Caledonian Brewing Company Limited
Though having a history dating back to 1869, today's Caledonian Brewing
Company really got its start in 1987. Head Brewer Russell Sharp led
a management buy-out with former Lorimer & Clark Managing Director Dan Kane
to purchase the Caledonian Brewery from Vaux of Sunderland who had closed
the brewery in 1985. The Caledonian Brewery itself was founded and built by
George Lorimer and Robert Clark but was sold to Vaux in 1919 upon Lorimer's
retirement, Clark having died in 1874. When Vaux ceased brewing
operations altogether in 1999, Caledonian bought back the rights to the
Lorimer & Clark name.
Caledonian possesses what is now the last remaining direct-fired coppers in use in all of Britain. The first of these impressive coppers was installed in 1869. The brewery's maltings buildings, though unused, were destroyed by fire in 1994 and another fire in October 1998 destroyed one of the three original coppers. A local company came to the rescue however and hand-built an exact replacement to the original plans. As part of the repairs, a new yeast room, cask-racking system and new settling tanks for keg beers were added as was a kegging plant. Russell Sharp once estimated that Caley's output could produce 120,000 barrels per year if pushed to the limit.
The Caley, as the brewery is affectionately known, brews their branded beers as well as McEwans 70/- and 80/- in cask and keg in support of owners Scottish & Newcastle. Of its own output, about eighty per cent is in cask format. In addition to their award winning regular ales, Caley also brews a monthly seasonal as well as house ales for a number of select pubs. Long, long overdue, Caledonian's Deuchars IPA finally won CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain award in 2002! Caley's three main products are listed here though there are many others regularly offered in cask and bottled format in addition to the seasonal and house ales mentioned previously. Details of all products are available on the brewery's recently and handsomely re-vamped website.
The assets of the Caledonian Brewery were purchased by Scottish & Newcastle in 2004 shortly after the announcement of S & N's plans to close Edinburgh's historic Fountain Brewery founded by William McEwan just up the road from the Caley. To date, this has been a surprisingly positive move for Caley. I hope this continues to be so. In addition, Caledonian recently purchased the Harviestoun Brewery in Alva upon the retirement of its founder, Ken Brooker.
Fittingly, Caledonian chose to brew a commemorative beer celebrating twenty years of author Ian Rankin's most famous character, Edinburgh detective, John Rebus. Rebus 20 is available for a limited time in 2007 and is brewed with a "secret" ingredient. The inclusion of Rebus 20 in the following product descriptions is pretty much mandatory (even though it is only one of Caley's seasonals) as Rebus is my favorite character and Ian Rankin is my favorite author.
Caledonian doesn't offer a daily regular tour but tours are available by arrangement. Please contact the brewery for details.
Products:
- Deuchars IPA - 3.8% ABV
-
- Little need be said about this award winning modern day classic. Deuchars is renown throughout the UK as one of the finest ales available. Incredibly drinkable, it is a light golden colored ale with a subtle maltiness and an outstanding balance of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma.
- Caledonian 80 Shilling - 4.1% ABV
-
- Perhaps a bit more heavily hopped than traditional Scottish 80/- ales of yesteryear, Caley 80 is none-the-less one of today's few classic interpretations of the style. Lovely balance of slightly roasty maltiness with a smooth richness balanced by a tasteful hop aftertaste.
- Golden Promise - 5.0% ABV
-
- The first and still one of the best organic beers brewed in the UK. Named after Scotland's most famous malted barley, this beer is deceptively drinkable for the ABV with a generous assertion of a variety of organic hops.
- XPA - 4.3% ABV
-
- Caley's newest addition to its permanent line of cask ales. A golden ale with a bittersweet finish offered by the addition of Northdown, Cascade and Hallertau Hersbrucker hops.
- Rebus 20 - 4.4% ABV
-
- Rebus 20 is one of Caley's seasonal ales for 2007. It celebrates twenty years of Rebus and is an amber beer with a malty, roasty and nutty character brewed with a "secret" ingredient. Available for a limited time in 2007.