Tour: Stewart Brewing
Last weekend, Matt and I took a trip down to explore the historical sights of Edinburgh. Not only is it home to a growing number of craft breweries and heaps of unique bars; Edinburgh also houses the only university to offer a formal degree in brewing and distilling: Heriot Watt. You'll probably be surprised to discover how many of your favorite breweries have been pioneered by the expert alumni of this course. One of these breweries currently taking the Edinburgh craft beer scene by storm is Stewart Brewing.
Started by husband and wife team Steve and Jo Stewart in 2004, the brewery is situated on an industrial estate just a short bus ride from the heart of the city. Here, Stewart Brewing opens their doors every Thursday and Friday night between 7-9 pm to show off their ever expanding custom built brewery, their exclusive craft beer kitchen and to share their truly delicious craft beers.
Tours are £15pp. A price which includes snacks, a branded glass, loads of beers and the invaluable opportunity to pick the brains of your expert guide. Tours are for a minimum of 6 people, so give them a ring in advance and tag along with another group if you, like us, often find yourself on a lonely quest for craft.
Our tour guide, Alex, was brilliant! A second year student at Heriot Watt, what he didn't know about the brewing process wasn't worth knowing. His passion for the subject was clearly evident and it was great to hear all about his favorite beers. Before starting the tour, Alex offered us a choice of beers from the extensive tap selection and invited us to keep refilling as the tour went on.
The brewery itself is the second home of Stewart Brewing. Originally in a much smaller site on the estate, they were unable to support the growing demand for their beers. Thankfully, a much larger site became available and the installation of a custom built 50 hectolitre brew kit means Stewart Brewing now not only have the space they need to brew and experiment, but also the potential to expand further in the future. As we were shown around the brewery, Alex explained in detail each of the steps of the brewing process and expertly answered questions. It was great to see the link between the beer in your hand with the process in front of you.
After our tour of the brewery, Alex told us all about Stewart Brewing's Craft Kitchen. It's a totally unique experience (first in the UK) whereby members of the public can use the facilities at Stewart Brewing and, guided by expert brewers, they can brew, bottle and bespoke label their very own beer! (You better believe we're going back to make us some beer!)
Finally, we cracked open some of Stewart Brewing's award winning bottled beers and sampled a few more of the draught offerings. Everyone found something they liked and it was great to hear everyone's opinions on each of the beers. Here's a quick run down of what we were able to try:
Yep. All those beers. The glass. The tour. The snacks. The unreal selection of craft beer. Our brilliant tour guide Alex. All for £15. So not only was this a brilliant experience and insight into the brewery, it was also a bargain. The perfect introduction to craft beer right on the doorstep of Edinburgh.
Started by husband and wife team Steve and Jo Stewart in 2004, the brewery is situated on an industrial estate just a short bus ride from the heart of the city. Here, Stewart Brewing opens their doors every Thursday and Friday night between 7-9 pm to show off their ever expanding custom built brewery, their exclusive craft beer kitchen and to share their truly delicious craft beers.
Tours are £15pp. A price which includes snacks, a branded glass, loads of beers and the invaluable opportunity to pick the brains of your expert guide. Tours are for a minimum of 6 people, so give them a ring in advance and tag along with another group if you, like us, often find yourself on a lonely quest for craft.
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| Tap selection at the brewery |
Our tour guide, Alex, was brilliant! A second year student at Heriot Watt, what he didn't know about the brewing process wasn't worth knowing. His passion for the subject was clearly evident and it was great to hear all about his favorite beers. Before starting the tour, Alex offered us a choice of beers from the extensive tap selection and invited us to keep refilling as the tour went on.
The brewery itself is the second home of Stewart Brewing. Originally in a much smaller site on the estate, they were unable to support the growing demand for their beers. Thankfully, a much larger site became available and the installation of a custom built 50 hectolitre brew kit means Stewart Brewing now not only have the space they need to brew and experiment, but also the potential to expand further in the future. As we were shown around the brewery, Alex explained in detail each of the steps of the brewing process and expertly answered questions. It was great to see the link between the beer in your hand with the process in front of you.
Stewart's branded fermentation vessels (left) and kegging station (right)
After our tour of the brewery, Alex told us all about Stewart Brewing's Craft Kitchen. It's a totally unique experience (first in the UK) whereby members of the public can use the facilities at Stewart Brewing and, guided by expert brewers, they can brew, bottle and bespoke label their very own beer! (You better believe we're going back to make us some beer!)
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| An impressive display of some of the custom labels created in the beer kitchen |
Finally, we cracked open some of Stewart Brewing's award winning bottled beers and sampled a few more of the draught offerings. Everyone found something they liked and it was great to hear everyone's opinions on each of the beers. Here's a quick run down of what we were able to try:
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| Not Your Buddy, Guy Canaddian Breakfast Stout and Stewart Brewing souvenir glass |
- Stewart's Lager (4%) Lager - Draught
- Hollyrood (5%) Pale ale - Draught
- St Giles (5%) Scotch ale - Draught
- Edinburgh Gold (4.8%) Golden ale - Draught
- Ka Pai (5.2%) Pale ale - Draught
- Radical Road (6.4%) Triple Hopped IPA - Draught
- First World Problems (6.2%) Belgian IPA - Draught/Can
- Not Your Buddy, Guy (6.8%) Canadian Breakfast Stout
- Skeleton Blues (5.2%) Wheat beer
- Cauld Reekie (6.2%) Stout
- Chocolate Orange Stout (4.6%) - Milk Stout - Draught
- Cross the Line (4.6%) English Bitter - Draught
- Jack Back (3.7%) Session Pale ale - Draught
- Corpse Reviver (5.9%) Sour ale - Bottle
Yep. All those beers. The glass. The tour. The snacks. The unreal selection of craft beer. Our brilliant tour guide Alex. All for £15. So not only was this a brilliant experience and insight into the brewery, it was also a bargain. The perfect introduction to craft beer right on the doorstep of Edinburgh.
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