Edinburgh sour beer maker launches live music venue after tie-up with iconic Glasgow name

Vault City Brewing has unveiled plans for a music venue at its Portobello taproom and cheered a new partnership with Glasgow’s iconic King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.

The brewer, which flagged a sales spike over the past 18 months, said it plans to open a 250-capacity live music venue. In the first of a series of co-branded gigs, Vault City will sponsor New Noise, a one-day event due to take place on Saturday, October 30.

The event is set to be headlined by Glasgow-based alt-rock quartet The Van T’s, who make their return to the stage for the first time since a sell-out King Tut’s New Year’s Revolution show in January 2020.

Vault City moved into its own purpose-built brewery in Portobello, near Edinburgh, last year, where output has since increased to four times the levels seen before the start of Scotland’s second lockdown at the tail end of last year.

Steven Smith-Hay, Vault City Brewing, and Hannah Van Thompson, of The Van T's. Picture: Jeff Holmes

The fledgling brewer launched its Raspberry Sour and Tropical Sour products in Tesco stores nationwide in June.

Edinburgh-based co-founder Steven Smith-Hay, who began brewing beers in his Murrayfield kitchen in 2018, said: “We’re very lucky our business has gone from strength to strength during the pandemic, as beer drinkers became a bit more experimental and began to develop a taste for our modern sour beers.

“We want to pay it forward to those who have been unable to work and reach their audience. I missed going to see live music so much – but that pales in comparison to how live musicians who have been starved of their livelihood must feel.

“Partnering with a venue as iconic as King Tut’s is a dream come true. Hopefully our new taproom venue will have its own part to play in musical history.”

James Mellin, of King Tut’s and DF Concerts, added: “We are excited to be in partnership with such a like-minded brand.

“We are both aligned in the fact that we want to see the hottest new musical talent across Scotland and beyond shine. These last 18 months have been rough for musicians, and we want to do everything we can to help.”

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