A toast to Edinburgh’s next brewing frontier

Lower alcohol consumption sparks brewers to award-winning efforts in Lothians

James (front) and the team from Brulo: Pic by Brulo

Edinburgh has a rich brewing history; beer has been made here since the 12th century when the monks at Holyrood Abbey took advantage of nearby spring water, and at its peak in the 19th century the city was home to 38 breweries. If you will pardon the pun, that’s no small beer, writes Sarah McArthur.

The iconic McEwan Hall was funded by a brewer, and the Scottish Parliament sits on the site of an old brewery. Edinburgh was even home to Britain’s first ever lager in 1835, although it never took off for several decades. And as recently as the past few decades, from almost any position within the city centre you could detect the aroma of hops and malts.

Beer was big business in Scotland’s Capital.

Small beer, incidentally, refers to beer of low strength and poor quality - and the phrase has been around for centuries to describe ales drunk as a safer alternative to dirty water supplies.