The finalists in the 6th annual Scottish Beer Awards have been announced with 28 breweries and 233 beers all brewed in Scotland progressing to the finals of the national competition sponsored by Aldi.
A total of 306 entered beers were marked across a range of quality standards as part of a wide-ranging blind tasting assessed by 34 judges. The judging day event, which took place just over two weeks ago in Edinburgh, was managed by the international sensory management consultancy, Cara Technology.
The Scottish Beer Awards is one of the UK’s most comprehensive and highly regarded beer competitions which assesses both taste and business performance. A 45-strong judging panel consists of some of Scotland’s foremost brewing and beer business experts with individuals also drawn from the rest of the UK.
23 out of 36 breweries which entered the competition have secured a medal which are presented to each of the top three ranking beers in each category. This indicates that Scotland has a diverse and increasingly high-quality brewing scene. Leading the race to the medals is Stewart Brewing celebrating 23 beers in the finals. Aberdeen’s Fierce Beer is next with 21 beers and Williams Bros Brewing has 18 beers in the final line up. All the winners will be announced at a celebratory event in October.
The programme is chaired by Hilary Jones, former Quality Director of S&N. She commented;
“To make it to the finals of any beer awards which are conducted as blind tasting is a huge achievement. Beers must be marked consistently highly, and I'm delighted to say that around 60% of the beers entered this year were scored very highly indeed. This percentage has risen year on year since the competition began in 2016, and, complemented by the business awards, shows clearly the strength and health of the brewing industry in Scotland. This is particularly impressive considering what the whole industry has been through in the last couple of years.”
Finalists are now being sent a digital marketing package to enable personalised branding of finalist beers and promotion of their medal status to their customer base. The finalists will also receive branding support in Aldi supermarkets in Scotland which also supports the sector with its regular Scottish Beer Festivals.
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, commented:
“Despite the challenges of the last year, The Scottish Beer Awards proves that Scotland’s beer industry continues to thrive. We are very proud at Aldi to support brewers and their continued success particularly after the challenges of the last year. The quality of the beer produced in Scotland is world class and will continue to dominate our selection, particularly as part of our regular Scottish Beer Festivals. We wish all the finalists the very best of luck in this year’s competition.”
All medal winners and business award winners will be announced at an industry event and gourmet beer-paired dinner on Friday 8 October at the Glasgow Doubletree by Hilton hotel. Tickets cost £120.00 + VAT per person or £1,200.00 + VAT for a table of 10. Digital tickets to watch the event live from home are also available. For full details visit www.scottishbeerawards.co.uk.
#scotbeerawards21
Full List of Finalists:
Scottish Brewery of the Year
Bellfield Brewery
Cold Town Beer
Drygate Brewing
Fierce Beer
Tennent Caledonian
Windswept Brewing Co.
Scottish Brewer of the Year sponsored by Close Brothers
Euan MacEachren, Loch Lomond Brewery
Peter Sansom, Drygate Brewing
Trevor Sproule, Brew Toon
Best Lager
Bellfield Brewery, Marzen Festival Lager
Bellfield Brewery, Craft Lager
Brew Toon, Weekend Hooker
Drygate Brewing, Bearface Lager
Innis & Gunn, Innis & Gunn Lager
Loch Lomond Brewery, Helles Glen
Stewart Brewing, Stewarts Lager
Tennent Caledonian, Tennents Lager
Tennent Caledonian, Tennents Light lager
Top Out Brewery, Kellerbier
WEST, St. Mungo
WEST, Munich Red
WEST, WEST 4
WEST, DRK
Williams Bros, Caesar Augustus
Best Pale Ale
Cross Borders Brewing, Braw
Dog Falls Brewing Co, Inside Line
Dookit Brewing Co, Southside Pale
Fyne Ales, Avalanche
Loch Lomond Brewery, Southern Summit
Six°North, Echelon
Stewart Brewing, Ka Pai
Stewart Brewing, Small Giant
Stewart Brewing, Hollyrood
The Ferry Brewery, Ferry Pale
Top Out Brewery, Gipfel
WEST, GPA
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Talking Head
Winton Brewery, Barryswally
Best IPA
Aldi, Aldi’s Anti Establishment IPA
Bellfield Brewery, Jex-Blake Mosaic IPA
Bellfield Brewery, Lawless Village IPA
Bellfield Brewery, Rational Creatures IPA
Born Brewery, Born Brewery IPA
Cross Borders Brewing, India Pale Ale
Dog Falls Brewing Co, Resinate
Drygate Brewing Co, Gladeye IPA
Drygate Brewing Co, Crossing the Rubicon
Fierce Beer, Fierce IPA
Fyne Ales, Workbench IPA
Loch Lomond Brewery, Lost in Mosaic
Stewart Brewing, New Relic
Stewart Brewing, Masterplan
Stewart Brewing, Radical Road
The Ferry Brewery, West Coast
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Tin Man
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Ten Cents
Winton Brewery, Peelywally
Best Session Beer
Cross Borders Brewing, Wee Braw
Dog Falls Brewing Co, Colloidoscope
Drygate Brewing Co, Seven Peaks
Fierce Beer, Field of Simcoe
Fierce Beer, Heffen Heff
Innis & Gunn, Session IPA
Loch Lomond Brewery, Zoom Time
Six°North, Omnium
Stewart Brewing, Session IPA
The Ferry Brewery, Dunkelweizen
The Ferry Brewery, 3 Bridges
WEST, Heidi-Weisse
Windswept Brewing Co, Hurricane
Best Pilsner
Bellfield Brewery, Bohemian Pilsner
Bellfield Brewery, Three Rivers Pils
Cold Town Beer, Cold Town Lager
Drygate Brewing Co, Kelvin Pilsner
Harviestoun Brewery, Schiehallion
Six°North, Peloton Pilsner
The Ferry Brewery, Ferry Pils
WEST, Feirerabend
Best Juicy or Hazy Beer
Brew Toon, Juicy Belter
Brew Toon, Mayday!
