Indie Beer Scotland is organised by Scottish brewers from the Society of Independent Brewers Association, a not-for-profit trade association. Beer festivals as a concept fills me with excitement and the anticipation of finding something special, new and meaningful. They are something I’d like to attend more of, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to over the coming months and years. I’d been looking forward to this for weeks and now I can finally spill all in my first Beer Festival Review!
Disclaimer: This is a blog post about beer and therefore aimed at adults only. Adult content: Alcohol and Adult Language.
Event Logistics and Coin Contributed
The event began at 17:30 and last orders were at 22:00. The festival was housed in the newly-available space at the Clyde Rooms, Edmiston House, Glasgow.
Booked in advance, I paid £8 General Admission and £1.50 booking fees. I chose to purchase the prepaid Drinks Token Bundle for £20. Taking place on the 8th and 9th of September, with myself attending the latter, for the evening event.
The £20 Drinks Token Bundle was divided into forty 50p tokens. Theoretically, the price of beer was as per the above list.
Though it didn’t always work out that way….
Voyage to the Event
Coming from Edinburgh, I took the 16:30 train from Waverly Station to Glasgow Queen Street. Off-Peak Return with 26-30 Railcard, costing £13.20. Taking the Dundas Street station exit, the Buchanan Street underground stop is directly opposite. I thereupon jumped on the subway to Ibrox station.
Opened in 1896, this Underground is actually the third-oldest underground public rail transport in Europe. There are two directions: Inner Circle and Outer Circle. One train snakes clockwise, whilst the other rapidly slithers anti-clockwise. Each journey regardless of length costs the same and correct as of September 2023, a return journey cost £3.30.
Leaving Ibrox Underground station, it was a mere 10 minutes’ walk to the venue and I arrived at around 17:45.
Arrival and Starting Materials
Upon arrival, staff members scan your tickets and ask which beer glass you’d like. Your choice is subsequently handed to you along with a beer list, your drinks tokens and your wristband neatly inside.
You have two designs of glasses to choose from: a very standard pint glass with criss-cross blue pattern and the festival logo; or a bell-shaped glass, reminiscent of a whisky or rum glass, again with the pattern and logo.
I chose the latter, for its unusuality and individuality, only to see most people also choose this option. I was surprised and also quite elated to discover it fits a full pint into it. From a distance, it looks like a half, or perhaps a 330ml glass. But on the side, you have the measurements for a third, half and two thirds of a pint, before reaching the top.
This glass is yours for the evening: don’t lose it. The barkeeps refill this glass with your next beer and eventually you take it home. I saw plastic glasses provided to those glass-less individuals, although I’m not sure if there was an extra fee levied.
The Space
The room itself was smaller and laid out differently than I’d imagined. On one side, four good-sized wooden tables seated attendees discussing their beer or perusing the beer list provided on entering the space. On the other, a bar stretching the length of the room with a quantity of beer taps and a sea of stacked barrels behind the bar.
At yonder end of the space was two counters: gin and rum. This author questions why someone purchasing a beer festival ticket may opt for rum or gin, but to each their own. Drinks were forbidden in the small outdoor area. Here, two food vendors had set up shop, along with a couple of picnic tables.
Nourishment Options
The food bit consisted of two small trucks each offering around 5 food choices each. One was an artisanal pizza vendor, offering five pizza choices ranging from £10-13. Homemade dips were an additional £2 each. Two options were vegetarian, I think one was a gluten-free and I can’t comment if there were any vegan.
The second vendor sold street food samosas of several flavours: both meat and vegetable. There was another dish or two on the menu also, however this author cannot recall what. The prices were also around the £10 mark.
My choice of Haggis pizza and homemade garlic dip was pretty good, especially the dip, but I did feel somewhat put out at the price. Cornered into one of the two options, it was pay the prices or starve, but I did feel it was a bit steep for the event and offering. After all, they are food trucks and not serving in a seated restaurant.
Festival Facilities
The venue’s toilets were clean, bright and generally well-stocked. There is a disabled toilet, and to get into this event space, there are no steps to climb from the main door. A wheelchair could have been easily brought to the wooden tables.
There were bins on the end of the tables, to catch the disposable dining waste and so the area was relatively clean and clear.
I didn’t use any WIFI, nor see any signs for it whilst there.
The building is home to the Rangers Football Club Museum and an attendee local to the area told me the space in which we occupied at that present time was used for matchday drinking pre- and post-game.
