Cold Town House in Edinburgh crowned Best Beer Destination in Scotland

Edinburgh’s iconic castle-view bar has been crowned Scotland’s ‘Best Beer Destination’ for the first time at this year’s Scottish Beer Awards.

Article Source: Cold Town House
Last Updated: 10 October 2025 14:49

Cold Town House in the Grassmarket was awarded the top accolade by a panel of brewing industry experts from across the country, as part of the annual celebration of Scotland’s brewing sector.

The judging panel praised Cold Town House as Scotland’s most popular craft beer bar with its very own taproom and iconic roof terrace with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle, first-class staff training, the development of The Grassmarket Beer Festival as a mainstay celebrating the Scottish brewing community, and the launch of Ex-beer-iences, as well as the beer-focused décor.

As the home of Cold Town Beer, the Cold Town team also came away with a gold medal for best pilsner for its Doddie Beir and a silver medal for best lager for its Crisp Craft Lager.

Doddie Beir was created in honour of the legendary rugby hero, Doddie Weir. Every pint of Doddie Beir drunk and every can purchased supports the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, helping to fund research into finding a cure for MND. To date, Cold Town Beer has proudly donated over £30,000 to the foundation, and it is committed to contributing at least £11,000 over the next two years.

Doddie Beir is a refreshing, sessionable lager, perfect for enjoying with friends while watching rugby and will be available at Cold Town House during the Six Nations this coming November.

The slower, colder fermentation gives Cold Town’s Crisp Craft Lager its delicately refreshing, crisper body.

Ian Kennedy, Head of Production for Edinburgh’s Cold Town Brewery, said:

“It’s such an honour to be celebrating triple award success as part of this year’s Scottish Beer Awards. Not only has Cold Town House been named ‘Best Beer Destination’ in Scotland for the first time, but the Cold Town Beer team is also raising a glass for winning the gold medal for best pilsner Doddie Beir and silver for best lager with our Crisp Craft Lager.

“Since opening our doors in 2019, Cold Town House quickly made its name as the home of Cold Town Beer, as well as one of Scotland’s most popular craft beer bars and live entertainment venues. We’re also really proud to have our very own taproom and iconic roof terrace with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle.”

Hayley Ransome, Head Brewer at Cold Town Brewery, said:

“The Grassmarket is the original home of craft brewing in Edinburgh, dating back to the 18th century, so we’re determined to continue celebrating that heritage at Cold Town House with our core Cold Town Beer range and Doddie Beir during the Six Nations in November, as well as introducing some fresh and innovative creations for today’s craft beer drinker.”

Cold Town Beer also has a unique in-house product development strategy. Its customers are invited into a ‘test kitchen’ to trial new beers before the fast-sellers are rolled out to the wider market. This approach is enabling the Cold Town Beer team to use direct customer feedback and data to shape its product range.

For more information on Cold Town House, go to coldtownhouse.co.uk and follow on social media, including Facebook www.facebook.com/coldtownhouse and Instagram www.instagram.com/coldtownhouse

For more information on Cold Town Beer, go to coldtownbeer.com and follow on social media, including Facebook www.facebook.com/Coldtownbeer and Instagram www.instagram.com/coldtownbeer

For more information on the Scottish Beer Awards, go to www.scottishbeerawards.co.uk

Image credit: Cold Town House/Cold Town Beer, Edinburgh

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