When I wrote my 2021 book, Modern British Beer, I made the very intentional decision to put Fyne Ales’ irreplaceable blonde ale, Jarl, right at the beginning.

For me, it’s a beer that merges two schools of thought. It is a modern beer, hopped with Citra imported from the Pacific Northwest, and showcasing a bold, citrus-fruit character. But it is also a 3.8% cask beer, and feels resolutely anchored to British brewing tradition.

Jarl, though, is not simply a modern British beer—it is a modern Scottish beer. Honestly, few beer experience are more Scottish than enjoying a pint at its source in Glen Fyne.

That was the inspiration behind this particular discussion, which offers a closer look at what’s happening in contemporary Scottish brewing. FyneFest provided the perfect forum to chew on this topic. Included in the panel conversation are Fyne Ales’ head brewer, Sam Shrimpton, plus owners/brewers at two of Scotland’s youngest breweries: Lucy Stevens of Closet Brewing in Edinburgh and Harry Weskin of Dookit Brewing Co. in Glasgow.

Listening to this episode, you’ll quickly learn that no one on the panel claims immediate Scottish heritage (although Harry is pretty damn close.) However, they are, each in their own way, vital to the local, independent beer community. It’s great to find out that the spirit that bound businesses together during the last resurgence of small breweries still exists today—in fact, I’d argue it probably wouldn’t exist without it.

Tune in to hear two of the best young Scottish breweries talk about what they do, while what is one of the finest contemporary breweries north of the border provides balance and context to the conversation.

Photography by Alasdair Watson.

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Tickets for FyneFest 2026 are available now, and we’ll be back hosting our panel talks and tastings for another year! Get your tickets here.