At one end of the bar, there were some water dispensers. They were situated over a rather full bin full of water. There were no glasses to use; you had to use your beer glass. If your beer glass was otherwise filled, I’m not sure what the options were. I did not discover this water until the very end of the festival. Nobody pointed it out and there were no signs.
The Beer
And now for the main event… Scottish Craft Beer! Bring it on!
Prior to the festival, the beer list was available as to what we could expect and to encourage the purchase of tickets. Have yourself a wee gander at the Beer List here.
However, as this author found, this list was a little too optimistic. As it turns out, not all the beers had turned up and not all the kegs were on at any one time.
Bar Setup
According to staff, there were 30 beer taps and three times as many keg beers: I counted 88 on the list. Then again, there seemed to me to be fewer taps. It was anyone’s guess what kegs were actually available and when. For example, the Strawberry Daquiri by Stewarts Brewing had not been seen at all, though not my kind of beer.
A couple of times I heard an announcement that one or more keg beers had been swapped in, but it was barely discernible over the crowd and booming music.
As well as some beers being no-shows, some beers also ran out. One bartender volunteer told me I’d gotten the last of Gobhar Odhar, my first drink of the event. It was unclear whether more was coming or whether that was really it, thank you and goodnight.
The bar was manned by an all-volunteer crew. They repeatedly struggled to locate the beer ordered. On the keg side of the line, not only did they need to try remember which few of the large list were available, but also, they could not see what the beer tap said from behind. There was no label on the staff’s side to indicate which beer flowed from the tap. This consequently led to delays and confusion, and resorted to asking the attendee where the beer was and if they could see it.
As for the cask beers, they were all over the shop. Organised into groupings by type, this left the bar volunteer with the task of either instantly knowing the beer type of the ordered brew, or quickly looking it up in a list. Some resorted to walking up and down the barrel line looking at each one. Unfortunately, there was no other order nor sense to the barrels except a laminated sign with information about the beer and brewery in comparatively small writing.
This author does not need to spell out the confusion and the break in the flow of the evening this caused. All things considered, I felt sorry for the bartenders as they had a hard job. One said there were more beers in the back and they didn’t know which etc.
Furthermore, at least two volunteers told me that the beers were starting to turn and go bad. Apparently having been left in the sun and in the warm event space, the paler beers were not fairing so well. Indeed, I wrote in my beer notes (jump to section here) that two of the beers tasted a bit acidic and this could be why. This definitely marred the experience and added yet another barrier or hurdle to trying some good beer, as you became uncertain if the beer was meant to taste like that, or if it had gone off!
SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards 2023
Prior to being open for the public, the festival hosts judging for the SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards 2023. The website claims that this “makes festival-goers the first to try Scotland’s Official best beers”.
Although, the festival-goers didn’t actually know which were winners as this was never announced.
There was no communication or anything to suggest what had gone down on judgement day. This was a real shame, considering that this beer festival started because of the beer awards. It felt like there was a real disconnect between the beer, the breweries and the SIBA awards, not to mention the general public.
I was told the winners list would be available online in the days following the festival and here it is, for those who are interested: SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards 2023 Winners
Two of the placing beers I had actually marked down as wanting to try but couldn’t as they were all gone when I asked: Amber Rye (Wasted Degrees Brewing) and Colloidoscope (Dog Falls Brewing). I tried the DIPA Rollin’ Coaster from 71 Brewing and later, you can see what I thought in My Beer Notes.
Overview and Opinion
Diversity
It was great to see that there was a wide mix of people attending the event. There were a good number of couples, a handful of small groups of young people. I’d say there were clearly more men than women at the event, but a good number of women were there nevertheless. Evidently, beer is not just a man’s drink; it’s for everyone!
On the subject of gender, topical as it is, being a beer-loving woman isn’t without its challenges. Specifically, two girls recounted how they had approached the bar upon arrival to order their first drink and a barman had asked them: “Hello girls, do you like beer?”, as if they had blindly wandered in off the street with no knowledge of the event taking place. I would bet by bottom dollar he did not pose this question to any guy who approached the bar.
My issue within this subject area came from a group of attendees. A group of Scottish males in their 50s or 60s perhaps, two took my bench spot as I was grabbing my pizza, despite another attendee informing them the seat was taken. They grunted that “she can sit on the end, there’s room”. This ‘room’ was approximately 30cm. They treat me in a dismissive manner, and paid no regard to my space or person.
The group stood closely behind me, around me, and once I’d moved over after the two on my right had gotten up, another sat practically on my shoulder on my left. What’s more, they proceeded to place their pints right in front of me, and almost on top of my belongings, without asking. In sum, their attitude was uncomfortable to say the least. I was left to wonder whether they would have done that to a man… this author believes not!
