Please upgrade to the latest version of Flash Player.

Click here if you already have Flash Player installed.

Scottish Beer

Scotland has nurtured a unique brewing culture for much of its history. Scottish brewers were very active in exporting beer around the globe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Despite the variety of beers produced in Scotland over the last few centuries, one particular flavor profile emerged as the characteristic style of the land

A major crop of Scotland is Barley. Barley produced in the north of Scotland most often becomes Scotch whiskey while that grown in the south is better suited to the making of beer.

In contrast to barley, hops refuse to flourish in Scotland. Long after the English had conceded to use hops, the Scots continued to prefer other bittering substances Such as ginger, pepper, spices and aromatic herbs.”

As a result of these influences, we today recognize four styles of beer that hail from Scotland. Three are called Scottish ales and the fourth style is known as Scotch ale.

McEwan's Scotch Ale

• *McEwan’s Scotch Ale is the name which the keg 70/- product of S&N is sold into the market in the North East of England. It is mild strength and gassy.
• McEwan’s 70/- is the real ale version of the above - otherwise known as ‘Special’
• McEwan’s 80/- is a cask conditioned strong Scottish Ale otherwise known as ‘heavy’
• McEwan’s Lager was introduced in the 1970s as lager became more popular. It was discontinued in 2003.
• McEwan’s Export is a strong, caramelised dark beer originally made for export. It remains one of the most popular canned or bottled beers in Scotland. It is famous for its various logos “To copy is forgery” and “quality and Strength” and “only ever made in Edinburgh, Scotland”.

William McEwan opened the Fountain Brewery in 1856, in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh. By the time it became in public company in 1889, the brewery was valued at £1 million. At the beginning of the 1900s, the brewery had a large share of the market throughout Scotland and north-east England, and was exporting to Australia, New Zealand India and South Africa. McEwan’s merged with William Younger’s Brewery (founded in Edinburgh in 1749) in 1931, becoming Scottish Brewers. The company merged again in 1960, joining with Newcastle Breweries to form Scottish & Newcastle.

In February 2004 Scottish & Newcastle announced the closure of McEwan’s Brewery, at the same time as partially buying Caledonian Brewery in Slateford, Edinburgh. McEwan’s brewery finally closed in June 2005, with production of the McEwan’s and Younger’s beers being transferred to Caledonian.

Its logo depicts a character from a Frans Hals painting known popularly as The Laughing Cavalier enjoying the beer.