Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

CASC Aberdeen’s owner picks his 3 favourite Scottish beers ever

Paul West started off CASC Aberdeen (Cigars, Ale, Scotch and Coffee) back in 2013, and today is picking his 3 favourite Scottish brews ever.

Paul West, founder and owner of CASC in Aberdeen. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson
Paul West, founder and owner of CASC in Aberdeen. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

Paul West, the owner and director of Aberdeen’s CASC (Cigars, Ale Scotch and Coffee) bar, is no stranger to Scottish craft beer.

Having founded the venue on Stirling Street way back in 2013, at this point he’s probably had a tipple from every brewery in Scotland pour though his bar’s 28 draught lines.

But which ones have stuck out in his memory? Which brews have stood the test of time?

Today, Paul is picking us his three favourite Scottish beers ever.

In descending order, starting with…

#3: Wanderlust Wheat, Six Degrees North

Wanderlust Wheat. Image: Paul West/CASC Aberdeen.

Paul starts off his list with Aberdeenshire brewing royalty Six Degrees North, and their core range staple, Wanderlust Wheat.

“I absolutely love all things wheat and usually the best come from Germany or Belgium,” says Paul.

“But this, albeit Belgian-inspired, is truly outstanding. Orange, coriander, biscuity and funky.”

And if you think he’s being a bit snooty with his tasting notes, you’d be wrong, as this beer actually has orange and coriander in it.

“All the signs of a true classic Belgian wheat, from Scotland.”

#2: Ossian from Inveralmond

Ossian. Image: Paul West/CASC Aberdeen.

For his second favourite Scottish beer ever, Paul has picked Ossian from Inveralmond, dubbing it a “prime summer beer”.

He said: “One of the classics and a true Scottish golden ale.

“Any time I see this on cask I’m sure to sink a few pints.

“Malty, biscuity, loads of citrus and moreish.

“The perfect summer’s day jar.”

#1: Fiery Ginger Iron Brew, Vault City

Fiery Ginger Iron Brew. Image: Paul West/CASC Aberdeen.

Paul’s favourite Scottish beer ever is definitely a departure from the more traditional styles represented in the second and third spots.

This brew from Edinburgh’s Vault City was part of their recent Irn Bru-flavoured special releases, and features not only the tastes of the nation’s favourite soft drink, but loads of spicy ginger too.

He said: “Without a doubt, my favourite beer of the last few years and now in my all-time top three.

“Not only does it taste like what it’s referencing, these things tend to never taste like what they’re trying to, but genuinely just a cracking ale.

“Sweet, sour, fiery and fresh; what’s not to like?”

More from my beer column:

Conversation