The Golden Elixir

Heartbreaking news as it turns out that my first Scottish love, the beautiful actress Kelly MacDonald, has gotten married. To the bass player from Travis too, the lucky devil. Perhaps the lovely Kelly is best known as Diane from Trainspotting - ah, how many student housing walls did her poster adorn back in university circa 1996?

Move on we must, but perhaps a pint to dull the pain? Well my friends, luckily Scotland is home to many a delicious beer. Now, like any country it contains your bland, mass produced variety (ahem, Tennents). But Scotland is also home to several unique microbreweries that produce a pint to which they can be proud.

Orkney Brewery is based, unsurprisingly, in the Orkney Islands which are 6 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Orkney Brewery produces a range of beer which is branded using ancient Scottish and Norse imagery - the latter due to the fact that Orkney was ruled by the Norse between the 9th and 13th centuries, and the Orcadians still celebrate their Scandinavian roots. Two of my favourites are Raven Ale which is a rich, dark ale and The Red MacGregor which is a red, malt flavoured beer and named after the famous MacGregor clan (the most famous of whom is Rob Roy).

Caledonia Brewery is based in Edinburgh, and their most recognisable beer is their Caledonian 80/-, a malt-flavoured ale that is fire brewed "using Britain's last remaining direct-fired open coppers". However they brew it, it makes for a tasty pint and is one of the easiest microbrew beers to find on tap. Caledonia Brewery also makes an IPA called Deuchars. Now, as far as IPA goes, my heart will always belong to Keith's. But Deuchars makes a good mistress until I return home to Canada.

Another of my favourites is Arran Blonde, a light beer brewed in one of my favourite places in Scotland, the Isle of Arran. Arran was one of the first islands I visited upon arriving in Scotland, and I still fondly recall the three days spent there. The Arran Brewery Company is one of the more successful local businesses. I thoroughly enjoyed tasting Arran Blonde in the pubs at night after a day of hiking, and was very excited to see that I could pick up bottles back in Glasgow.

The Heather Ale Brewery is based in Strathaven (an hour west of Glasgow) and first came to my attention back in Canada when by brother bought me a special 4-beer sample pack for Christmas. Now that I'm here, I can now come across their range of beer easily at the stores, and in several cosy, smoky pubs that I frequent in the city centre of Glasgow. One of my favourites by this brewery is their flagship beer, Fraoch Heather Ale (where Fraoch is Gaelic for heather). The purple-coloured heather is one of the more recognisable plants of Scotland, and has been used to make ale for four thousand years, and is (according to the back of the Fraoch bottle anyway) "the oldest style of ale still made in the world". Fraoch gives off a heather smell, and has a strong peat taste to it. Highly recommended. The Heather Ale brewery also produces a gooseberry and wheat ale called Grozet (Auld Scots for "Gooseberry") and a Scots Pine ale called Alba (Gaelic for "Scotland").

Finally, there is the Wychwood Brewery which albeit is not Scottish but English (based in Oxforshire). But since I've been drinking it regularly since I've arrived, I'll lump it in with the rest. At it's heart, the company brews a tasty range of beer, but perhaps what really sets it apart is the imagery it uses to promote it. My personal fave is Hobgoblin Extra Strong Ale that not only tastes great, but has a killer label of a devious hobgoblin running through a medieval town. I think it especially appeals to the little boy in me who grew up with fantasy novels and medieval literature. I've also tried Wychwood's Fiddler's Elbow, a refreshing ale.

The next round is mine. Cheers!