6 July 2010

We are now fitting out the new brewery. Note the steel vessels in the photo still have protective wrappings.

See our Flickr site for more photos or follow us on FaceBook for latest news and updates. You can also keep up-to-date via our Twitter.

Note that our original brewery and shop is still open.

1 June 2010

We will be at the following events this summer:

• Taste of Grampian, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Saturday 4 June 2010
• Rockness, Dores near Inverness, Friday 11 to Sunday 13 June 2010
• MacTavish Shinty Cup Final, Bught Park, Inverness, Saturday 19 June 2010
• Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, Portsoy, Banff, Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 June 2010
• The Scottish Game Fair, Scone Palace, Friday 2 to Sunday 4 July 2010
• The Big Tent, Falkland, Fife - Friday 23 to Sunday 25 July 2010
• Tartan Heart Festival, Belladrum, Beauly, Friday 6 & Saturday 7 August 2010
• Highland Field Sports Fair, Moy, Inverness-shire, Friday 6 & Saturday 7 August 2010.
  
  

16 March 2010

Building work is progressing well.

See our Flickr site for more photos or follow us on FaceBook for latest news and updates. You can also keep up-to-date via our Twitter.

Note that our original brewery and shop is still open.

24 November 2009

Back due to popular demand, Black Isle’s seasonal special winter brew, St. Nicholas’ Knicker Dropper Glory 6.5%. A deliciously rich, dark ruby ale “tastes like liquid fruitcake!”

This is a beer for long winter nights; a beer to ease yourself into a comfy armchair with a good book and listen to Dean Martin’s chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Available in 330ml bottles delivered anywhere mainland Britain in cases of 12 or 24… order while stocks last!

14 October 2009

Congratulations to these four healthy guys from Somerset who last week completed the 1,000 mile bike ride from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and celebrated in style at John o’ Groats with beer from the Black Isle Brewery.

Left to right in the photo are: John Yeo, Ben Harness, Peter Graham & David Graham. They raised just under £3,000 for the MS Society and Mind.

12 October 2009

At the 16th Annual Golden Spurtle™ World Porridge Making Championship, all the competitors recieved bottles of our Organic Hibernator Oatmeal Stout.

Rabbie Burns (looking good for his 250th year) was also kind enough to try out our delicious beer.

The event also Launched World Porridge Day, raising funds for Mary's Meals who supply porridge to needy children around the world.

22 September 2009

We are delighted to win two awards this year at the 2009 Soil Association organic food awards.

Red Kite, our amber ale brewed with best quality malt and Goldings hops to create a satisfying balance of citrus and malt in this deliciously quenching ale was "Highly Commended".

2008 winner Yellowhammer, a golden, straw coloured bitter, brewed with Cascade hops adding a flinty, grapefruit aroma that is deliciously refreshing, was "Commended"

See Soil Association for details, or even better why not order some now for home delivery.

21 September 2009

See us at Living Food at Cawdor Castle on Saturday 26 September 2009 for a celebration of exclusively artisan and organic producers. See Cawdor Castle site for details.

30 June 2009

We are delighted that our draft Organic Yellowhammer has won the SIBA "Champion Beer Of Scotland 2009". See SIBA results.

SIBA is The Society of Independent Brewers.

Last September Yellowhammer also won Best Beer and Cider Category of the Soil Association 2008 Organic Food Awards.

Available in 500ml bottles. Order some now.

9 June 2009

You can now follow us on Facebook.

Join us at Black Isle Brewery Facebook.

Or become a Facebook Fan.

2 June 2009

Our Organic Export Scotch Ale clinched first place in the 'Higher strength beers' award at the Southampton Beer Festival. See Southern Hampshire Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.

Available in 330ml bottles. Order some now.

26 May 2009

From 1 June 2009 for a month buy 4 pints and get 1 free. Simply pick up a card from the bar and have it stamped for each pint.

The Cumberland are stocking Red Kite, Yellowhammer, Heather Honey Beer and Wheat Beer. They also stock (although not in the promotion) our chilled Blonde on font.

