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Beer, Scottish Monks and Germans
by Kyle Young ©
The famous Belhaven Brewery began commercial brewing in 1719. It was also built on the site of a monastery in Dunbar, and used wells dating from the 15th century to supply their brewing water right up until 1972.
Belhaven Ales soon became world renowned, with the Emperor of Austria going so far as to say that "Bavaria cannot produce their like." While James Boswell stated "Belhaven beer is the burgundy of Scotland. The best small beer I have ever tasted."
The destruction of Holyrood Abbey in the 1600’s meant that that the area became a seat of the Royals to the annoyance of the monks, who had often travelled long distances to visit this place of fine beer manufacture. The brewery at Holyrood was revived in later years to sell beer to the palace and the manufacturer was one John Blair.
His beer was so good it was made until recently, although under a different name.
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Knowing the Scottish penchant for the foaming ale, it will come as no surprise that we were making pints long before we could distil whisky. Historians think that Glasgow Cathedral is built on the site of a burn known as the Molendinar from which the water was drawn to make the original ales. They even think the patron saint of Glasgow, St Mungo was at it in the 540’s AD.
If you want to know how these original beers were created, well they probably used spruce and heather. In fact, those very ingredients were used up until modern times in some of the smaller breweries. The Germans were partially responsible for Scottish beer in that during the 12th century a religious order settled here, and introduced the monastic communities of Scotland to their methods.
This was not a rare event, because monks were the most consistent beer producers in this country for centuries. Sinking a well at the base of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, the monks of Holyrood were able to turn beer-making into one of that city’s most profitable industries. The monks believed that the water of this well had spiritual/magical properties.
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Hops did not become part of Scottish ale for over 150 years. The early beers substituted herbs like rosemary and thyme. But hops is a mild preservative and was used in beers imported from the Low Countries in the 15th century, entering the mainstream production by this route.
With distinctive flavours and a tradition that goes back to St Mungo himself, it is not hard to see why many Scots still like a good pint. With all the beer festivals and great Scottish football matches that take place, it is no wonder we still have the opportunity to enjoy our beer.
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