North Hop Tour Diary

Michelle says: "It’s not long to go ‘til our first North Hop 2016 tour date and the excitement is mounting. We’re kicking-off this year’s festival at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms on Saturday 5th March and it’s gearing up to be a belter.

"North Hop 2016 will bring together the best of craft beer, cider, spirits, street food & music and as ever we’ll be showcasing some of Scotland’s top indy breweries."

Here’s the lowdown on some of the exciting and exclusive brews on the lineup:

Up Front Brewing - Zombier

The inimitable Jake from Glasgow’s Drygate debuts his first solo side-project. The Zombier is a cult favourite amongst home brewers, and this ‘ultra porter’ gets a much-anticipated festival outing.

Drygate - Outaspace Barrel Aged Apple Ale

Drygate’s legendarily refreshing Outaspace Apple Ale has been given a flavour-packed barrel-aged makeover for North Hop.

Barney's Beer - Bastard Amber

Named after the stage lighting gel ‘Bastard Amber’, Edinburgh’s own Barney’s Beer gives a nod to the rock star life with this brand new 5.26.5% abv amber ale.

Stewart Brewing - Moscow Mule Saison

Stewart’s head brewer Bruce Smith has brought a measure of cocktail culture to this Saison-style beer. Inspired by the classic vodka cocktail, the zesty hop-forward beer will be infused with ginger and lime, available exclusively at North Hop as the Festival Brew.

Tempest Brewing Co. - Long White Cloud

Tweedbank-based Tempest bring their cult-worthy Long White Cloud pale ale. Inspired by New Zealand, it’s a hoppy, tropical delight.

Festival-goers can also look forward to sampling surprises from other top breweries such as Nairn-based Wooha and Alloa’s Williams Bros.

After Edinburgh, it’s a hop back up north to the granite city for the weekend of 30th April & 1st May, before hitting Glasgow’s SWG3 over the weekend of 18th & 19th June.

• For full details and tickets for the full North Hop 2016 tour programme, check out www.northhop.co.uk