Craft Beer festivals aplenty

Curious about which craft beers to stock? Why not pay a visit to one of the summer’s beer festivals. First up there’s one in Inverness which goes under the name ‘North Hop’. This two-day festival takes place at the city’s Eden Court on 29 and 30 August, and will include top names from the craft beer industry, drinks companies and food producers.
The 10 confirmed breweries attending the event to showcase their Scottish produce include, Windswept Brewing Co, BrewDog, Cromarty Brewing Co, Six Degrees North, Eden Brewery, Inveralmond Brewery, Loch Ness Brewery, Thistly Cross Cider, William Bros Brewing Co and Fallen Brewing Co. North Hop is the first large-scale craft beer festival to be held in Inverness and aims to raise awareness of the craft beer industry in Scotland. The event will showcase a wide range of food and drink produce from across the country and will also feature ciders, cocktails, artisan gins, street food, and a number of independent musicians.
The following month, ‘Craft Beer Rising’ will take place at Drygate in Glasgow. The organisers say it will be the “biggest collaborative craft beer festival” in the country. Hosted in collaboration with Drygate Brewing Co – the UK’s first experiential craft brewery – Craft Beer Rising will take place in Glasgow from the Friday 19th – Sunday 21st of September 2014. Taking place across four sessions, you will be able to sample up to 200 beers from 45 local and international breweries, including Tempest Brew Co, Siren, Beavertown, Thistly Cross Cider, Pilot Brew Co and Harbour. (although preferably not all at the one session!)
In addition to the festival’s beer and street food offering, a programme of talks and demonstrations – such as live brewing from a collective of breweries – is also planned.