See The Cumberland Bar web site.

26 May 2009

We will be at the following events this summer:

• Taste of Grampian, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Saturday 6 June 2009
• Rockness, Dores near Inverness, Friday 12 to Sunday 14 June 2009
• Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, Portsoy, Banff, Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 July 2009
• The Scottish Game Fair, Scone Palace, Friday 3 to Sunday 5 July 2009
• The Big Tent, Falkland, Fife - Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 July 2009
• Tartan Heart Festival, Belladrum, Beauly, Friday 7 & Saturday 8 August 2009
• Highland Field Sports Fair, Moy, Inverness-shire, Friday 7 & Saturday 8 August 2009.
  

15 May 2009

You Tube Video of our bore hole being drilled for our new pure water supply. And see David being tricked into a soaking! Struck water at 80m. Bore hole was drilled to 100m.

6 May 2009

Our local CAMRA newsletter had great reviews on our Hibernator (on draft) and bottle conditioned Porter. Full review below:

"The last cask ale was Black Isle Hibernator; a 6.2% ruby/black Old Ale/Barley Wine which had yeast and fruit on the nose, with almost a woody character. Living up to its name I’m sure Jim [of The Anderson, Fortrose] had had this tucked away in the cellar for a while as it was a gloriously smooth winter warmer. Dominated by malts and roasts in the taste with caramel and plum fruit, with no evidence of hops, the intensity of flavour nearly carried full strength into the aftertaste. Brewed in previous years with varying ABV’s, some up to 7.5%, I think the beer is better for its lower alcohol content, although it does make it dangerously drinkable. It scored fully deserved 8’s & 9’s around the table."

"Onto the bottle-conditioned ales and up first was Black Isle Porter. This 4.6% dark brown ale poured beautifully producing a lovely, lasting head. Roasts and malts dominated the aroma with a little caramel present as well. Full on roasted malts in the taste with some blackcurrant and a balanced bitter/sweetness. Reasonably thin in body as you may not have expected, looking at the colour, but perfectly OK in a porter, with the thicker bodied dark brews tending to be stouts. The strong roast flavour and bitterness carried through into the aftertaste. The carbonation of this beer was just perfect and in my opinion was the best bottle conditioned beer I have tasted in a very long time indeed. Having tried around 40 BC beers in the last twelve months from around the UK I have noticed that it is extremely difficult to get the yeast flavours and carbonation right. This beer was nigh on perfect and I was not alone in thinking that had we not known it was from a bottle we would have taken it as a cask ale. It is the only BC beer I have tasted that fully justifies the “CAMRA says this is Real Ale” tag on the bottle. Unsurprisingly scores of 9 abounded with even a mention of a 10." - From Tasting Panel Matters, Spring 2009 issue of ‘What’s Yours Then? Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA Newsletter. See link to download whole newsletter.

Order some now.

14 April 2009

Scotch Ale is a strong full bodied, russet coloured ruby ale; a bitter sweet balance of fruit peel and malt loaf - liquid fruitcake! Naturally bottle conditioned it is secondary fermented in the bottle in a similar way to the production of champagne. This beer is made from 4 pure organic ingredients, malted barley, water, hops and yeast. It is full of vitamin B and good for you.

Available in 330ml bottles. Order some now.

14 April 2009

A popular item with brewery visitors. Sets of our bottle labels are now available to order from our order form. Just £2.90 a set (£1.50 P&P or free delivery with beer orders). Unlike our other products we can post these overseas.

Follow us on Twitter

24 March 2009

"Suddenly, it seems as though all the world's a-twitter" - Newsweek. We are Twittering also. Visit us on Twitter at Black Isle Beers.

24 December 2008

Rated best, David Quate said: "This strong warming winter ale uses Caramelised malt and spice. Perfect with mince pies." and "...look for Hibernator III, also by this brewery, which is another of their famed winter warmers".

Order some now.

26 November 2008

First up is Goldeneye Pale Ale 6.2% memories of autumn fruits and Indian summer, of golden light on stubble fields, a resinous pudding beer with a bitter finish.

