It began as a way of saving on the time, effort and money needed to get drinks on and off the island.
And now, a Tiree restaurateur has opened his own brewery.
The Ceabhar Restaurant on the inner Hebridean isle has officially added the words “and Bun Dubh Brewery” to its title.
Polly and Duncan Castling have run their informal eatery in the tiny village of Sandaig for several years.
But operating on an island brings its own challenges, especially if you wish to leave a small carbon footprint.
Enviropunk brewing on Tiree
While tackling these issues, Duncan was inspired to begin “Enviropunk Brewing.” And renovate the restaurant to include a micro-brewery.
The newly issued licence from Argyll and Bute Licensing Board allows them to begin offering brewery tours and tasting sessions.
Duncan said: “It started off as a tiny little brewery, one step above home brewing. I suppose it’s how BrewDog started, exactly the same thing.
“Because we live on Tiree, a huge part of our costs, environmental impact and energy is on shipping. If we bring cans and bottles over to the island, they have to go back for recycling.
“I thought, perhaps I could brew my own beer here and sell it directly to the customer.
“We had a tiny space for brewing. I kept selling out and it gradually grew from there.”
The drinks are served in glasses from kegs, freshly filled on the premises.
Sourcing locally is a theme running throughout the business. The menu is filled with island produce prepared with herbs and vegetables from their own garden.
And the name of each beer or cider is linked to something close to their hearts on Tiree.
‘Best craft beer restaurant in the UK’
Being named Best Craft Beer Restaurant in the UK in 2018 by SIBA (Society of Independant Brewers) encouraged the expansion.
Duncan explained: “It means our capacity has massively increased so I can continue brewing and supply other places on Tiree and on Coll as well.
“Polly also has a stained glass studio. We use and sell her products in the restaurant.
“People are very concerned about the environment. If I can make a little bit of difference I’m happy.
“Not using bottles or cans reduces waste. That’s the whole purpose of it.
“It’s more cost effective for us. The beers are still selling out, straight from the kegs, filled on site. It’s as short a journey as you can get.”
Bun Dubh is Gaelic for Dark Water. He added: “All of the water I use in the brewery comes from boreholes on Tiree. The water is dark because it comes from underground. Also Bun Dubh is a channel in Gunna Sound, the stretch of water between Coll and Tiree.”
Currently four different brews are available.
All about the booze
Cu Donn is 4.5%. The name is Gaelic for Brown Dog. Duncan, originally from the North East of England, pays homage to Newcastle Brown Ale.
The pale ale, at 6.5%, is named Faceplant. He quipped: “We do quite a lot of it because we are kite surfers. When you crash, you get a good mouthful of sea water. My beer is a good smack of flavour.”
Dry cider Cidree at 6.2% is a play on words, marrying cider with Tiree.
And newly out this year is a 5% hybrid lager called Skart – named after a breed of seabird native to Tiree.
Duncan said: “People keep asking for Tennent’s. I have tried to do something to entice them away from that. It’s working quite well.”
His current project is a dark beer specially commissioned by the isle of Coll Hotel. He said: “At the moment I have got a special beer to do for Coll Hotel.”
Bun Dubh brews are only available on Coll and Tiree.
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