Boss of Elgin's Against the Grain picks his top 3 Scottish beers ever

As the manager of Elgin’s Against the Grain craft beer shop and taproom, Calum McWilliam certainly knows his Scottish brews.

The bar on Elgin’s Batchen Street opened up in June 2018, and offers more than 150 beers from around the world.

The exterior of Against The Grain in Elgin. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Since he started in his role as manager at the venue last January, Calum has sampled countless beers from all throughout the country.

So, who better to listen to when it comes to a top three list of his favourite Scottish beers ever?

Calum in the doorway of his bar. — Manager Calum McWilliam has picked out his three favourite Scottish beers ever for us. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

After much deliberation, here’s Calum’s picks from all the Scottish beers he’s served up and enjoyed at Against The Grain so far, in descending order…

#3: Fierce Beer, Fierce Rhubarb

A can of Fierce Rhubarb poured into a glass. — Fierce Rhubarb. Image: Fierce Beer

4.6%
£2.95 from Fierce directly, also available in supermarkets like Sainsbury’s for £2
Fierce Beer, Aberdeen
Style: Fruit Pale Ale

“I’m going to go with Fierce, Rhubarb,” says Calum for his third favourite Scottish beer of all time.

“It’s refreshing and light with a little sweetness that reminds me of rhubarb custard sweets.

“An easy drinker that I’m always glad to see in a bar or shop stock.”

I’d back Calum up on this one — it really hits that balance of fruity and beer-y just right in a way a lot of fruit-flavoured brews don’t manage.

#2: Spey Valley Brewery, Sunshine on Keith

A bottle of Spey Valley's Sunshine On Keith beer, for sale at Against The Grain in Elgin. — Spey Valley’s Sunshine On Keith beer, for sale at Against The Grain in Elgin. Image: Calum McWilliam

3.5%
£28.50 for a crate of 12 330ml bottles on the brewery’s website
Spey Valley, near Keith
Style: Session IPA

Calum’s second favourite Scottish beer is much more straightforward than a rhubarb beer, it’s Sunshine On Keith by Spey Valley, a small brewery just west of Keith in Moray.

The Against the Grain boss describes it as a “crisp, refreshing, slightly zesty session IPA”, with a name that is “very fitting”.

He added: “Perfect for those days where the sunshine is beaming down on not just Keith but Moray as a whole, which isn’t that often.

“A cracker of a beer and my personal favourite from Spey Valley Brewery.”

#1: Vault City, Peach Ice Tea Table Sour

3.4%
£2.25 per 440ml can on the Vault City Website, or you can get in big Tescos for £2.50.
Vault City, Edinburgh
Style: Sour Table BeerVault City’s Peach Ice Tea sour table beer.

Calum told me to pick his number one slot, he had to write down all his favoruite breweries, his favourite beers from each, and then create a table to whittle it down to a top five.

He clearly took the mission seriously.

“Now I’m someone who loves a stout or porter,” he said, “but I’m going to to totally left field with this and opt for a sour beer.

He went for this this sour beer from Edinburgh’s Vault City brewery, made with peaches and black tea, for his top pick.

“The Peach Ice Tea Table Sour is my number one.

“I think it’s down to me regularly drinking the Lipton’s peach iced tea when I was on school lunch breaks, but this beer is just refreshing, light and peachy.

Calum behind the bar at his pub. — Calum behind the bar at Against The Grain. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

“It captures the natural peach flavours well and balances it with a little, almost raspberry-like tartness.

“It’s sweet, dry and juicy, and it’s difficult to do all those things at once but Vault City do it well.”

Calum’s runner up beers were Pacifica from Dog Falls Brewery in Inverness, and Spider Monkey from Black Isle.

Kieran is a former craft beer barman and publishes his beer column every Tuesday online. You can also read his column in the P&J’s Food and Drink magazine, which you can find inside your Press and Journal newspaper every Saturday.