Belhaven ready to mark its 300th birthday with a bash

Belhaven Brewery is hosting a brewery festival to mark its 300th birthday.

Taking place on Saturday 21 September the ‘Belhaven 300th Birthday Bash’ will celebrate the best of Scottish music and beer.

Belhaven Brewery is Scotland’s oldest working brewery and has been producing beers in Dunbar since 1719. The word ‘Belhaven’ means ‘beautiful bay’ and was taken from its stunning coastal location in East Lothian.

Belhaven beers are exported to the likes of the USA, Russia, Sweden, France and China, and the brewery was awarded Exporter of the Year from the Scottish Beer Awards 2018 with its exports now amounting to 30% of all its beers brewed each year.

Creating a traditional and modern line-up to reflect the historical business and its modern outlook, the festival welcomes names like Dougie MacLean, Capercaillie, Assynt (‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ at the BBC Scots Trad Music Awards 2018) and Kinnaris Quintet.

Adding to the music scene is multi award-winning Scottish contemporary folk band Breabach who are joined by Highland outfit Tide Lines, Niteworks who are recognised for their fusion of electronic and folk music, and Elephant Sessions and Talkisk, both who won Belhaven’s annual bursary for innovation in Scottish music.

Gates open at 11am on Saturday with the first act appearing on stage at noon.

Belhaven Brewery will be serving its award winning beers from tap bars around the grounds. These include 1719 – a specially brewed birthday celebration pale ale, Twisted Grapefruit IPA – current Scottish Beer of the Year, Twisted Thistle IPA – gold medal winner, and Belhaven Best – Scotland’s favourite ale.

In addition to these tasty tipples there will be food stalls and Belhaven Brewery and bands merchandise stalls.

Belhaven Brewery’s marketing controller and festival organiser, Gordon Muir said: ‘It’s not ever year you get to mark a milestone as big as 300 years and so we wanted to celebrate this with Belhaven’s two loves, beer and Scottish music. Belhaven’s 300th Birthday Bash is the ultimate party for those fans and our loyal customers who enjoy nothing more than a few beers and great live music.

‘We’ve plenty of things for the whole family to do including story-telling and games for youngsters, selfies sessions and music masterclasses for the teens and beer tastings and brewery tours for the adults.

‘The line-up demonstrates the breadth and vibrancy of the Scottish folk scene at the moment. Many of these bands have travelled the globe performing their tunes in Sydney Opera House, Byron Bay, America and more, while Tide Lines sold out their November Barrowlands show in just six minutes, so this event is a great opportunity to see some of the most in-demand traditional artists play in the fantastic setting of our brewery in Dunbar.’

On Sunday 22 September, the brewery will hold an open day between 11am and 5pm. Visitors can enjoy a brewery tour for half price and finish off in the brewery garden with a pint and nibble.

Tickets for Saturday’s music festival cost £25 per person and children under 12 go free, available HERE.

Tickets for Sunday’s open day cost £5 per person.

With such a great line-up, an almost endless supply of beer, and activities for kids, this event promises to be a great day out for the family.

More details can be found here: www.belhavenbrewery.co.uk/birthday-bash

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