Micro brewery beers help coaching inn win Real Ale award

AN OLD coaching inn on the main street of a small town in Fife has been named Scottish pub of the year by the Campaign for Real Ale.

• Landlord Robert Hunter pulls a pint at the award-winning Albert Tavern, Freuchie Picture: George McLuskie

The Albert Tavern in Freuchie was praised for its warm and friendly atmosphere - as well as its commitment to serving up real ales from micro breweries.

According to the Good Beer Guide, published yesterday, Britain is in the grip of a newfound enthusiasm for speciality ales - with 78 new breweries opening in the last year, including eight in Scotland.

Robert Hunter, landlord of the Albert Tavern since 2005, says: "My customers want to try out guest beers from different breweries. We have four different guest beers every week."

Among the brews currently being served are Schiehallion from Alva, Phoenix Double Gold, from Rochdale, Summer Lightning from Wiltshire and Rivet Catcher from Tyneside.

According to the Good Beer Guide, there are now 767 breweries across the UK - four times higher than the number when the Campaign for Real Ale was founded in 1971.

Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz says: "The real ale revolution goes on in spite of all the problems facing the brewing industry such as the often anti-competitive behaviour of the large pub companies, the heavy and continuing rise in tax on beer, grossly unfair competition from supermarkets, and the smoking ban in pubs."

He said the main reason for the renaissance was that craft brewers were responding to genuine consumer demand.

Although beer in pubs may be expensive compared to supermarkets, drinkers are prepared to pay more for quality beer.

He added: "Real ale hits the spot in every way: it has flavour and is made from pure, natural ingredients that are grown mainly here in Britain. More and more people want to think local and drink local and real ale meets that demand."

The eight new breweries to open in Scotland this year are Burnside in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, Oban in Kimelford, Argyll, Ayr Brewery in Ayr, Scottish Borders in Jedburgh, Tempest in Kelso, Madcap in Annan, Tinpot in Bridge of Allan and Angus in Carnoustie.

Mr Hunter said he believed customers were embracing real ale because it was seen as a healthier alternative to mass produced beer and as an alternative to binge drinking culture.

A former mining engineer for the De Beers diamond company, Mr Hunter said he bought the pub because: "I wanted to do something I always wanted to do - which is run a little pub in the country."

He said the Albert Tavern appealed to him because it was like going back in time. "If you come in you will feel like you are in an old world pub. It is an old coaching inn which dates back to 1780."

Neil Doran, secretary of Camra in Fife said: "It is a friendly local pub with a lot of character - but the main reason it has won is the quality of the beer they offer."

TOP TEN PUBS

• Aberdeen, Grampian & Northern Isles: Marine Hotel, Stonehaven

• Highlands & Western Isles: Castle Tavern, Inverness

• Fife: Albert Tavern, Freuchie

• Tayside: Ericht Alehouse, Blairgowrie

• Lothians: Border Hotel, Kirk Yetholm

• Forth Valley: Tappit Hen, Dunblane

• Glasgow & West: Kilgreggan Hotel, Kilgreggan

• Renfrewshire: Fox & Hounds, Houston,

• Ayrshire: Geordie's Byre, Ayr

• Dumfries & Stewartry: Cavens Arms, Dumfries