SCOTLAND has a storied history in alcohol production – it is the home of the “water of life”, hundreds of whisky and gin distilleries, and its oldest working brewery, Belhaven, still stands in Dunbar more than 400 years after it was established.
The industry is an integral part of what the Scottish Government describes as “Brand Scotland”, telling the “authentic story of Scotland” by sharing the nation’s rich culture and history of innovation, progressiveness and determination with the world through local businesses that embody what it means to be Scottish.
While the distilling industry has historically dominated Scotland’s food and drink industry, craft beer breweries have exploded in popularity over the past decade, with the industry growing in size by 229% between 2010 and 2018, bringing tourists and employment to rural and urban locations across the country, from the Borders to the Highlands and Islands.
And these breweries are playing a key role in Scotland’s journey towards net zero.
Behind most of the breweries are a small team of locals, often family members with a passion for local produce, creativity and great tasting beer. Situated just outside of Edinburgh, Stewart Brewing has become a powerhouse in the city, having a presence in more than 700 pubs across the UK, mainly in Edinburgh and the Central Belt, and its own bar at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, selling pints to festival goers at the world-famous Pleasance Courtyard.
Its brewing story began in 1998 in founders Steve and Jo Stewart’s living room where the first recipes were dreamed up and the first brew kit assembled. Over the next few years, the couple gradually worked towards an expansion, securing their first industrial location in 2002 and launching their first range of cask beers in 2004.
By 2013, they had expanded to their current brewhouse in Loanhead, just outside of Edinburgh, expanding the premises to include a beer and pizza kitchen, a “brew it yourself” experience and a brewery shop. They now have a team of more than 50 staff working across the business, and distribute their beers across the UK.
Their story follows a similar theme to many of Scotland’s new breweries – family ownership, a mix of innovation and tradition, and a focus on sustainability and locality.
Steve and Jo said: “For us, brewing has always been about innovation, quality, and community. Sustainability plays a huge role in that.”
Sustainability is of particular concern for breweries, not only because of the immediate risks of climate change, but because global warming is expected to make the production of beer more difficult and expensive, while also making beer taste worse.
In Europe, summers are getting hotter and drier which is expected to cause a decline in quality and availability of European hops, making them more expensive and altering their taste, according to research by the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Cambridge University.
Stewart Brewing has committed to reducing its carbon footprint through 570 solar panels installed on the brewery’s roof, and “cutting edge” carbon capture technology installed to catch and store the CO2 released during the fermentation process to then be used later on to carbonate its beers.
The brewer is now even selling excess CO2 to local business to reuse, improving its carbon footprint and helping the Scottish Government to reach its net zero ambitions.
Steve and Jo continued: “We’re constantly looking at ways to reduce our impact, whether it’s through solar power, carbon capture or supporting local farmers. The future of brewing needs to be greener, and we’re proud to be leading the way in making that a reality.
“At Stewart Brewing, sustainability isn’t just about what we do today, it’s about ensuring we can keep brewing great beer for generations to come”. Heading west, the Arran Brewery has set its goals on reclaiming some of the romance in the trade. Head brewer Yorick Hinchliffe is taking on the trials and tribulations faced by the small island brewery.
He explained it can be “very challenging” due to the significant costs and sometimes unreliable timings of ferries and the lack of available housing on the island that makes it difficult to attract staff.
But despite the challenges, Arran also offers some incredible benefits. What makes Arran special for brewing is the island’s “irreplaceable water quality” which is “as pure as you can get”, containing a significant amount of key minerals that can improve the quality of the beer.
Hinchliffe told us that the brewery’s signature twist on the usual craft brewery formula is that every step of the brewing process is done step-by-step, by hand, by the head brewer and his team, which he believes restores some of the “romance of brewing” that has been lost in the modern era with an increasing presence of automated systems and machinery.
Part of this romance found at Arran, and many other projects, is that it’s family-run. While Hinchliffe said that he enjoyed the family project as it allowed him far more “unprofessionalism than normal”, in that he’s able to “get away with swearing at [the] boss” who also happens to be his father, he also shares that they are probably “all the way off the scale on the side of countless arguments” with everyone having different visions for the brewery, but ultimately, the team rallies around the final decision of managing director, “the patriarch” of the brewery and Hinchliffe’s father-in-law, Gerald. VisitScotland’s acting head of insight, Jacqui Souter, said: “Scotland is known the world over for whisky, but the appeal of craft beer is a growing draw for visitors with many Scottish breweries offering visitor experiences.
“History and culture are among the main reasons for visiting our country and trying our nation’s food and drink is one of the biggest drivers for UK visitors planning a trip just now.
“People on holiday really appreciate when our modern producers keep our authentic flavours and traditions alive to get a true taste of Scotland.
“Craft brewing is a great example of the visitor economy benefitting multiple industries, from tourism businesses and breweries, to pubs, restaurants and retail.”
