Beer in Scotland
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Beer in Scotland is mostly produced by breweries in the central Lowlands, which also contain the main centres of population. Edinburgh and Alloa in particular became noted for the export of beer around the world in the 19th century.
History
Brewing in Scotland goes back 5,000 years; it is suggested that ale could have been made from barley at Skara Brae and at other sites dated to the Neolithic. The ale would have been flavoured with meadowsweet in the manner of a kvass or gruit made by various North European tribes including the Celts and the Picts. The ancient Greek Pytheas remarked in 325 BC that the inhabitants of Caledonia were skilled in the art of brewing a potent beverage.[1][2]
The use of bittering herbs such as
Even though ancient brewing techniques and ingredients remained in use later in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, the general pattern of development was the same, with brewing mainly in the hands of "broustaris", or alewives, and monasteries, just as it was throughout Europe; though, as with brewing ingredients, the trend was for developments to move more slowly. The
However, after the Acts of Union 1707, new commercial opportunities emerged that proved a substantial stimulus to Scottish brewers. Tax on beer was lower than in other parts of the United Kingdom, and there was no tax on malt in Scotland – this gave Scottish brewers a financial advantage. During the 18th century some of the best-remembered names in Scottish brewing established themselves, such as William Younger in Edinburgh, Robert & Hugh Tennent in Glasgow, and George Younger in Alloa. In Dunbar in 1719, for example, Dudgeon & Company's Belhaven Brewery was founded. Scottish brewers, especially those in Edinburgh, were about to rival the biggest brewers in the world.
Some available information from brewing and trade records shows that brewers in the
Charles McMaster, the "leading historian of the Scottish brewing industry" according to Roger Protz,
Some writers, such as Pete Brown in Man Walks into a Pub, believe that beer brewed in Scotland developed to be significantly different from beer brewed in England. The belief is that hops were used sparingly, and that the shilling designation was uniquely Scottish. However, a single pair of records can be cited indicating a similar use of hops in a Scottish pale ale to an English one. Dr John Harrison in Old British Beers gave a recipe for the English brewery Brakspear's 1865 50/- Pale Ale in which 1.8 oz of hops are used per imperial gallon (11 grams per litre),[11] which compares with the Scottish brewery W. Younger's 1896 Ale No 3 (Pale) that also uses 1.8 oz of hops per imperial gallon.[12]
Scotch ales
"Scotch ale" was first used as a designation for strong ales exported from Edinburgh in the 18th century.[13] The term has become popular in the US, where strong ales with low hop levels and a malty sweetness which may be available in Scotland under a different name are sold in America as "Scotch ales" and "Scottish ales".[14] As with other examples of strong ales, such as barley wine, these beers tend toward sweetness from residual sugars, malty notes, and full bodies.[15]
Scotch ales are an accepted style in Belgium: Gordon's Highland Scotch Ale, with its thistle-shaped glass is a well-known example, produced by the British-connected John Martin Brewery.
Craft brewing
Since 2003,
Inspired by US craft brewers,
Shilling categories
The
While the shilling names were never pinned down to exact strength ranges, and Scottish brewers today produce beers under the shilling names in a variety of strengths, it was largely understood that:[3]
- Light
- (60/-) was under 3.5% abv
- Heavy
- (70/-) was between 3.5% and 4.0% abv
- Export
- (80/-) was between 4.0% and 5.5% abv
- Wee heavy
- (90/-) was over 6.0% abv
- (/- is read as "shilling" as in "a pint of eighty-shilling, please". The "/-" was the symbol used for "shillings exactly", that is, shillings and zero pence, in the pre-decimal £sd British currency, so the names are read as "60 (or 70 or 80) shilling ale". Terminology for beer expressed the amount only in shillings rather than in pounds and shillings. See also solidus.)
The "wee heavy" (named because it was typically sold in bottles in "nips" of 6 fluid ounces)
Breweries in Scotland
See also
- Beer in the United Kingdom
- Tall fount
References
- ^ A history of beer and brewing By Ian Spencer Hornsey, Royal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain)
- ^ The Ale Trail (1995)Rodger Protz
- ^ a b c Gilmour, Alastair (2012). "Scotland". In Garrett Oliver (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). New York City: Oxford University Press Inc. pp. 1174–1176.
- ISBN 1-874744-88-2
- ^ "Cervoiserie Lancelot". Ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ "Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)". Ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ISBN 0748602763, pp. 172–3.
- ^ William Younger's and Usher's brewing records at the Scottish Brewing Archive
- ^ "origins of pale ale and india pale ale". beer-pages.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ISBN 1-899163-46-8
- ISBN 978-0-9517752-1-9.
- ^ William Younger's brewing records at the Scottish Brewing Archive
- ^ The Younger Centuries, by David Keir, 1951, page 22
- ^ "Caledonian Edinburgh Scotch Ale from Caledonian (S&N, Heineken), an English Strong Ale style beer". Ratebeer.com. 5 November 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ "Ale Styles Guide – IPA & Ale Beer Styles | Beer of the Month Club". The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ Naylor, Tony (3 March 2010). "Big thirst for small beer". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ a b "The Shilling System". Scottish Brewing. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ Usher's brewing records at the Scottish Brewing Archive
- ^ Maclay's brewing records at the Scottish Brewing Archive
- ^ Steel Coulson production records at the Scottish Brewing Archive
Sources
- Martyn Cornell Beer: The Story of The Pint
- Merryn Dineley 2004 'Barley, Malt and Ale in the Neolithic' BAR S1213 John & Erica Hedges, Oxbow Books
- Michael Jackson The World Guide to Beer