Cold Town Beer, New England IPA
Cross Borders Brewing, Oatmeal Pale Ale
Dog Falls Brewing Co, Split the Tree
Drygate Brewing Co, Unsmashable
Fierce Beer, Late Shift
Fierce Beer, Stuff and Nonsense
Fierce Beer, Fierce Hazy IPA
Overtone Brewing Co, Mosaic Oat Cream
Overtone Brewing Co, Ella-Mentary
Six°North, Crab With The Golden Claw
Stewart Brewing, Clara Rosa
Stewart Brewing, Skeleton Blues
Stewart Brewing, Hazy IPA
The Ferry Brewery, SunKiss
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Juice Tiger
Winton Brewery, Mon Then!
Best Imperial or Double IPA
Drygate Brewing Co, Double Disco
Fierce Beer, Fancy Juice 4
Overtone Brewing Co, Heavy Pop
Overtone Brewing Co, PLUR
Six°North, Arenberg
The Ferry Brewery, Ferry Juice Double IPA
Up Front Brewing, Mosaic And Strata Nectar IPA
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Sapien
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Double Joker IPA
Best British Style Ale sponsored by Wolffe
Born Brewery, Born Brewery Dark
Cross Borders Brewing, What the FX! Export Ale
Cross Borders Brewing, Heavy
Fyne Ales, Hurricane Jack
Harviestoun Brewery, Bitter & Twisted
Innis & Gunn, Inveralmond Ossian
Isle of Arran Brewery, Arran Blonde
Stewart Brewing, St Giles
Stewart Brewing, Edinburgh Gold
Stewart Brewing, Stewarts 80/-
The Ferry Brewery, 40/- Fine
WEST, G40
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Fraoch
Windswept Brewing Co, Wolf
Windswept Brewing Co, Blonde
Best Amber or Dark Ale
Born Brewery, Born Brewery Amber
Brew Toon, The J’Ale
Dog Falls Brewing Co, Red Hook
Fyne Ales, Vital Spark
Top Out Brewery, Altbier
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Pavlov's Dog
Best Porter
Bellfield Brewery, Daft Days Porter
Dookit Brewing Co, Beelzebub
Fierce Beer, Café Racer
Stewart Brewing, Gallus Porter
The Ferry Brewery, Milkshake Porter
The Ferry Brewery, Sugar Bush, Maple Porter (John Martine Series)
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Midnight Sun
Windswept Brewing Co, Clavie
Best Stout
Drygate Brewing Co, Coco Noco
Drygate Brewing Co, Orinoco
Fierce Beer, Moose Mousse
Loch Lomond Brewery, Silkie Stout
Loch Lomond Brewery, Mocha Doodle Dhu
The Ferry Brewery, Oatmeal Stout
Williams Bros Brewing Co, March Of The Penguins
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Chokka Blokka
Windswept Brewing Co Ltd, 1806
Windswept Brewing Co Ltd, Witch Pricker
Best Amplified Beer sponsored by Cara Technology
Cross Borders Brewing, Bier Gegen Profitgier $E£
Drygate Brewing Co, Nightmare of Cake 2021 Edition
Fierce Beer, Big Chomp
Fierce Beer, Very Big Moose
Fierce Beer, Big Night In Part 1
Fierce Beer, Big Night In Part 2
Fyne Ales, Mills & Hills
Glasgow Beer Works, Jaggery Imperial Stout
Innis & Gunn, The Original
Loch Lomond Brewery, Waiting for the Rain
Six°North, Chapeau
The Ferry Brewery, Marty, Imperial Milk Porter (John Martine Series)
The Ferry Brewery, Big John, Imperial Nut Porter (John Martine Series)
Best Sour
Brew Toon, Sour House
Fierce Beer, Dark Amber Sour
Fierce Beer, Lots of Nelson
Fyne Ales Origins Brewing, Home 2019
Fyne Ales Origins Brewing, Nàdar Celeia
Fyne Ales Origins Brewing, Nàdar Jester
Best Fruited Sour
Brew Toon, Dark Fruit
Brew Toon, Sour to the People
Brew Toon, Cherry Crush
Drygate Brewing Co, Analogue Rock Watermelon and Basil
Drygate Brewing Co, Trinitone Blast Calamansi
Fierce Beer, All Gose South
Fierce Beer, Wild Stone Fruit Sour
Top Out Brewery, First Ascents - Scarlet Sour
Top Out Brewery, Triple Lemon Sour
Up Front Brewing, DAS IST TECHNO SEX
Up Front Brewing, Scottish Blackcurrants
Up Front Brewing, Imperial Passionfruit And Kalamansi Gose
Windswept Brewing Co, SUMMIT SOUR
Winton Brewery, OH YA CAN'T (make a cherry sour this guid!)
