It’s that time of week again where we harras a brewer to fill in our questionnaire for Meet The Brewer, This week the email headed way up across the border to Scotland and to the Harvistoun Brewery, where it was filled in by non other than Head Brewer Stuart Cail.
Harviestoun are one of my favourite breweries in the UK (I once had a beer bread recipe on their website that won me a case of Bitter & Twisted) so I was really chuffed when they agreed to take part, So over to Stuart for a little bit more about him.
Harviestoun Brewery
What is your brewery capacity?
Currently 10,000brls pa. We are in the process of increasing this
What is different about your brewery?
Given the are 700+ breweries in the UK alone I’m not sure!
How long have you been brewing for?
25 years
How did you get into brewing?
Had to stop being a student eventually
What beers do you brew regularly?
Bitter & Twisted, Schiehallion, Haggis Hunter
What special/seasonal beers do you brew?
Old Engine Oil, Ola Dubh and 12 other monthly brews throughout the year, including a fresh (green) hopped beer
Where do you think the future of brewing lies?
In more specialist beers and the continuing success of cask conditioned beers
Harviestoun Brewery
What is you proudest moment in brewing?
When our American Importer tasted the Ola Dubh and said ‘I’ll take it all’!
Do you have any brewing regrets?
No
What was last beer you drank?
Schiehallion
What is your favourite hop?
It’s not so much the individual hop rather the way in which they combine. There are over 130 varieties so it’s still work in progress!
What is your brewing ambition?
Hopefully to continue to brew beers that people like.
Do you have a Brewing hero/inspiration?
I find most of the brewers’ I meet inspiring!
Which beer dp you wish you had brewed?
I’m happy for other people to brew good beers too!
Favourite hobby outside of brewing?
Music
Thanks to Stuart fortaking time out to complete this, you can repay him by visiting the Harvistoun Website and by buying his beers.
If you are a brewer and would like to take part then please drop me a line.
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Stuart is a top fella, he was a superstar when he came to us for a lovebeer@borough meet the brewer – and I love his beers!
haha – he’s pretty abrupt with the answers there a true, dour Scot!
love the beer – bitter and twisted is one of the few decent bottled beers!
Top shelf! Other than enjoying Bitter & Twisted and Old Engine Oil at The Gunmakers on a regular-ish basis, I had a bottle of Ola Dubh 16 the other week, and it was one of the most glorious brews I’ve tasted in the last 12 months! Keep up the sterling work!