History: Harviestoun Brewery started making beer way before the craft movement, back in 1983. Like many it started with humble beginnings in a shed on a farm just outside Dollar. It was the dream of Ken Brooker to create his own brand of good quality beer for the masses. Success didn’t happen overnight for the amateur brewer, it took years of development and moving premises from their shed to a new location at Alva, about five miles from the original brewery, before they could finally hit the volumes and style of beer they wanted to create.
They quickly, with the help of head brewer Stuart Cail, started to create craft beers that were ground breaking in the brewing world and way ahead of their time. In January 2006, the Caledonian Brewing Company purchased the Harviestoun Brewery which saw them grow and start a new chapter in their journey.
The Beer: The beer is multi-award winning with some of the favourites in their range being their Bitter & Twisted, a refreshingly lively blonde beer; Old Engine Oil, a black ale with a velvety, chocolate charater and their lager Schiehallion.
As well as these, they constantly bring out new and exciting beers like their alcohol-free Wheesht Dark Ale, a super tasty 0% ale that is perfect for those designated drivers.
One of my favourites is their Schiehallion lager, which Harviestoun have been making since 1994. It’s crisp and refreshing and I am always delighted when I see it on the beer taps when I go into a pub.
Interesting fact: Again being way ahead of the curve back in 2007, they teamed up with Highland Park Single Malt Whisky to create a fantastic series of cask-aged beers called Ola Dubh, made by ageing their Old Engine Oil beer in Highland Park casks.
Why Visit?: Visits are by appointment only and not really open to the public but if you love your beer then it is well worth the time to visit their passionate team who love to take you through their process.
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