Edinburgh’s Cold Town House has announced the return of its craft beer festival in the city’s Grassmarket this weekend (May 4) which celebrates Scotland’s independent craft beer scene.
It follows the success of its first two beer festivals in 2024, and, this year, Festival welcomes 11 Scottish craft breweries who will showcase their finest seasonal drinks. The Grassmarket Craft Beer Festival line-up includes Edinburgh’s Campervan and Closet Brewing, as well as some new faces from the local area including Pilot Beer, Stewart Brewing, Bellfield Brewery and Barney’s Beer. From further afield, Glasgow’s Main’s Brewing, Falkirk’s Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, Haddington’s Winton Brewery, and Linlithgow’s Strangers Brewing are all taking part.
The Festival also gives people the opportunity to get a close-up view of Cold Town’s own microbrewery and enjoy some of their street food and pizzas, whilst also enjoying live Indie music.
Ruth Reid, Brand & Marketing Manager at Cold Town Brewery, said, “We’re thrilled to be welcoming a top-tier line-up of breweries to our third Grassmarket Beer Festival! Time and again, this event has proven to be a brilliant celebration of the Scottish craft beer community, and this year’s edition is no exception.
“If the line-up is anything to go by, it’s set to be another standout occasion. We’re also buzzing to host a stellar selection of live acts, including our very own Jono Connelly and Prentice Robertson, frontman of local indie favourites Vistas. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic day of great beer, great music, and great vibes—and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
Kieran James, Sales Manager at Pilot Beer, said, “Pilot are looking forward to our first time at the Grassmarket Craft Beer Fest. A day sampling the best beers the capital has to offer? What’s not to like? We’ll be bringing some of the big hitters from the Pilot lineup, along with some special seasonal offerings. We hope to see you there!”
Lewis Hamilton, Director and Brewer at Mains Brewing, added, “I’m really looking forward to being part of the Grassmarket Beer Festival this year and joining the passionate community of breweries in Edinburgh’s Old Town. I’ll be pouring some refreshing session-strength and yeast-forward brews, and I’m always keen to chat beer to an enthusiastic and thirsty crowd. Cheers!”
And Michael Lakomy, Key Account Manager at Stewart Brewing, said, “We’re thrilled to be back and pouring at the 2025 Grassmarket Beer Festival. This is a great opportunity for not only ourselves, but for so many independent breweries to showcase some of our favourite beers, as well as our limited edition series that aren’t as easily accessible for a lot of our customers. Cold Town have been fantastic to work with and it’s always great to showcase the amazing range of local breweries in Edinburgh and Scotland.”
Picture: L-R: Hayley Ransome (Head Brewer, Cold Town Beer); Michael Lakomy (Key Account Manager, Stewart Brewing); Lucy Stevens (Owner & Head Brewer, Closet Brewing); Catriona Humphrey (Brand Ambassador, Stewart Brewing); and Lewis Hamilton (Director & Brewer, Mains Brewing).