Cold Town House in Grassmarket is to host a new autumn beer festival in the city’s Grassmarket on Saturday 9 November to help celebrate Scotland’s independent craft beer scene.

The bar hopes to welcome hundreds of craft beer fans in the heart of the capital from 12pm to 6pm.

This Grassmarket Craft Beer Festival will offer a more autumnal and intimate experience, with nine Scottish craft breweries showcasing their finest seasonal and often darker brews, including Edinburgh’s Campervan, Closet Brewing and Vault City.

From further afield, craft beer fans can also get a taste for Glasgow’s Up Front Brewing and Dookit Brewing, Dundee’s 71 Brewing, Aberdeen’s Fierce Beer and Linlithgow’s Strangers Brewing. 

Cold Town Beer and Fierce Beer will also premier their new collaborative brew, Smoked Session Stout. This beer has an ABV of 4.8%, and the creators say this will be “the perfect tipple for the darker and colder winter months”.

Visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to get a close-up view of Cold Town’s microbrewery and meet head brewer, Hayley Ransome between 12pm and 2pm. 

There will be some cosy, autumnal acoustic sets by local musicians, including Jodie Differ from 1.30pm to 3pm and Darren McElver from 4pm to 5.30pm.

Street food favourites and Cold Town’s famous Neapolitan pizzas will also be on sale.

Hayley Ransome, Head Brewer at Cold Town Brewery, said: “After the smashing success of our first event earlier this year, the Grassmarket Craft Beer Festival is back for round two! This time, we’re bringing you a more intimate experience, with local breweries showcasing the finest of their seasonal brews, whilst accompanied by some cosy, autumnal acoustic sets by local musicians.

“Since opening our doors in 2019, Cold Town House has quickly made its name as the home of Cold Town Beer, as well as one of Scotland’s most popular craft beer bars and live entertainment venues. We’re really proud to have our very own taproom and iconic roof terrace with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle.”

Hayley added: “At our inaugural festival in May, we saw around 250 craft beer lovers descend on Cold Town House to experience some of the best brews being produced by Scotland’s craft beer industry right now. 

“The Grassmarket is the original home of craft brewing in Edinburgh, dating back to the 18th century, so we’re determined to celebrate that heritage, as well as introducing some fresh and innovative creations for today’s craft beer drinker.”

Calum Bell from Campervan brewery said:  “The Campervan Brewery crew are really excited to be joining a brilliant group of independent brewers from up and down the country at the Grassmarket Craft Beer Festival. Boutique events like this are the lifeblood of the industry and give us all a chance to showcase our freshest releases and chat all things beer to our supporters and passionate beer fans. Having the festival in the heart of Edinburgh is fantastic – so see you all there!”

Lucy Stevens from Closet brewery said: “As a tiny local brewery, Grassmarket Craft Beer Festival is the exact sort of event we love, showcasing some of the most exciting breweries about at the moment. Cold Town has created the perfect opportunity for breweries like us to share their beers with a brand new audience and we can’t wait to bring a few fan favourites to the table.”

Tickets prices for this autumn’s Grassmarket Craft Beer Festival can be purchased for £10 per person and include entry to the event, a commemorative glass and a half pint token. For more information and to buy tickets, go to https://grassmarketbeerfest.com

Cold Town House 4 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU https://coldtownhouse.co.uk

Hayley Ransome Head Brewer
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