So let’s raise our glasses to that fine tradition with these nostalgic pictures documenting the nation’s breweries and beers during the 1970s and 80s.
That may only be a small drop in the ocean of Scotland’s beer-making history, but it’s a refreshing one nonetheless.
This retro photo gallery takes us inside some of Scotland’s biggest and most celebrated breweries of their day.
Workers are seen raising their glasses as they toast some momentous news; carrying out quality control at the brewery; and unveiling a special tipple to mark Scotland’s grand slam rugby heroes.
And let’s not forget those loyal servants, the dray horses, who for many years pulled the barrels and kegs to the pubs where thirsty punters waited.
Famous visitors are pictured, too, from Morecambe and Wise to then-PM Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis, plus a beer-swilling bear.
Some of the breweries pictured are still going strong, but others have sadly shut their doors for good, like Scottish and Newcastle’s Fountain Brewery, which closed in 2005.
Do these photos bring back any memories for you of the 70s and 80s, and what do you think is the best beer ever brewed in Scotland?
5. Real ale
Liz Neil, from the Greemantle pub, serves up real ale at the Scottish Traditional Beers exhibition held in the Caledonian Brewery, Slateford Road Edinburgh, in May 1981 | TSPL
6. Beer festival
A beer drinker sitting among the barrels at the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) festival at Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh, in May 1985 | TSPL
7. Candlelit drinks
A regular at Gordon's Bar, Glasgow, enjoys a pint by candlelight during a power cut amid the miners' strike in 1972 | TSPL