Drinking Environment
Most people seemed to have prebought their tokens, as I had. By and large, the bartenders did not seem to know nor care about how many tokens a beer cost. As has been noted, the prices were quite theoretical, with half pints arriving more like 2/3s and sometimes fewer, or zero, tokens were charged for a beer.
Whilst I am not complaining, and whilst it did help to alleviate any financial repercussions of the desired beer not being available and so getting the available beer, it gave a rather haphazard and disorganised feel to the event.
The music volume was excessive. There is no other way to describe it. At the same time, the music choice was pleasant but you could not easily converse with the person next to you, nor order a beer without shouting to be heard.
Paring this with the fact that there was a huge projector screen showing the rugby games, and it was like you were in a normal, loud bar. My issue with this was that in fact, we were not in a random, loud bar. I had not paid for a ticket and travelled from Edinburgh to be in a loud, normal bar on match day with people necking pints absent-mindedly whilst watching the sport. You can do that anywhere.
At any rate, this environment did not promote or encourage discussion of the beer and/or socialising. Beer festivals or tastings makes for a different kind of drinking, in my eyes. One of discovery, of exploration and coming together over a shared interest in beer. A more sophisticated and focused interest than absent-mindedly drinking whatever, whilst distracted by loud music or sports.
Author’s Suggestions
In essence, I would love to see more information about the breweries and the beers themselves. Some history, some detail, some background. Perhaps employing the use of a large projector screen to show short videos or information slides about the festival participants and Beer Awards.
Similarly, I had imagined there’d be individual stands for each brewery, from where you procured the various beers to drink. Whilst I acknowledge this may not be logistically possible, I think it incredibly worthwhile to rethink the organisation of the beers behind the bar. Perhaps alphabetised by brewery or beer name, make the labels larger on the barrels and certainly make it clearer which beers are here, alive and raring to go.
I’d be very interested to know more about the competition, and the winners whilst still at the festival. This may promote the trying of one particular beer or spark conversation around the topic.
A fantastic idea, if I do say so myself, would be to offer tasting flights for individual breweries, or beer award categories. I recognise this would lead to more washing up/resource requirement; I can only picture the benefit of being able to try smaller quantities of a wider range of beers.
Finally, a rather trivial remark maybe, but in this author’s humble opinion, another food option would be welcomed. I remember thinking at the event that a simple serving of chips would be welcome: easy to eat, should be cheap for all budgets and less space-hogging than a pizza when sharing tables. Dirty or loaded fries would be even more welcome…. 😉
Do you have any more comments or something you’d like to see at a beer festival, or not see? Leave a comment below!
My Beer Notes
A small introduction to my beer notes. While sipping the beautiful nectar that is beer, I write the first thoughts that come to my head. These may make sense, or they may not. They may be way off from the official tasting notes, or they may be bang on. My point is, they’re very personal, like a diary, and I don’t write them for anyone other than myself although I’m now sharing them with you.
Reach out and let me know if you’ve tried these brews, what you make of them, or if you want to understand more about my metaphors/analogies/descriptors!
I sadly did not find any winners or keepers for me this time, but you can’t have it all. Without a doubt I still found sampling the beers pleasant enough, and worth the while 😊
Cask
- Ardgour Ales Ltd – Gobhar Odhar Northern England Best Bitter 4.3%
Reddy Colour. Quite a good balance between bitter and the rest. IT’s alright. A nice cask and not wankery. Very British
- Five Kingdoms – Invisible Hand – Heavy 4.2%
Dark and smells like scotch ale. Tastes it. A hint of ‘Christmas’. Lacking on ABV for flavour. Potential is strong but outcome is half. It’s alright. I can drink it.
- Mor Beers – Green Lady – IPA 4.6%
Heavy gold. It’s a solid British pub beer. It’ll do. Bit malty but fairly pale. Goes down smoothly. Nice cask. It’d be better being a bit colder maybe. I wouldn’t say it was hazy.
- Sulwath Brewers – Moffat Toffee Ale 4.5%
Smells like malty, salted caramel. Very clear, golden colour. Bit overpowering. What did I expect? Smooth but sickly sweet. Not for me. It’s not hitting the right notes.
- Saltrock Brewing – 1070 – Belgian Style Blonde Ale
Not quite transparent. Fruity taste. A bit weak. Not in my book a ‘Belgian’. Disappointed, honestly. Was not good.