Winton Brewery, OH YA BASSA
Best Fruit Forward Beer
Aldi, Aldi’s Memphis Boulevard
Brew Toon, Mango Unchained
Brew Toon, Raspberry Carronade
Brew Toon, Pineapple Pils
Cold Town Beer, Pornstar Martini Ale
Drygate Brewing Co, Rancho Rosa
Drygate Brewing Co, Jammy Bastart
Drygate Brewing Co, Disco Forklift Truck
Drygate Brewing Co, Orange Gates of the West
Fierce Beer, Cranachan Killer
Fierce Beer, Fierce Rhubarb
Loch Lomond Brewery, Exiting Piers
Six°North, Framboise
Six°North, Maglia Rosa
Stewart Brewing, Island Getaway
Stewart Brewing, Bellini Brut
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Paolo
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Roisin
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Rubus
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Che Guava
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Otis
Windswept Brewing Co Ltd, Citrus Tsunami
Best Low or No Alcohol Beer
Harviestoun Brewery, Wheesht
Jump Ship Brewing, Yardarm
Jump Ship Brewing, Flying Colours
Jump Ship Brewing, Goosewing IPA
Tennent Caledonian, Tennent’s Zero
WEST, Nix
Best Speciality Beer
Cross Borders Brewing, Liberté, Égalité, Pas de Frais Cachés!
Dog Falls Brewing Co, Awaroa
Drygate Brewing Co, Dessert Menu: Christmas Pudding
Drygate Brewing Co, Big Dumb Object
Six°North, Brevet
Six°North, Hopclassic
Stewart Brewing, First World Problems
The Ferry Brewery, Belgian Saison
Williams Bros Brewing Co, Ginger
Best Barrel Aged Beer
Drygate Brewing Co, Crimson Corsair
Drygate Brewing Co, Can I Just Shock You?
Fierce Beer, B.A Maple VBM
Fierce Beer, B.A Imperial Café Racer
Fyne Ales, Deep Space Echo
Fyne Ales, Cognac Barrel-Aged Mills & Hills
Fyne Ales, Moscatel Barrel-Aged Mills & Hills
Glasgow Beer Works, Ex-Bourbon Whisky Cask Aged Jaggery Imperial Stout
Glasgow Beer Works, Glenfarclas Cask Aged Jaggery Imperial Stout
Innis & Gunn, VP05
Innis & Gunn, Caribbean Rum Cask
Innis & Gunn, Islay Whisky Cask Laphroaig
Isle of Arran Brewery, Milestone - Special Reserve
Overtone Brewing Co, Twisted Sense
The Ferry Brewery, Black Bourbon (John Martine Series)
Windswept Brewing Co, Wolf of Glen Moray
Windswept Brewing Co, Bear
Beer Bar of the Year
Bellfield Brewery and Tap Room
Cold Town House
WEST on the Green
Winton Brewery Tap Room
Excellence in Branding
Bellfield Brewery
Cold Town Beer
Dookit Brewing Co.
Glasgow Beer Works
JUMP SHIP BREWING LTD
Overtone Brewing Co.
Six°North
Stewart Brewing
The Ferry Brewery
Top Out Brewery
Consumer Engagement Excellence Award
Brew Toon
Cold Town Beer
Dog Falls Brewing Co
Fyne Ales
Harviestoun Brewery
WEST
Windswept Brewing Co Ltd
Product Development Team of the Year sponsored by Muntons
Cold Town Beer
Cross Borders Brewing Company
FIERCE BEER
Loch Lomond Brewery
Stewart Brewing
Williams Bros Brewing Co
Excellence In Social Media
Aldi
Bellfield Brewery
Brew Toon
Cold Town Beer
Sustainable Brewery of the Year
Arran Brewery
Tennent Caledonian Breweries