Next is Hibernator 7.2% think Dundee cake and Seville marmalade and you won’t be far wrong.

And last but by no means least, Export Oatmeal Stout 8.5% dark, sultry and seductive, like a beautiful girl from Avoch… but a lot less trouble.

Order some now - before we drink it all - to avoid disappointment.

26 November 2008

ORGANIC BEER SOAP, the smellsational hit of the summer! Pure natural soap made with lavender and lemongrass and other deliciously scented things, including beer, spent hops and barley from the brewing process. Look 10 years younger and be the smell of the Ball! Also excellent as shaving soap for the one or two Camra members without beards and cardigans!

Range:
- Lavender and Heather Honey Beer Soap
- Sweet Gale, Alpine Perle Hops and Blonde Beer
- Lemongrass and Black Isle Scotch Ale
- Orange, Marigold and Yellowhammer Beer
- Grapefruit, Oregano and Yellowhammer Beer
- Lemon balm and Black Isle Wheat Beer.

BLONDE BOMBSHELL CHUTNEY, organic and handmade with Black Isle Blonde beer and organic courgettes. Impossible to eat cheese or cold meats without it!

Range:
- Organic Blonde Bombshell Chutney
- Organic Wheat Beer Chutney
- Organic Porter Chutney
- Organic Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam
- Organic Raspberry Jam.

Order some now to avoid disappointment.

11 September 2008

We are rather pleased with our new strong russet red ale. It has a nutty aroma and a rich malty palate. It is so good we are reluctant to sell any! Order some now - before we drink it all - to avoid disappointment.

1 September 2008

Monty Don, David Gladwin and Soil
Association Chairman Patrick Holden

Soil Association judges said: "Seductive honeycomb and beeswax scent and taste. Very fine floral palette with a fine faintly muscat scented finish. Admirable and unusual level of complexity, lots of well balanced different notes."

For award list see: Soil Association Food Awards

Also see article in The Times.

Or go straight to our order form to order some now!

26 July 2008

Matthew Fort writing for his series 'Around Britain with a fork' seemed to enjoy his visit to the brewery "There was nothing for it. I flipped the top off a bottle of Black Isle Brewery Yellowhammer IPA and let the golden, lightly bitter, gently malted liquor course down my throat." see the full article or see article pdf.

Updated: 31 May 2008

We will be at the following summer festivals:

Taste of Grampian, Thainstone Centre, nr Aberdeen: Sat 7 June 2008 - web

Rockness, Dores: Sat 7 & Sun 8 June 2008 - web

Loch Stock, Dalwhinnie: 20 & 21 June 2008  - web

The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, Portsoy: Fri 20 - Sun 22 June 2008  - web

Scottish Game Fair, Scone Palace: Fri 4 - Sun 6 July 2008 - web

Big Tent Festival, Falkland, Fife: Sat 26 & Sun 27 July 2008 - web

Highland Field Sports Fair, Moy: Fri 1 & Sat 2 August 2008 - web

Tartan Heart Festival, Belladrum : Fri 8 & Sat 9 August 2008 - web

Updated: 30 May 2008

It is well worth visiting the Scottish Real Ale Festival in the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh on 19 - 21 June 2008. The following Black Isle organic ales should be available to enjoy: Red Kite, Yellowhammer, Goldeneye IPA and Hibernator III. The event is organised by CAMRA and SIBA.

17 May 2008

Iglu the excellent ethical eatery and bar will be serving Black Isle Organic Blonde on draft at the Channel 4 'Taste of Edinburgh' event which is held in the Edinburgh Meadows from Thursday 29 May to Sunday 1 June.

31 October 2007

A £12m four-year project, led by Newcastle University has found a general trend showing organic food contained more antioxidants and less fatty acids. "The findings call into question the current stance of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which says there is no evidence that organic food is better."

We never needed any convincing about the benefits! See BBC News and Nature.com.

