After a recent review of mine about a Scottish beer called Ossian Ale, I was virtually swamped with requests for more information about Scottish beer. When I say swamped, I mean Tange and SueMagee asked.
Being the spineless, weak-willed, lily-livered hero that I am, there's no way I'm risking a savaging from the beer monster herself, and as for getting on the wrong side of Sue, well let's just say that she used to be a tax inspector, it doesn't get much scarier.

So, with that in mind, here beginneth the lesson.....

Scottish beer has developed in the particular way it has for many reasons, among which are: The distinctive quality of the local Scottish water, a strong barley growing industry both for beer and whisky, and the good trading links with the former British Empire, Northern Europe and North America. all these factors contribute towards the uniqueness of the Scottish brewing industry.

Scotland used to be famous for it's beer, in fact, during the 19th century, Edinburgh ranked alongside places such as Munich, Plzen and Burton-on-Trent in importance as a brewing centre.
In the early 1900's Edinburgh laid claim to 28 breweries, mostly packed into an area stretching from Holyrood and Abbeyhill in the East through to Fountainbridge and Gorgie/Dalry in the West. Alloa, further along the River Forth, utilized the water from the Ochil Hills and was also a major brewing centre.

Even until the 1960's, there were still 18 breweries in Edinburgh and Scottish brewers had a thriving export market. As the export trade shrank though, many companies got into difficulty and were taken over and closed down leaving two giants, Scottish & Newcastle and Tennents (the first brewery in the UK to brew lager), to totally dominate the market.
This left us in the sorry state of having two breweries in Edinburgh with only three independent breweries in the whole of Scotland. This all led to the virtual disappearance of traditional cask-conditioned ale.

It's not all doom and gloom though. Since 1980 there has been a revival with a number of new breweries bringing back some variety to the pubs and bars.

"But wait a minute, isn't Scottish beer just like English beer?" I hear you ask. "After all it's the same country really."
NO, and NO, it's not!

Scottish beers are generally more full-bodied, darker, sweeter and maltier than English beers. Hops are not grown in Scotland (it's too cold) so Scottish beers tend not to be overly bitter. There was also a wider range of ABV's in Scotland - anything from relatively weak, 'table' beers of 2-3%, particularly in the areas of heavy industry where steel-workers and ship-builders could satisfy their thirst at lunch-time without getting drunk (allegedly), to export strength brews which proved a success abroad.

Although Scotland is a heavily industrialised country, agriculture still occupies something like 15% of the land and barley remains one of the major crops. In the north of the country most of this barley ends up in the distilleries, while barley grown in the lowlands is more conducive to brewing.
As previously stated, hops just won't thrive here, so Scots historically preferred to use other bittering substances. Quite a variety of other agents were used - things like: spices (ginger and pepper), herbs and many plants.

Another factor which encouraged the different brewing methods north and south of the border was when Scotland and England joined in 1707. The Treaty of Union excluded Scotland from the malt excise tax, so ensuring that there was plenty of malt used in the brewing process.

The malt profile of Scottish ales can be further characterised by:
Cool fermentation. Being cellared at cold temperatures.
Low hopping rates. Roasted barley for colour and flavour.
Caramelisation by way of a long boil.
Very little (if any) hop flavour or aroma.

As elsewhere, beer was only ever available in cask-conditioned form until the late '50s when the dreaded keg made its appearance. This meant the pubs could offer customers a filtered and pasteurised beer with a long shelf-life (and very little flavour).
This proved popular and cask beer consumption dropped to dangerously low levels for the next few decades.

However, by the early 1980s, customer demand for better quality ale and a greater choice, coupled with the 'guest beer laws' combined to kick-start a growth in the demand for traditional ale. Micro Breweries began springing up all over Britain, including quite a few in Scotland.

Many traditional cask ales survived and now prosper, doing well on both sides of the border. The ales produced by the Orkney Brewery, Caledonian and Harviestoun are regular award winners, and a growing number of small, independent Scottish breweries have added more interest and choice to the public.

• The Shilling(/-) System •

Traditionally, Scottish ale was categorised by the price of a hogshead barrel (54 gals). This ranged from 40/- (a very light, low alcohol beer) right up to 12 and 15 Guinea ales(a guinea was 21/-).
Some of the beers in this unique categorisation were:
54/-, 60/- for light and mild beers
70/-, 80/- and 90/- for progressively stronger heavy, and export quality beers.

Obviously, through time, the cost for a hogshead cask grew far greater than 40/-, or 60/- etc, but the shilling system has to this day remained the terminolgy denoting an ale's quality and strength. In fact, this system was legally recognised under the 1914 Finance Act.

• A Special pint of Heavy Light •

Scotland was never a wealthy country and light ale - that's light in gravity, not in colour (most are extremely dark!) - was the only beer that many could reasonably afford. It was a preferable alternative to the poor quality of the drinking water. It remained the people's choice even after water quality had substantially improved, but has declined in popularity in recent years.

These days keg beer is more popularly known as light, with mid-strength brews known as special or heavy and premium ales being called export.

• India Pale Ale - IPA •

Scottish Ales always had a problem due to the hard water. Until, that is, it was realised that the very hardness of this water meant that it was some of the best in the Britain for producing India Pale Ale.
By employing IPA brewers from London and Burton who were familiar with the process, Scottish brewers were able to adapt to this new taste. Due to the quality of the ingredients and the skill and experience of brewing ales that could keep well, Scottish IPA was a more reliable product than the English variety.

IPA gradually overtook Scotch Ale in popularity, not just throughout the Empire, but also at home. By the end of the 19th century, Scotland was exporting more IPA than Scotch Ale.
Scottish IPA continues to be enjoyed for its own sake to the present day. (see Deuchars)

• Scotch Ale •

Strong Ale, or Wee Heavy, is in the much the same category (strength-wise) as barley wine as both have a very high ABV, usually 8-9%.
This is probably the best-known Scottish style abroad and it's taken as no small compliment that this style of beer is popular in Belgium - a country that occasionally produces one or two decent ales itself!

Scotland also produces its fair share of stouts, lagers and speciality beers. In fact, at this point I have to mention Heather Ales, a relatively new brewery who take ancient recipes and using traditional methods, produce modern ales with a taste of the past. They use ingredients such as elder flowers, gosseberries and heather to produce some fascinating beers.

The final word goes to The Bard - who was known to enjoy a wee refreshment on occasion.

"Here's a bottle and an honest friend! What wad ye wish for mair, man? Wha kens, afore his life may end, What his share may be o' care, man?"

Robert Burns, 1787

Sláinte

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