Scotland’s Top Brewers Crowned at 4th Annual Scottish Beer Awards

20/09/2019

The national awards programme for Scottish brewing has revealed the best brewing businesses and products in its 4th annual competition. 

Following a detailed judging process involving 35 expert tasters and business judges who assessed nearly 300 Scottish beers and 45 brewing businesses, the winners of 2019 Scottish Beer Awards were revealed in Edinburgh last night.

Edinburgh-based Stewart Brewing was crowned Scottish Brewery of the Year for the second consecutive year after achieving a record year of business growth in turnover, exports and product development.  

The independent brewery was also presented with the Exporter of the Year and Product Development Team of the Year awards, as well as taking away a gold and two silver medals in the taste competition.

They were followed closely by Fierce Beer who triumphed in the taste awards again this year taking home 8 taste medals, including three gold medals.   There was also recognition for their head brewer, Dominique Bongers, who collected the coveted Brewer of the Year award after the judging panel specifically recognised her knowledge, innovation and skills only one year into the job.  

Brewing giants BrewDog collected the top taste award of the night, Beer of the Year, for their Sleekit Sour beer.  They also collected five gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals, including all 3 medals in the sour beer category following the launch of BrewDog Overworks sours plant earlier this year.

Over 350 people celebrated at the annual fixture for the brewing industry which followed a trade show and conference with speakers from the USA and Germany.  

Hilary Jones, chair of the judging panel commented;

“The Scottish Beer Awards is now a firm fixture in the Scottish Brewing calendar.  It is encouraging to see the sector’s continued growth and to welcome both newcomers and well-established brewers into this independent and well-respected  ​event.  2019’s competition has again showcased the first-class products that are being brewed right here in Scotland, as well as recognising some impressive business achievements of the great people who make up our industry.  On behalf of the judging panel, I extend many congratulations to all the winners and finalists in this year’s competition.”

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, ALDI Scotland, commented: 

“We are proud to be headline sponsors of the Scottish Beer Awards for the 4th consecutive year and are privileged to work with so many of the Scottish breweries recognised at this year’s awards.  Scottish beer continues in its popularity and in our 25th year of having a presence in Scotland, we are especially pleased to be a part of the ongoing success of the Scottish brewing sector and look forward to working in partnership with more breweries than ever.

“The quality of beer being produced in Scotland continues to be amongst the best in the world.  We congratulate this year’s winner of the Beer of the Year award, BrewDog OverWorks,  along with all finalists and very worthy winners this evening.”

Other winners on the night included newcomers from Dundee, 71 Brewing who were presented with the judges award for Breakthrough Brewery, Best Beer Experience and 3 taste awards for their Pale Ale Cloud Fall, Neipa Here Nor There beer and Dundonian Pilsner.  

The awards were also a fundraiser for two charities; The BEN, the Benevolent Society of the Licensed Trade of Scotland and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by rugby legend Doddie Weir to help improve the lives of those affected by Motor Neurone Disease.

THE WINNERS IN FULL

Business Awards

Scottish Brewery of the Year sponsored by Bruce Stevenson Insurance Company

Stewart Brewing

Breakthrough Brewery

71 Brewing

Brewer of the Year sponsored by Close Brothers Brewery Rentals

Dominique Bongers, Fierce Beer

Growth Business of the Year

Fierce Beer

Exporter of the Year

Stewart Brewing

Excellence in Marketing

The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Product Development Team of the Year sponsored by Muntons

Stewart Brewing

Best Beer Experience sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons

71 Brewing

Best Beer Event

BrewDog AGM

Taste Awards

Best Lager 

GOLD Munich Red; West Brewery 

SILVER Franz Lager; Stewart Brewing

BRONZE St Mungo; West Brewery 

Finalists

Cashmere Lager ; Overtone Brewing

Craft Lager; Bellfield Brewery

Craft Lager; Williams Bros Brewing Co

DRK; West Brewery 

Innis & Gunn Lager Beer; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Marshall Amped Up Lager; Williams Bros Brewing Co