11 September 2007

Sign up to our newsletter for latest news, brews, offers and regular free draws. You can view our newsletter archive.

21 April 2007

Black Isle Organic Wheat Beer is featured in the Telegraph today under 'Top Four Beers': "The brewery uses locally grown, locally malted organic barley and wheat for its beers, which are sold in recycled materials. This semi-cloudy wheat beer is full of zesty citrus flavours. Ideal with steamed mussels."

19 April 2007

New special limited brew for Runrig 'Beat The Drum at Loch Ness on Saturday 18 August 2007. For concert info see Runrig site. This amber coloured ale has a light malty palate and a refreshing crisp aroma. It represents some of Scotlands finest assets; music, beauty and great tasting beer. Place you order now to avoid disappointment.

8 April 2007

New Brew… With our new seasonal beer we encourage you all to “get fit for Easter!” by abandoning the eggs in favour of Chocolate Beer 6.2% abv It is organic natural ruby coloured ale brewed with a little rye malt and cocoa. It comes in 33cl bottles and can be delivered anywhere mainland Britain from £1.87 per bottle. Place your order now to avoid disappointment.

4 April 2007

Some of you will no doubt have read in that esteemed Highland organ the Inverness Courier that Black Isle Brewery is expanding. As you know already we are a fully organic brewery registered by the Soil Association, and now our aim to go one step further by building a new ‘green’ brewery using renewable and recyclable energy and materials. We will be installing a larger brewery to keep up with demand and export and we are also developing the shop and visitor element. Although still at the design and planning stage we will keep you updated of this exciting development and its progress throughout the summer.

3 April 2007

This year we have an Oktoberfest festival planned for September! End the summer with a weekend of beer, music, food and camping. There will also be tours of the brewery throughout the day and competitions and prizes. Not only will we brew a range of new organic special beers, but we will also have beers from other breweries both home and abroad, including organic cider. The weekend starts on Friday night with the festival opening and live music and continues all day Saturday, with camping from Friday to Sunday afternoon. More news, tickets, etc. soon.

2 April 2007

Black Isle organic beer will be served for the first time this year at Rockness, 9th and 10th June, the biggest musical event in the Highland calendar on the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Ness. We will have our own organic highland theme bar so book your tickets and come a roamin’ in the gloamin’ where the pints are foamin! www.rockness.co.uk

The other unmissable musical event of the year is Belladrum, 10th and 11th August. For those who haven’t been to this beautiful festival it is a must for the diary. With a heavy accent on organic and sustainable, and a 60 band line up of diverse and eclectic music, it is a family friendly festival washed down with a delicious Black Isle brew! www.belladrum.co.uk

22 February 2007

We have enlarged the shop to give us a little more retail space and include some other local and regional produce including Black Isle organic beef and organic cheese which can also be sent mail order – soon to be added to the web site.

12 November 2006

Goldeneye Pale Ale 5.6% is a straw coloured Pale Ale made with a Belgian yeast. This beer is bottle conditioned and will throw a light sediment. It is natural and good for you. Drink cool.

Raspberry Wheat 4.8% is a traditional Belgian style bottle conditioned beer with a fruity twist. The addition of highland grown raspberries makes for a refreshing appetizer to be enjoyed day and night.

As seasonal ales, Raspberry Wheat and Goldeneye IPA will be available for a limited time. Available in our 330ml bottles. Place you order now to avoid disappointment.

1 June 2006

Following the success of Hibernator II we have just bottled a stronger version of our strong tawny ale, Hibernator III at 7%. This ale is secondary fermented in the bottle. Made from fresh quality water, malt, hops and yeast it is a strong ale with a wonderfully rich aroma and flavour of fruitcake, treacle and plum.

As a seasonal ale, Hibernator III will be available for a limited time.

10 May 2006

Not tried our delicious beers before? Now there is no excuse as we have introduced a mail order 12 pack for for just £31.50 delivered. This can contain any mix of our of 500ml bottles. We continue to offer our 20 packs of 500ml and 24 packs of 330ml bottles. Buy now.

