon; Old Worthy Brewing Co; Shilling Brewing Company; St Andrews Brewing Company; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company; Williams Brothers Brewing Co.

Beer Destination of the Year, winner: Edinburgh Beer Factory. Finalists: Born in the Borders; Fyne Ales; The Orkney Brewery; Stewart Brewing; Tennent’s Wellpark Brewery.

Beer Event of the Year, winner: Fyne Ales for FyneFest. Finalists: BrewDog for Collabfest; Drygate Brewing Co., West End Beer Festival, Up Front Brewing, Out of Town Brewing, Dead End Brew Machine & Gallus for Beer Makes Glasgow Festival; six°north for Midsummer Beer Happening; Tempest Brewing Co. for Springfest and Oktoberfest; Windswept Brewing Co. for Moktoberfest