Damned Fyne Ales!!!!!!

As you’re heading towards Inverary from central Scotland on the A83, it’s easy to whizz past this gem, perched at the landward end of Loch Fyne – DON’T!

OK, so it’s probably my favourite UK brewery, producing utter delights like Highlander and Vital Spark, as well as refreshing hop-forward gluggers like Jarl and Abalanche.

I must admit that I hadn’t come across their “craft” beers until this summer when I sampled (and bought) Mills & Hills – it’s a velvety monster of malty goodness of a porter – big and bold with crisp flavours and an appealing amber-full afterglow.

The brewery resides in a farm steading that has been continually upgraded so that there’s now a lovely in-house “pub”, complete with gub and service that means that the ever so iffy Loch Fyne oyster bar can sefely be ignored if you’re looking for a decent lunch in these parts. Here you can explore the whole range and there’s always something tempting on offer in terms of a reduced price offer – I picked up some f their “double Jarl” IPA at less than 2 quid a bottle – fabulous!

My current love is the Vital Spark, ruddy and satisfying with just the right level of hopping to add interest. You can buy their ales quite widely but most stores tend to stick with the lighter ales which is a real shame.