Keg
- Beath Brewery – Mega Mega – Lager 4%
Bit acidicy start. Hazy and not very lagery. It’s alright but brewer said change barrels around a lot and it’s been in the sun, affecting beer. As is, it’s meh. Not winning awards for me.
- Not That California Brewing Co. – Goldrush 4.2%
Fairly darkly golden. Smells like sand. Smooth going down. Slight up at the end. A bit acidicy? Refreshing. Watery too after acidic bit. Meh not loving. Naaaa.
- Dog Falls Brewing Co. – Konventional Wisdom – Kolsch Style 4.3%
Nice light gold. I don’t like the smell. Light and refreshing. Not overly wheaty or wankery. Not a bad beer, it could be a session. Quite simple and nice.
- Windswept – Blonde – Pale Ale – 4.0%
Golden. Big head. Bitter finish. Bit fizzy, it’s alright. It’s a bit bitter for a session but it’s fairly, if not bitterly, simple. I can drink.
- 71 Brewing – Rollin’ Coaster – DIPA – 7.4%
Opaque. Like seriously. Good head. Smells like King Wankery. Absolutely not. No, too much. Tropical fruit finish? Massive punch start. Main body too busy.
Bit o’ Blether with a Brewer
I caught up with Ian McGrath, owner and sole brewer at Beath Brewing, who offered 4 beers at the festival. He very kindly spoke to me about the festival and about his own corner of the industry.
Running the Festival
Ian McGrath and Fiona MacEachern, of Loch Lomond Brewery, organise and run the Indie Beer Festival. He explained that pre-COVID, and ergo pre-festival, the beer awards were held for the Scottish heat, the beer judged but then afterwards, the beer was poured down the drain and wasted. Quel sacrilege! They had worked to open up the beer to the public as a festival but then COVID hit.
In 2022, Fiona and Ian succeeded in setting up their Indie Beer Festival and this is their second year. According to Ian, it’s one of the few times that brewers actually see each other, as well as it being a great opportunity for brewers and staff to learn how to set up beer in cask and kegs and how to manage these types of events. Previously, the competition was just about cask beers until, with the commencement of the festival, Fiona and Ian pushed to have keg included and they had 10 taps.
Ian also acknowledged what other brewers had said about the beer at the event and its freshness and agreed that the beer could have done with a few days in a cellar after travelling.
Speaking about the Indie Beer Festival Scotland 2023, Ian made the following comment:
“Much better this year, the venue was great, and the venue staff were amazing. [The keg management/involvement] was better this year but we need to improve how we do that next year.
This year we had 30 kegs taps but about 70-80 kegs so we rotated them, which meant moving kegs. And we didn’t have a list to say what was on at any one time. So, maybe more taps next year or do it differently. We’ve taken notes from this year and have improvements ready for next year, we’re always looking for volunteers, so if anyone wants to help get in touch.”
To get in touch and volunteer, follow this link.
Brewing the Beer
In 2016, Beath Brewing was born out of a garage in Cowdenbeath. Ian McGrath wanted to create good beer in his corner of the world.
He explained that when he started, there was no cask beers in the area, just generic-type beers. He says there was one small Morrisons and so shop choices were limited. Nowadays, there’s a Lidl and an Aldi which have some great beers but he loves a pint from cask or keg: he likes his beer fresh. Who doesn’t? 😊
Part-time brewer for seven years, he brews a batch perhaps around twice a month, with 150L output at a time. Since starting, Ian has had to invest in a larger garage for his creations. Thinking to the future, he is looking to get a premises license.
What are your favourite types of beer to brew?
Which are your flagship/constant beers?
How do you come up with the beer names?
Favourite to brew, mmmm probably only stouts, the aromas and colours during the process are amazing.
Flagships would be ‘Dance Monkey’ NEIPA, ‘Born Slippy’ Lager, ‘Look What You’ve Done’ Pale Ale and ‘Are You With Me’ Red Ale.
The names are all songs or lyrics.
Speaking about his beer, Ian offered the following information:
“Beers change all the time with different hops and styles, lots of one-offs. I use Scottish malt from Alloa or Auchtermuchty. [Some Beath Brewery] beers available at Troon Beer Festival 5-7 Oct and Dunfermline Beer Festival 20/21st Oct, [and a] couple of local pubs every so often”.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my first foray into beer festivals and are as keen as I am for the next. Remember, everyone’s opinions and tastes are different. If you had a different experience, or tried any of the beers, let me know in the comments. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with the details on the Contact Me page!
See you soon!
