Local beers set for successful summer

Local tipples are set to make appearances at beer festivals, in supermarkets and on the shortlists for national awards.

Three local breweries were named among the finalists in the first Scottish Beer Awards this week.

Belhaven Brewery, based near Dunbar, is on the shortlist for the exporter of the year award, and their Twisted Thistle has been nominated for best IPA.

Jedburgh’s Born in the Borders have their Dark Horse on the shortlist for best dark ale, as well as Foxy Blonde competing in the Pale Ale category.

And Tweedbank’s Tempest Brewery is up for two of the main awards, being shortlisted for Growth Business of the Year and Scottish Brewery of the Year.

The awards cover both taste and business performance and were judged last week by a highly experienced judging panel consisting of some of Scotland’s foremost brewing and beer experts.

Meanwhile, Born in the Borders’ Heavy Nettle has been signed up to feature in Aldi’s ninth in-store Beer Festival as part of the retailer’s celebration of the best up and coming beers from Scotland.

The festival is expected to be worth in excess of £106,000 to the breweries involved, with the retailer stocking 88,000 bottles of craft ales.

Michael Whiteford, Buying Director at Aldi in Scotland, said: “Scotland continues to produce some of the best craft beer on the market and the Beer Festival allows our customers the opportunity to try a wide array of beers that are not all readily available. We are sure this Beer Festival will be a great success for Aldi and the brewers involved.”

If you prefer your ale from a pub rather than a supermarket, then the return of the Allanton Inn’s weekend beer festival is for you.

The pub will be offering local brews over the weekend of June 18 and 19, accompanied by local produce including Holy Island oysters and Eyemouth fish and chips, with a hog roast on the Sunday.

There will also be live music over the weekend from local duo Summertime and Eyemouth’s Mr T.