Deuchars IPA has scooped a poll in Edinburgh to win the title of Top India Pale Ale among beer lovers in the Scottish capital. Throughout April, beer drinkers in the Edinburgh area were invited to vote for their favourite beer in the style in a poll organised by 30 Days of IPA.
The organisers hope this will be first in an annual event to celebrate the history and diversity of IPA.
Drinkers voted in pubs that participated in the event, including the Bailie, Ryans and the Peartree. They were also able to vote via the event’s website. The poll attracted more than 1,000 votes.
Tom Cannon at Caledonian Brewery said: “This is fantastic news for the brand, particularly as there’s a large amount of competition emerging from breweries large and small, all of whom competed against Deuchars IPA.”
Deuchars, first brewed at Caledonian in 1991, helped fuel the renaissance of ale brewing in Scotland and is the favourite beer of such notable Scots as crime writer Ian Rankin and comedian Russell Kane.
Paul Hastie from 30 Days of IPA said: “It’s the first time we’ve held the event so it’s an exciting time for us. Our overall aim was to celebrate more than 300 years of IPA history through tasting sessions and meeting brewers.”
Caledonian Brewery is the only surviving brewery in Edinburgh that once had some 40 producers, using the finest Scottish malting barley and water from the capital’s “Charmed Circle” of wells. Deuchars was named Champion Beer of Britain in 2002 at CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival and in 2005 won the Best Cask Ale trophy in the Brewing Industry International Awards.
Results of the poll:
1 Caledonian IPA: 20.5%
2 Broughton Clipper: 13%
3 Imperial: 9.2%
4 Tryst Raj: 7.6%
5 Worthington’s White Shield: 7%
6 Stewart’s Pentland: 6.2%
7 Barney’s: 5%
8 Strathaven Clydesdale: 5%
9 Traditional Scottish Ales Ben Nevis: 4.8%
10 Wayfarer: 4.2%
