(2018 Winners)

Scotland’s craft brewing scene has emerged as a force in the United Kingdom. And on November 27 The Scottish Beer Awards virtually honored their own.

35 breweries entered 314 Scottish beers into this year’s blind tasting. And unlike America’s GABF awards, the 5^th annual Scottish Craft Beer Awards were presented for business performance as well as for taste.

The biggest award of the competition, Scottish Brewery of the Year, went to Loch Lomond Brewery, after a year in which they tripled production with a new brewery, introduced new branding and built impresive relationships with UK and online suppliers.

Over 200 people tuned in live to watch the digital broadcast of the awards winners in a special show broadcast from Glasgow…

And we’ve all of this year’s big winners…

The 2020 Scottish Beer Awards

Business Awards

2020 Scottish Brewery of the Year

Loch Lomond Brewery

Brewer of the Year

Craig Scotland, Stewart Brewing

Beer Destination of the Year

West Brewery Glasgow

 Best Beer Bar

Portobello Tap, Portobello. Cross Borders Brewing.

Excellence in Branding

Loch Lomond Brewery

Product Development Team of the Year

Windswept Brewing

Sales Team of the Year

71 Brewing

Courtesy SBA

Taste Awards

In the taste competition, judges were invited to taste in pairs in series of live socially distanced sessions which were compliant with Scotland’s COVID guidance.

BEER OF THE YEAR

Ferry Black Liquorice Porter 8% ABV, The Ferry Brewery

BEST AMBER OR DARK ALE

GOLD: Ferry Alt; The Ferry Brewery

SILVER: Pavlov’s Dog; Williams Bros Brewing Co

BRONZE: The J’Ale; Brew Toon

BEST AMPLIFIED BEER SPONSORED BY CARA TECHNOLOGY

GOLD Black; The Ferry Brewery

SILVER Lost Monster; Loch Lomond Brewery

BRONZE Very Big Moose, Fierce Beer.

 BEST BARREL-AGED BEER

GOLD Barrel-Aged Imperial Cafe Racer; Fierce Beer

SILVER Bourbon Barrel-Aged Very Big Moose; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Nightmare of Cake; Drygate Brewing Co

BEST BRITISH-STYLE ALE

GOLD Fraoch; Williams Bros Brewing Co

SILVER Wolf; Windswept Brewing Co

BRONZE Belhaven Scottish Ale; Belhaven Brewery

BEST FRUITED SOUR BEER

GOLD Sour to the People; Brew Toon

SILVER  Trinitone (Raspberry) Blast; Drygate Brewing Co

BRONZE Origins Brewing – Acres; Fyne Ales

 BEST FRUIT-FORWARD BEER

GOLD Raspberry Carronade; Brew Toon

SILVER Cranachan Killer; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Mango Unchained; Brew Toon

BEST IMPERIAL OR DOUBLE IPA

GOLD Fancy Juice; Fierce Beer

SILVER Big Yin; Overtone Brewing

BRONZE Sapien; Williams Bros Brewing Co

BEST IPA SPONSORED BY BREWERS SELECT

GOLD Split Shift; Fierce Beer

SILVER India Pale Ale; Cross Borders Brewing Company

BRONZE Hop Pinata; WooHa Brewing Company

BEST JUICY OR HAZY BEER

GOLD Southern Hemisphere; Overtone Brewing

SILVER Late Shift; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Northern Hemisphere; Overtone Brewing

 BEST LAGER

GOLD Lager Beer; The Innis and Gunn Brewing Company

SILVER Craft Lager; Williams Bros Brewing Co

BRONZE Tennents Gluten Free Beer; Tennent Caledonian Breweries

BEST LOW OR NO ALCOHOL BEER

GOLD Yardarm Lager; Jump Ship Brewing

SILVER NIX; WEST Brewery

BRONZE Low; Barney’s Beer

BEST PALE ALE

GOLD Kai Pai; Stewart Brewing

SILVER Winter Sunshine; Spey Valley Brewery

BRONZE Masterplan; Stewart Brewing

BEST PILSNER

GOLD Electric Café; Loch Lomond Brewery

SILVER Bohemian Pilsner; Bellfield Brewery

BRONZE Fierce Pilsner; Fierce Beer

BEST PORTER

GOLD Cafe Racer; Fierce Beer

SILVER Dirty Sanchez; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Leith Porter; Campervan Brewery

BEST SESSION BEER

GOLD Wanderlust; six°north

SILVER Heffen Heff; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Heidi-Weisse; WEST Brewery

BEST SOUR BEER

GOLD BA Hopocrisy; six°north

SILVER Fierce by Nature: Brett IPA; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Blood of Nidhoggr; Fierce Beer

BEST SPECIALITY BEER

GOLD Bounty Like It; Reids Gold Brewing Company

SILVER Maple Pancake; Fierce Beer

BRONZE Transient 2 White IPA; Campervan Brewery

BEST STOUT

GOLD Orinoco; Drygate Brewing Co

SILVER Chokka Blokka; Williams Bros Brewing Co

BRONZE Stout Keith; Keith Brewery

Congratulations to all this year’s big winners…Live long and prosper.

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