Stonehaven’s Midsummer Beer Happening festival is just around the corner, but with more than 150 brews to try, where do you even start?
The annual celebration of all things beer will be kicking off in the seaside town’s Baird Park from Thursday June 13, and will run up to and including Saturday June 15.
From boozy black stouts to light and fruity sours, there’ll be something for everyone pouring, keeping both hardened beer nerds and have-a-go drinkers alike more than happy.
But if you’re looking at the massive list of 153 unique drinks from 23 breweries and cider makers and feeling a bit overwhelmed about what to try first at the festival, fear not!
We’ve asked the festival’s organiser Robert Lindsay, also the head of Laurencekirk brewery Six Degrees North, to pick his five must-have beers for this year’s Midsummer Beer Happening for you to seek out before they sell out.
Starting with…
1. Six Degrees North, the MSBH Festival Beer
- 4.4%
- Style: Pale Ale, Gluten Free
- Six Degrees North Brewery, Laurencekirk
Robert says that with more than 150 beers pouring over the weekend, whittling it down to just five has been difficult, but he’s starting with “an obvious one, the festival beer itself”.
He said: “Included with your ticket, this will be the first beer for many to sample.
“Brewed at Six Degrees North alongside Sportive sponsors Simpsons Malt, this year the festival beer is a light and tropical pale ale”.
He describes it it as a “tropical hit of fruit, think ripe mangos with a squeeze of lime zest, balanced with a light bitterness”.
2. De Circus Brouwerij, Circus Saison
- 6.5%
- Style: Saison (Seasonal beer)
- De Circus Brewery, Belgium
This year, as well as heaps of Scottish and UK breweries, the Midsummer Beer Happening is also welcoming two breweries from the world-famous brewing nation of Belgium.
One of them is De Circus, which Robert explains was “formed by former circus performers, and they certainly bring a bit of showmanship to our offering with their mix of traditional and modern styles”.
He said: “Belgian beers can be intimidating given their strength, but this saison is actually very light and easy-drinking, despite its complexity.
“The aroma has the signature saison spice with a hint of citrus and a bitter finish.”
If you’re after something on the weirder side on the day, the other Belgian brewery at this year’s festival, Alvinne, will be bringing a plum and smoked beetroot sour.
3. New Barns, Pilsner
- 4.2%
- Style: Pilsner
- New Barns, Edinburgh
Robert says that the happening isn’t just for “beer geeks”, and so always wants to ensure there’s plenty of options there for traditional lager drinkers.
This year, there’s more than 20 different lagers pouring.
And this one, from New Barns in Edinburgh, is one of his favourites of the genre.
He said: “New Barns are based in Leith, but this pilsner is a classic German-style lager.
“Clean, crisp, and refreshing with bitterness balanced by bready malt character.”
4. Bergamot Crusher, Holy Goat
- 5.6%
- Style: Golden sour made with bergamot orange and clementine
- Holy Goat, Dundee
But of course, there’s still plenty for the more adventurous on offer, such as this belter from Dundee’s Holy Goat brewery.
It’s just one of the many colourful fruit-stuffed beers that will be available at the festival, ideal for cider drinkers and sunny days.
Robert said: “Fruit beers and sours are becoming a more and more popular option at the festival and last year’s most popular option, Peach Melba from Pilot, will be returning again this year and is definitely worth seeking out.
“I have chosen to highlight the Dundee-based Holy Goat however, as they are specialists in the world of traditional sour beers.
“Bergamot Crusher uses freshly harvested begamot oranges — a hybrid of bitter orange and lemon, this citrus fruit is prized for its intensely fragrant aroma — added to their own base golden sour for a full yet complex flavour.”
“If the weather is good, fingers crossed, this will fly out,” he added.
5. Brew Toon, Ich Kann Boogie
- 5%
- Style: Weissbier
- Brew Toon Brewery, Peterhead
Robert’s final pick for the festival is from Peterhead brewery Brew Toon, a German-style beer, for a very special reason.
He said: “Scotland will be playing in the opening game of the Euros against Germany and it will be shown live at the Midsummer Beer Happening on our 4m x 2m screen.
“Peterhead’s finest have created a classic German-style wheat beer to celebrate Scotland’s journey at the tournament.
“Full-bodied, the aroma reminds me of foam banana sweets with a hint of clove spice, and it has a lovely dry finish to it.”
Tickets are on sale now for the Midsummer Beer Happening in Stonehaven
More than 6,000 people regularly attend the annual festival in Stonehaven’s Baird Park, which is not-for-profit and run entirely by volunteers.
The highly popular event has raised more than £314,000 for local charities since it launched as the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival 15 years ago.
Just some of the causes supported by the event previously include the Stonehaven Fireballs Association, the Stonehaven Sea Cadets, Friends of the Open Air Pool, and the RNLI.
As well as loads of live music throughout the festival, there will also be a whole host of food trucks selling delicious street food for you to enjoy with your beer.
You can buy tickets for individual days or the whole festival here at www.midsummerbeerhappening.co.uk/ticketsÂ
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