Belhaven Brewery
Belhaven is the oldest operating brewery in Scotland as well as that of Britain
as a whole. Brewing has taken place here in the coastal town of Dunbar,
about 30 miles southeast of Edinburgh, since the time of Benedictine Monks as
far back as 800 years ago. The brewhouse's lintel is engraved with the date 1719,
recognized as the founding of the present brewery when it was taken over by
John Johnstone. The brewery still maintains a staunch dedication to historical
Scottish style brewing. At one time, like many of Scotland's long gone breweries,
Belhaven had its own maltings that supplied not only the brewery but nearby
distilleries. Before being sold to a hotel group in 1972, ownership was maintained
by the same family for 250 years trading as Dudgeon & Company.
Sandy Hunter acted as the final family chairman and head brewer until his
retirement. Sadly, Sandy passed away in the late summer of 2007. Tumultuous times hit the
brewery in the years after leaving family hands but management bought the
company outright in 1993 and it remained one of the few independent breweries
to have survived in Britain. Under the guidance of boss Stuart Ross
Belhaven achieved significant financial success year after year.
However, the brewery was purchased by Greene King of Suffolk
in 2005 and Stuart retired from Belhaven in 2008.
Significant refurbishing and expansion has taken the brewery from a capacity of roughly 30,000 barrels per year in 1992 to around 100,000 barrels per year today with current production running at nearly 75,000 barrels. While cask ale is presently only about 5% of the total brewery output, the company's commitment to real ale is undiminished. A five-barrel experimental brewing setup was installed in 1999 by George Howell, Production Manager and Head Brewer, who worked formerly at Tennent-Caledonian's Heriot Brewery in Edinburgh prior to its being 'rationalised'. One of Belhaven's strongest assets is its state-of-the-art bottling line which heavily used for contract bottling of beers from other brewers spanning from small Scottish micros to major lager products like Tennent's Lager and Stella Artois. Contract bottling has been part of Belhaven's business for many years dating back to the time of Dudgeon & Company.
Products:
- Scottish Stout
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- Dominated by roasted barley and chocolate notes and a well balanced hop attack, this is one fine and easy drinking stout. This amazing stout is currently only available outside the U.K. - a great pleasure for those in a region of the world that does have it (like the U.S.).
- Scottish Ale
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- Predominantly malty with slight roasted notes and well balanced hopping. This ale has been brewed by Belhaven longer than any currently produced beer.
- St Andrews Ale
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- Inspired by the famous home of golf and by the game itself, somewhat similar to Scottish Ale but lighter in color and flavor.
- Twisted Thistle
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- Belhaven's India Pale Ale style beer. A Scottish interpretation of the style brewed with Challenger and Cascade hops for a citrus finish.
- McCallum's Stout
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- A rich and dark Scottish stout with hints of fruit and a slight sweetness.
- Wee Heavy
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- An often hard to find style, Belhaven's Wee Heavy is as fine an example as you're likely to find today. Lovely maltiness without being overly sweet and just enough hops and alcohol to balance.
- Fruit Beer
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- Brewed with a mixture of various soft fruits and carefully balanced bitterness to avoid being overly sweet.
- Burns Ale
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- A dark, malty, sweet ale brewed in honor of Scotland's most famous Bard.
- Best
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- Outside of lagers as a whole, Belhaven's Best is perhaps the largest selling beer in Scotland. A well balanced Scottish pint with a neutral flavor.
- Scottish Lager
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- Belhaven's pale lager style beer with hints of malt and citrus. A worthwhile lager from a real ale supporting brewery.
- 80 Shilling
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- Belhaven's classic 80/- brewed much the same today as it has been for years gone by. Best in cask-conditioned format but available in bottle as well.