A Few More Things About Edinburgh

It was in the Dark Ages that the name of Edinburgh, Din Eidyn or Fort of Eidyn, first appeared in historical records. Castle Rock, the strategic fort built on top one of the area's extinct craggy volcanoes, served as the new nation's frontier. King Malcolm II in 1018 established the River Tweed as the permanent southernmost border and in the reign of Malcolm Canmore (1058 - 1093), the castle became the main centre of power. The surrounding town, which was given privileged status as a royal burgh, began to grow up around it. So began the history of Edinburgh and Scotland.
Of course, no visit to this great land would be complete without a taste of one of her more famous exports, Innis & Gunn, the oak-aged beer, brewed in Dunbar, about 50 kilometers east of Edinburgh by Belhaven, now owned by national giant Greene King. I found no fewer than 6 types available widely. Blonde (6%), delicate and fruity, with gentle aromas of citrus, apricot and vanilla, Triple Matured (7.2%), a darker variety aged for a total of 99 days, brewed using Optic & Chocolate malt, Canadian Whiskey Cask (7.1%), matured for 71 days in Canadian rye whiskey barrels, Rum Cask (7.4%), matured in rum barrels, producing a lively, spicy character, matured for 107 days, IPA (7.7%), matured with large quantities of fresh hops for 55 days, the Original (6.6%) that we all know and love and a new one out for Christmas 2010, Winter Beer (8.5%) aged in bourbon barrels. All of these beers are aged in oak, are filtered and packaged in distinctive clear bottles and are not available on tap. Innis and Gunn also happens to be Canada's number one UK import.
There was so much to see and do in the core of the city, that I really did not wander too far afield, all of the pubs I visited were within view of Edinburgh Castle, towering over the old town, with its tiny cobblestoned streets and closes, and new town, with its magnificent Georgian splendor.
Another one of those, just off of the Royal Mile towards its bottom end on Jeffery Street was The Tass. This large old room represents a more traditional working glass pub, with a wooden floored bar, a small dining room, but still with tall ceilings and lots of light. They serve real ale, malt whiskeys and wine to a mix of locals and tourists alike and is a regular venue for live traditional music. Here I sampled Tass 80/ (4.6%) made by Broughton Ales in Biggar. A dark auburn coloured brew, dried fruit nose, mousy head that thickly laces and slowly falls with the creamy head right to the bottom of the glass, with a malt accented palate and a malt balanced against a hidden hop support structure.
Just up from the main high street on the New Town side of the castle is the Oxford Bar, a small basic historical pub recommended by Clare for its literary connections, unchanged since the 19th century. It is renowned for being the favourite bar of Inspector Rebus and his creator, famed novelist Ian Rankin, and a haunt of many others over the years as well. It has a tiny front bar with high ceilings, 2 or 3 snug rooms up some short stairs, one featuring a warm fireplace for those cold evenings, and features 5 real ale taps, of the old Scottish tall fount variety. So, in honour of Ms. Stanfield and Mr. Rankin, I raised a pint of Cairngorm Tradewinds (4.3%), a spectacular multi-award winning ale. Massive nose of citrus fruit, elderflower and hop leading to hints of grapefruit and apricot on the palate. An exceptional bitter sweetness lasts through to a long lingering finish.
On my way back through town I came across a giant pub, the Standing Order, part of the Wetherspoons chain, on George Street. Situated in a marvelous old Georgian hotel building, it is truly a wonder to walk through the enormous bar and witness the literally dozens of tapped beers, many real ales and many not. However, they were featuring some sort of festival of international brews that day and the place was packed, and with such a din, one would have had trouble placing an order with a barman without shouting. I passed and went to the quiet local nearest my hotel in the Old Town instead.
The Bow Bar is a late 20th century pastiche of a classic one roomed Scottish ale house, featuring a constantly changing 5 real ale taps (using the traditional tall founts dispensing system) and 200 malt whiskeys. There is a lot of room in front of the bar for perpendicular drinking, a number of small fixed, narrow tables and benches surrounding, and of course, a fireplace. Once again I had just missed tasting the now infamous Bitter and Twisted, but had instead Broughton's Autumn Ale (3.5%). Gold coloured with a fresh nose, this hop accented brew has great balance of bitterness over biscuity malt, a smooth palate, a creamy mouthfeel and long lovingly dry finish. My goodness, all of these great Scottish brews are just way too easy to drink! No wonder I never see anyone drinking 1/2 pints, what's the hurry?
I finished the evening with a Bottlewreck Porter (4.7%) from the Hammerpot Brewery. Deep, dark and delicious! Malty nosed and full bodied with big flavour, this is a smooth and well balanced porter featuring roasted, toasted and bitter dry elements, a fantastic after dinner slow sipping brew, with hints of coffee, bitter black malt and a hidden hop drying out the finish fabulously! What a great way to end my stay in Edinburgh!