Breweries go into battle for charity
Ashleigh Burns • Published 9 Feb 2012 08:00
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ALVA'S Harviestoun Brewery crossed swords with Stewart Brewing in the second round of Battle of the Brewers, in a bid to be crowned winner of the best brew of Black IPA.
The event took place at the Cask and Barrel Southside on Thursday 2 February, and was dreamt up by Stewart Brewing in order to bring like-minded brewers together while creating original new brews.
Part of its aim was also to fundraise for charity, with money taken through the sale of tickets being given to Maggie's Cancer Care Centre in Edinburgh.
In the second round Harviestoun was faced with producing a Black IPA to rival Stewart's offering and after the public took part in a blind tasting of each batch - called X and Y - Stewart Brewing claimed victory.
Stuart Caill, head brewer at Harviestoun Brewery, explained that the simple head-to-head was a different take on the competitions which are usually organised by beer festivals and organisations as it is down to the public to decide.
He explained the motivation to take part, "In January it's often a quiet time for the pubs, so it's just about supporting the pubs and supporting the breweries. And it's just for people who are interested in the breweries, it gets them talking about it. And it's a nice little event that raises money for charity."
Alongside his team of brewers he produced a small batch of the IPA (which had to be between 4.8-5.3%) to be entered into the competition and it took approximately two/three weeks to prepare.
Managing director at Stewart Brewing Ltd, Steve Stewart, said the night had gone incredibly well.
"The Battle was a great event, with 150 beer aficionados turning out to take over the pub, taste and discuss each of the beers, and finally cast their vote. Both beers were on excellent form, but obviously we were delighted to win with our beer X - our Black IPA!
"The full proceeds of every ticket are donated to Maggie's cancer care centre in Edinburgh, a very worthwhile cause. Its only a shame we didn't have room for more people as we could have sold twice as many tickets."
This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 08 Feb 12
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