Paolozzi; Edinburgh Beer Factory

Schiehallion; Harviestoun Brewery

Stewart’s Lager; Stewart Brewing

Tennents Lager; Tennent Caledonian Breweries 

Tennents Gluten Free Lager; Tennent Caledonian Breweries 

Weekend Hooker; Brew Toon

Wild WEST; West Brewery

Best Pilsner

GOLD Fierce Gluten Free Pilsner; Fierce Beer

SILVER Peloton Pilsner; six°north

BRONZE 71 Lager Dundonian Pilsner; 71 Brewing

Finalists

Bearface Lager; Drygate Brewing Co

Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner; Bellfield Brewery

Craft Pilsner; Belhaven Brewery

Lost Lager; BrewDog

Pilsner; Merchant City Brewing Co

Stone’s Throw; Barney’s Beer

Best Pale Ale sponsored by Kegstar

GOLD Vagabond Pale Ale; BrewDog

SILVER Cloud Fall; 71 Brewing

BRONZE Hop Fiction; BrewDog

Finalists

Cascadian East; Stewart Brewing

Day Shift; Fierce Beer

Ferry Fair; The Ferry Brewery

Hollyrood; Stewart Brewing

Ka Pai; Stewart Brewing

New Millennium; Born in the Borders Brewery

Radical Road Reverse; Stewart Brewing

Single Hop 03: Simcoe; Fierce Beer

Talking Head; Williams Bros Brewing Co

The Ridge; Harviestoun Brewery

Vélo; six°north

Best IPA sponsored by Bairds Malt

GOLD Bright Lights; Lidl GB and Stewart Brewing

SILVER Radical Road; Stewart Brewing

BRONZE Big City; Lidl GB and Stewart Brewing

Finalists

APA; Windswept Brewing Co 

Ax Man; Drygate Brewing Co

Bellfield Lawless Village IPA; Bellfield Brewery

BIG Volcano; Barney’s Beer

Brut IPA; Overtone Brewing

Brut IPA; Top Out Brewery

Dynamo; six°north

Endeavour; six°north 

Gladeye IPA; Drygate Brewing Co

Harviestoun IPA; Harviestoun Brewery

Marshall Full Stack IPA; Williams Bros Brewing Co

New World IPA; Merchant City Brewing Co

Pale Keith; Keith Brewery

Punk IPA; BrewDog

Stillman’s IPA; Spey Valley Brewery

Tennents Export IPA; Tennent Caledonian Breweries 

Tin Man; Williams Bros Brewing Co

Twisted Thistle IPA; Belhaven Brewery

Untitled; Edinburgh Beer Factory

Best Session Beer

GOLD Easy Shift; Fierce Beer

SILVER Bellfield Session Ale; Bellfield Brewery

BRONZE Green Monkey Wheat; Reids Gold Brewing Company 

Finalists

Belhaven Best; Belhaven Brewery

Birds & Bees; Williams Bros Brewing Co

Dead Pony Club; BrewDog

Extra Pale Ale; Barney’s Beer

Harvest Moon; Born in the Borders Brewery

Hurricane; Windswept Brewing Co 

Perfect Storm; ALDI and Williams Bros Brewing Co

Session IPA; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Session IPA; Stewart Brewing

Seven Peaks; Drygate Brewing Co

Summer Cloud; Born in the Borders Brewery

Best British Style Ale sponsored by Wolffe

GOLD St Giles; Stewart Brewing

SILVER Ossian; Innis & Gunn Inveralmond Brewery

BRONZE GPA; West Brewery 

Finalists

40/- Fine; The Ferry Brewery

80’s Revival; Coul Brewing Company

Belhaven Scottish Ale; Belhaven Brewery

David’s Not So Bitter; Spey Valley Brewery

Good Ordinary Pale Ale; Barney’s Beer

Nimbus; Altas Brewing Company

Outlaw King; Loch Leven Brewery

Best Amber or Dark Ale

GOLD Daracha; Innis & Gunn Inveralmond Brewery 

SILVER Pavlov’s Dog; Williams Bros Brewing Co

BRONZE Bastard Amber; Barney’s Beer

Finalists

5am Saint; BrewDog

Broken Dial; Harviestoun Brewery

Don’t Date Robots!; Drygate Brewing Co

Ferry Alt; The Ferry Brewery

Five Sisters; Alechemy

Futurism; Edinburgh Beer Factory

King Slayer; Loch Leven Brewery

Lia Fail; Innis & Gunn Inveralmond Brewery

Red Rye; Barney’s Beer

Red Skelp; Dalrannoch Brewing

Smokey Jack; The Ferry Brewery

The Jail Ale; Brew Toon

Tornado; Windswept Brewing Co 

Unit 1 Red Ale; Merchant City Brewing Co

Wolf; Windswept Brewing Co Ltd

Best Porter sponsored by Barr Printers

GOLD Zombie Cake; BrewDog

SILVER Cafe Racer; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Midnight Sun; Williams Bros Brewing Co

