THE all-female brewing team at Scotland’s Harviestoun Brewery has tasted success at the World Beer Awards this week.
Amy Cockburn and Lisa Matthews scooped a prestigious honour for the Clackmannanshire brewery, which won gold in the classic pilsner category for its Schiehallion craft lager. Schiehallion was the only Scottish winner in that class.
The beer now has the opportunity to compete for the best craft lager crown at The World Beer Awards on August 24.
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Ms Cockburn, master brewer, and Ms Matthews, brewer, are credited with being the drive force of Harviestoun today, following in illustrious footsteps.
The Alva-based brewery has been a pioneering player on the craft beer scene in Scotland since it was established by Ken Booker, a former Ford engineer and “fanatical” home brewer, in 1983. Ten years later, the brewer’s Bitter & Twisted was named Champion Beer of Britain by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) at its Great British Beer Festival.
Ms Cockburn, who has been with the brewery for 15 years, said: “We’re over the moon to have won this top gold award for Schiehallion. The success and global reputation of this very special craft lager is owed to the unrelenting passion and craftsmanship of everyone in the Harviestoun brewing team.
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“When you name your beer after a mountain like Schiehallion, your beer better be breath-taking too. Ours has an elegant head, fresh crispness, and a lingering grapefruit finish, which is all thanks to a lot of uphill work from our entire brewing team.
“As a pioneering producer and modern craft classic, we’ve been brewing since the early 1980s and have been crafting beer long before it became a popular trend, but we’re continuing to innovate and develop our product range.”
Harviestoun’s beers, which are produced “steadfastly” from local ingredients including soft water from Glenturret and barley grown by the Forth, are stocked by leading Scottish hospitality destinations such as Gleneagles, Cameron House, The Caledonian, The Balmoral, and Turnberry. It currently employs 12 people.
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