5 May 2006

Visit us for a free brewery tour. We are open Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 11am - 5pm during April to September inclusive. After the tour taste some of our beers and perhaps stock up from our brewery shop.

22 March 2006

The "free encyclopedia that anyone can edit". See our entry.

17 January 2006

The Oxford Bottled Beer Database has reviewed our Porter "Flavours are rich, malty and dry, with anthracite, nettles, chocolate, cocoa powder, figgy biscuits and grapefruity, slightly metallic hops. Despite the richness of the dark malt flavours, it manages to seem quite light and even refreshing in the mouth." concluding"This is a very drinkable, very moreish porter." See full review.

22 November 2005

We now offer our Blonde, Red Kite, Heather Honey Ale and new seasonal strong ale Hibernator II in handy 330ml bottles.

You can order a case of 24 bottle for just £44.95 delivered.

Order more than one case (including 500ml cases) and save 7.5% on the second and subsequent cases.

28 October 2005

Web site beer-pages.com by Roger Protz and Tom Cannavan is an online magazine dedicated to real beer. Their main focus is bottled beers, bottle-conditioned ales and world beers. See Black Isle Brewery reviews where all our beers have been rated as good or excellent. Order some today and decide for yourself!

18 October 2005

The Oxford Bottled Beer Database has reviewed Yellowhammer "This is a very enjoyable session beer, with lots of flavour for its strength. And its organic status means you can feel good about the environment while you're drinking it." See full review.

We have added a links page for those wishing to know more about beer, breweries or organic products. Send us any suggestions of useful sites.

Update 26 August 2005, see our Tartan Heart Photos.

13 - 14 August 2005

The 2nd Annual Tartan Heart Rock Festival was one cracker of a party; this event has a nice mellow atmosphere perfect for families and others looking to have a good time. Hosted in the spectacular Italian Gardens of Belladrum Estate near Beauly, Inverness-shire.
Headlining the event was the legendary band THe Proclaimers; backed up by other favourites like Alabama 3, The Bees, Jah Wobble, Rickey Ross, British Sea Power and Peatbog Faeries. The Black Isle Brewery was the major sponsor for the event and as such ran three bars including the The Black Isle Brewery Grass Roots Stage. We hope you enjoyed the fresh filtered Blond and real ale Red Kite on draft.

For more information see the Tartan Heart Festival web site.

In The Ten Best Organic beers on 4 July 2005, Jonathan Brown's second choice was Yellowhammer "this golden ale exudes grapefruity freshness" and tenth was Black Isle Porter a "highly unusual creamy, malty porter brewed in the Highlands." Order some today and judge for yourself!

A new beer has been added to our range of organic products, Heather Honey. This wonderful crisp larger is modeled after the very popular Blonde but heather honey is added giving it a mild honey aroma and finish.

This tasty new beverage is offered in a new sleeker 330ml bottle, perfect for an outdoors lunch on a sunny day or alongside your eggs at breakfast!

If you are in the area stop by for a sample or a box of 24. Now available mail order. Red Kite and Blonde are also available in 330ml bottles.

Media photos on our Marketing Resource page.

In the Sunday Times 26 June 2005 article Trio: Pubs with grub the review of No 27 pub, 27 Castle Street, Inverness, says "For the patriot, Red Kite or Yellowhammer, organically produced by the Black Isle Brewery, is a must-sup." We can only agree with this statement!

Look out for us at the following events:

24 - 26 June 2005 - 12th Scottish Traditional Boat Festival.

23 July 2005 - Inverness Highland Games in the Bught Park Arena.

4 August 2005 - Black Isle Show.

5 - 6 August 2005 Moy Game Fair.

1 - 3 June 2005

This traditional Scottish Game Fair takes place on the ground of the magnificent Scone Palace beside the mighty River Tay. The fair showcases game events from falconry to fly casting. There will be a food hall chalk full of traditional meats, fish, cheeses and breads. While watching the world class RAF Red Arrows soar past you can enjoy a crisp cool pint of Red Kite Ale.