Cross Borders Brewery, Hardengreen Industrial Estate, Dalkeith
History - The owners of Cross Borders Brewery, Gary Munckton and Jonny Wilson have known each other since they were nine years old. In their teens they tried their best to become rockstars in their own band which didn't quite go to plan. What did go to plan was when they decided to partner up and create Cross Borders Brewery back in 2016. The pair both had the right qualifications to start their own brewery. Jonny having studying brewing at Heriot-Watt and then learning his trade at established brewers such as Stewart’s Brewery, Alechemy and at a Yorkshire brewery and Gary with a entrepreneurial and business mind would run the company and raise the funds. After setting up in an industrial estate in Dalkeith they started creating beers they believed would stand out in an already busy market place. They were very well received with growth of 326% in beer produced in their first year along with several awards including a Bronze Prize for Small Pack Beer and a Silver in 2017 for Independent Keg Beer at the San Francisco International Beverage Awards. This growth gave them confidence to push the brands further and to different markets such as Asian and Europe.
Beer – They have a put great attention into creating a range beers beers that are packed with flavour with a focus on the IPA style of beer. My favourite is also their best seller for obvious reasons. Their Tropical Pale Ale does what is says on the tin with flavours of pineapple and apricot and it definitely deserves the name BRAW.
Interesting fact - Not content with have a new and successful brewery the pair recently opened their own beer pub, The Portobello Tap, in, you guessed it, Portobello. They features 18 draught lines and 2 cask ale lines pouring a wide range of craft beers, lagers, and ciders. 8 of the lines are rotational meaning you will also see brews from some of Scotland’s finest independent breweries.
Why Visit? - The brewery is located just outside of Edinburgh and are easily accessible by train if you fancy a few beers. The tours and Taproom are open every weekend on Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 10.30pm and well worth the visit.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here