Scottish ales are not small beer

Scotland has become a major centre for great beer. Adrian Tierney-Jones looks at what is on offer

It's a May afternoon in the Bow Bar in Edinburgh's Grassmarket area. There's a low hum of conversation as a handful of drinkers grab a pint before the end-of-work rush.

Despite its traditional pubby appearance– brewery mirrors line the wall alongside framed posters of long forgotten Edinburgh breweries – the Bow was once a shop and only converted in the 1990s.

However, whatever its age the pub's place in Scottish beer history is assured – it was the first outlet for Scotland's current national ale: Deuchars IPA. It was here in these airy and well-lit confines that Deuchars was tested out on the city's drinkers by its maker Caledonian Brewery.

It's still there, alongside an excellent selection of beers, which show off both the past and present of Scottish ales. Deuchars IPA is very much of now – a light coloured, hoppy, floral, exceedingly drinkable beer with plenty of flavour and aroma.

At 3.8% ABV it's light in alcohol, so you can have several pints without feeling the worse for wear next morning. In 2001 it was the Champion Beer of Great Britain, the first time for years that a Scottish beer had gained that accolade.

Or you might want to try something like Atlas Brewery's Three Sisters. This is closer to the more traditional style of beer usually associated with Scotland: dark and rich with plenty of chocolate, coffee and malty flavours.

Beers like these are not just found in the metropolitan hotpot of Auld Reekie, as 19th century Edinburgh used to be called d...

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• By : Adrian Tierney-Jones
• In : Drinks
• Issue : 26
• Page : 28
• Words : 1,352