Scottish Beer

Nearly everywhere you go in Scotland and anybody you speak to in or outside the country - who knows their geography reasonably well, will know one major export produced by the Scots: whiskey.

Whiskey is drunk all over the world. If you have never lived in Scotland you can be forgiven for thinking the spirit flows out of every tap in the country and is the only drink they have. I have even heard Scots refer to it as Mother's Milk. Of course it was all tongue-in-cheek banter, but actually my idea of how much the Scots drank whiskey was not too far from the image the joke temporarily evoked in my mind of Scottish people. ...And yet beer, believe it or not, has been produced in Scotland for roughly five thousand years.

The Celtic tradition of using bittering herbs died in Scotland long after the rest of Europe. Historically the main breweries developed in two of the most well-known cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both cities export beer to other parts of the world, and Scottish beers if nothing else have some of the most interesting English names around. Bitter and Twisted has won several awards including Champion Beer of Scotland. It is bottled with roughly one third less carbon dioxide than most beers. As a result its taste is more natural and fresh. It is blond in colour and has a great hop profile. It combines the aromatic Hallertau Hersbrücker with the spicy Challenger. It also has a certain tinge of sharpness about it - as though a slice of lemon has been squeezed into it.

So, whether you are staying in a Dunblane hotel or a hostel in Fife, you do not have to feel compelled to only try the local whiskey. The bigger cities will most likely have a larger selection of all the Scottish beers in their pubs. Edinburgh city centre hotel for instance is not too far from the main stretch of bars and pubs the city has to offer, so do take advantage of the location, if you are ever there. Drink as many beers as you can stomach – within reason.