Finalists

Capital Porter; Barney’s Beer

Coffee Porter; Windswept Brewing Co

Thomas Miller 1875; The Ferry Brewery

Best Stout

GOLD Orinoco Mocha Milk Stout; Drygate Brewing Co

SILVER Moose Mousse; Fierce Beer

BRONZE 1806; Windswept Brewing Co Ltd

Finalists

8 Ball Stout; Reids Gold Brewing Company 

Breakfast Toast; 71 Brewing

Cauld Reekie; Stewart Brewing

Chocolate Stout; Merchant City Brewing Co

Dark Skies; Drygate Brewing Co

HBC472 Stout; Overtone Brewing

Not Your Buddy, Guy!; Stewart Brewing

Old Engine Oil; Harviestoun Brewery

Scottish Oat Stout; Belhaven Brewery

Tennents Export Stout; Tennent Caledonian Breweries

Best Amplified Beer sponsored by Cara Technology

GOLD Imperial Cafe Racer; Fierce Beer

SILVER Marshall Jim’s Treble; Williams Bros Brewing Co

BRONZE Jaggery Stout; Merchant City Brewing Co

Finalists

Arrakis; Drygate Brewing Co

Auld Toon; six°north

Chapeau; six°north

Marshmallow Milk Stout; Barney’s Beer

The Night Land; Dead End Brew Machine

Best Sour Beer 

GOLD Sleekit Sour; BrewDog OverWorks

SILVER Cosmic Crush Raspberry; BrewDog OverWorks

BRONZE Cosmic Crush Cherry; BrewDog OverWorks

Finalists

Aplomb Bomb; BrewDog OverWorks

Cosmic Crush Peach; BrewDog OverWorks

Cosmic Crush Quince; BrewDog OverWorks

Cosmic Crush Tropical; BrewDog OverWorks

Dream Catcher; BrewDog OverWorks

Electric Blue; BrewDog OverWorks

Exotic Burst; Campervan Brewery

Ferry Gose; The Ferry Brewery

Gooseberry Fool; BrewDog OverWorks

Hedgerow Sour; Stewart Brewing

Limoncello Soul; Brew Toon

Panavision Pink; BrewDog OverWorks

Rhus; BrewDog OverWorks

Very Berry; Fierce Beer

Wave Machine; BrewDog OverWorks

Best Fruit Forward

GOLD Elvis Juice; BrewDog

SILVER The Hoppy Botanist; Campervan Brewery

BRONZE Che Guava; Williams Bros Brewing Co

Finalists

Cranachan Killer; Fierce Beer

Disco Forklift Truck; Drygate Brewing Co

Mango Unchained; Brew Toon

Raspberry Carronade; Brew Toon

Raspberry Sun; Reids Gold Brewing Company Ltd

Rubus; Windswept Brewing Co Ltd

Rubus; ALDI and Williams Bros Brewing Co

Best Juicy or Hazy Beer

GOLD NEIPA Vic Secret; Overtone Brewing

SILVER NEIPA Here Nor There; 71 Brewing 

BRONZE Dank Side of the Moon; Campervan Brewery

Finalists

4-Cs IPA; Overtone Brewing

Aqualung; Stewart Brewing

DIPA; Stewart Brewing

IPA Comet/Waimea; Overtone Brewing

Late Shift; Fierce Beer

Mandarina Sky; 71 Brewing 

Pale El Dorado; Overtone Brewing

Pale Mosaic /Amarillo; Overtone Brewing

Voss IPA; Stewart Brewing

West Coast IPA; Overtone Brewing

Best Barrel Aged Beer

GOLD Bear; Windswept Brewing Co

SILVER Bourbon Ba Imperial Cafe Racer; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Glenfarclas Cask Aged Jaggery Stout; Merchant City Brewing Co

Finalists

Angels Be Damned; St Andrews Brewing Company

BA Maple Very Big Moose; Fierce Beer

Blood Red Sky; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Bourbon Barrel Porter; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Bring Out The Imp; Alechemy

Close Quarters; Drygate Brewing Co

Kindred Spirits; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Looney Brew; The Ferry Brewery

Ola Dubh 12 year; Harviestoun Brewery

Paradox Islay; BrewDog

Rites of Passage ; Drygate Brewing Co

Speyside Oak Aged Blonde; Belhaven Brewery

The Original; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Vanishing Point 02; The Innis & Gunn Brewing Co

Best Speciality Beer 

GOLD Ten Ton Truck Vietnamese Coffee Edition; BrewDog

SILVER Coconut Very Big Moose; Fierce Beer

BRONZE People Like Buns; Fierce Beer

Finalists

Coconut Cookie; Reids Gold Brewing Company 

Convergence #1 ; Drygate Brewing Co

Cool Beans; Barney’s Beer

First World Problems; Stewart Brewing

Funk x Punk; BrewDog OverWorks

Lemon Libertea; Brew Toon

Northern Sinner; Brew Toon

Rwandan Coffee IPA; Overtone Brewing

Yucatan Honey Wheat Wine; Top Out Brewery

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