The History of Scottish Beer
The Scottish craft beer sector is booming, with over 100 breweries across the country. In recent years, Scottish breweries have gone from strength to strength, but the country has a rich heritage of beer, with evidence of brews as early as 4500 BC in the Neolithic period.
By the 16th century, the first commercial breweries began to appear. While the brewing trade was still largely domestic, the Edinburgh Society of Brewers was established in 1596, marking the beginning of organised firms across Scotland.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw a boom of breweries in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dunbar. Beers were brewed for both domestic consumption and export markets, helping the rise of breweries in small towns. Scottish brewing reached a peak of 280 breweries in 1840, but with restrictions on raw materials imposed during World War One and the legacy of the temperance movement, Scottish breweries declined to only 11 by 1970.
Luckily, recent years have seen a huge resurgence in craft beer production. Between 2010 and 2018, there was a staggering brewery growth of 230%. More than four-fifths are micro-breweries, a testament to the innovation and ever-evolving brewing industry in Scotland.
Read on for a full list of breweries in Scotland.
Discover breweries in Scotland
With the rise of the Scottish microbrewery, the quality and range of craft beers and real ales being produced across Scotland are greater than ever before, and there are some big names at the heart of this.
Established in 1719, the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar is Scotland’s oldest working brewery. Nestled among the barley fields of the East Lothian coast, Belhaven is the only historic brewery left in Scotland to have remained largely independent, and continues to make its mark on the Scottish brewery sector.
Recent years have seen new, dynamic breweries flourish across the country. Founded in 2015, family-run and independent brewery Edinburgh Beer Factory aim to restore Edinburgh as one of the brewing capitals of the world. Inspired by the Scottish artist Paolozzi, the brewery showcase the art of brewing through their fresh pop-art influences. Pioneers of the craft industry, Ellon-based Brewdog became the world’s first ever crowd-funded brewery in 2007, and continue to redefine the beer industry.
If you're looking for a brewery in Scotland, or trying to find your next favourite brewer, then look no further than our resource below. Can’t see your brewery, or your favourite? Email us at hello@thebrewerybible.com and let us know. We’ll get it added as soon as possible!
Map of breweries in Scotland
List of breweries in Scotland
A
- Abernyte Brewery
- Acid Brewing Cartel
- Alechemy Beer
- Allanwater Brewhouse
- Angus & Oink Guerrilla Brewing
- Appellation Wines
- Applecross Brewing Co
- Arcade Beerworks
- Archerfield Fine Ales (Knops Beer Company )
- Ardbeg Distillery
- Arran Brewery
- Atlas Brewing Company
- Ayr Brewing Company
B
- Balnamoon Malt and Brewery
- Barney's Beer Limited
- Beath Brewing
- Beer Kitchen (Innis & Gunn Brewery Taproom)
- Beer52
- Belhaven Brewery
- Bellfield Brewery
- Big Fish Brewing Co (Scotland)
- Big Rabbit Brew
- Black Isle Brewing
- Black Metal Brewery
- Blackwolf Brewery
- The Blunt Chisel Brewery
- Bodachra Brewing Company
- Born In The Borders Brewery
- Brew Shed Beers
- Brew Toon
- Brewdog Overworks & Tap Room
- BrewDog
- Brewgooder Ltd
- Brewhive Ltd
- Broughton Ales
- Burnside Brewery
C
- Cairngorm Brewery Co.
- The Caledonian Brewing Co
- Campervan Brewery
- Clan Brewing Company
- Clockwork Beer Co.
- Coast Beer Co
- Cold Town Beer House
- Colonsay Brewery
- Conic Brewing Co.
- Coul Brewing Company
- The Craftsman Company
- Cromarty Brewing Co.
- Cross Borders Brewing Company
- Cuillin Brewery
- Cullach Brewing
D
- Dalrannoch Brewing Co
- Dancehaus Brewing
- Dead End Brew Machine
- Deeside Brewery
- Devon Ales Microbrewery (The Mansefield Arms)
- Dog Falls Brewing Co
- Drygate Brewing Co.
- Dun Brewing
E
- Eden Mill St Andrews Brewery
- Edinburgh Beer Factory
- EiDYN Brewery
- Elixir Brew
- Ethical Ales
- Exiled Brewers
F
- Faking Bad Brewery
- Fallen Brewing Co
- The Ferry Brewery
- Fierce Beer Co
- Fintry Brewing Company (Fintry Inn)
- Fitlikey Brewery
- Five Kingdoms Brewery (The Steam Packet Inn)
- Flavourly
- Freewheelin' Brewery Co.
- Futtle Brewery
- Fyne Ales
G
- Gallus Brewing (Gypsy Brewer)
- Gen!us Brewing
- Glasgow Beer Works
- Glen Spean Brewing Co
- Gordon Castle Scotland
- Grunting Growler
H
- Hanging Bat Brew Co
- Hanging Tree Brewery (The Benleva Hotel)
- Harviestoun Brewery
- Heineken UK
- Hurly Burly Brewery
- Hybrid Brewing
I
- Inner Bay Brewery
- The Innis & Gunn Brewery
- Islay Ales
- Isle of Harris Brewery
- The Isle of Skye Brewing Co
J
- Jaw Brew
- John O'Groats Brewery
- Jump Ship Brewing
K
L
- Lab Rat Brewing Limited
- Lade Inn Brewery (The Lade Inn)
- Late Night Hype Brewing Co.
- Law Brewing Company
- Lennox Brewery
- Lerwick Brewery
- Loch Leven Brewery
- Loch Lomond Brewery
- Lola Rose Brewery
- Loomshed Hebridian Brewery
- Lowland Brewing
- Luvians
M
- Manual Brewing Co
- Moniack Castle Mead - Highland Wineries (Lyme Bay)
- Moulin Inn Brewery (Moulin Hotel)
- MòR Beers
N
- Natural Selection Brewing
- Nessie Brew
- Newbarns Brewery
- North Shore Brewery
O
P
Q
- Quiet Brewery
R
S
- Scotland's Craft Brewers Co-operative
- Seven Kings Brewery
- Shed 35 Brewery
- Shilling Brewing Company
- Simple Things Fermentations
- Six Degrees North
- Skinny Pigeon
- SLOPEmeisteR Brewing Company
- Spey Valley Brewery
- St Andrews Brewing
- Stenroth Brewing
- Stewart Brewing
- Strathaven Ales
- Strathbraan Brewery
- Strathcarron Brewery
- Strathmore Brewery
- Sulwath Brewers
- Swannay Brewery
T
- Tartan Shark Brewery
- Tempest Brew Co
- Tennent Caledonian Breweries
- Top Out Brewery
- Traquair House
- Tryst Brewery
- Two Thirsty Men
- Two Towns Down Brewing
U
V
- Vault City Brewing
- Veterans Brewing