Evolving out of a homebrew shop in Glasgow, Williams Brothers have grown to become one of the country's best-known and most influential breweries.

Their origins story is unlike most. Legend has it that in 1988 an old Gaelic lady walked in to the Glenbrew shop in Partick with an ancient recipe for heather ale and was keen for someone to make something of it. She gave the recipe to Bruce Williams. After honing the recipe Bruce made a batch big enough to sell. It sold out in days. As did the next batch and the next. With brother Scott coming on board, the two of them travelled up and down the west coast selling their Fraoch heather ale from a van.

Twenty-seven years later, Williams Brothers now extend far beyond their Alloa base, having established a solid reputation and market for their beers as well as a business operation that takes in bars, shops and restaurant tie-ins. Williams are also the key driver behind Drygate, the temple of craft beer in Glasgow’s east end.

Now Williams have changed gear again, installing a canning machine that after a series of trial runs is at last ready to roll. Folks, this means Joker IPA in cans – a really great thing. It also means their beers will be available in supermarkets, bars and shops; and there are also plans to develop the experimental brews from the Drygate studio kit – another great thing. Capable of producing 2,000 cans a minute, Williams have already been garnering interest from other breweries, so expect more great Scottish beers to be sold in this format as more breweries tap in to the trend for, and appreciation of, cans among US and London craft brewers

But rather than kicking off with bestsellers Joker or Ceasar Augustus, Williams went with their elderflower-laden golden beer, 7 Giraffes. Named by Scott’s daughter Laurie, 7 Giraffes has heaps of floral aromatics, flavours of sweet toasted malts and orange citrus, a soft but slightly sour bitterness, with some burnt toffee creeping in towards the end.

Five other great Williams Brothers Beers

Black (4.2%)

Williams won Champion beer of Britain with their Black beer … in the Mild category. Rich, dark and smooth, with roasted malt flavours on the nose and in the mouth, you’re also going to find flavours of spice, coffee and chocolate, with some forest fruits in there too.

Profanity Stout (7%)

One of Williams Brothers’s best beers, this almost-imperial stout is a certain classic. Strong roasted malts are enhanced by some hefty hopping, balancing the rich, heavy-bodied character with a citrus-laden fruit bowl of flavours, some liquorice, strong bittering and a hint of alcohol.

Nollaig (7%)

Williams’s festive beer will be hitting the shops and bars soon. It’s a potent amber ale laced with spices and pine-flavoured hops. Bitter, satisfying and a wee bit oily, it’s like sucking on a Christmas tree that’s been fed on booze.

Paradigm Shift (6.3%)

A relative newcomer to the Williams core, this is a copper red ale that’s had some hefty hop additions throughout the boil and fermentation. The aroma is big – caramel, and tropical and citrus fruits – giving hints of the flavours to follow. Medium-bodied, well-balanced and bitter.

Fraoch (5%)

The beer that started a brewing empire, Fraoch has had a bit of fine-tuning over the decades. It pours golden, with an assertive character and floral aroma. Some caramel and toast from the malt, there’s also some peat in there, before moving towards a sweet, crisp and clean finish. Look out for the barrel-aged version sometime soon.