It’s thought that Scotland’s first ever pint may have been poured in the Capital, with the 12th century monks of Holyrood Abbey producing ale from the clear spring water that still flows from St Margaret’s Well today.
And it was the process of creating beer that in part led to Edinburgh’s ‘Auld Reekie’ nickname, due to the smoke produced by coal and wood burning furnaces and boilers.
By the start of the 20th century the city had a remarkable 35 breweries and was one of the most important centres of beer making in the UK.
These days there are fewer, with the best known surviving name being the Caledonian Brewery in Slateford.
But smaller breweries have started popping up in recent years creating boutique beers, from the Campervan Brewery in the north of the city to Barney’s Bee r in the south.
Back in the 1950s and 1960s the industry was thriving, as these 28 pictures show.
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21. Festive fun
The Scottish & Newcastle Breweries children's Christmas party held at Grindlay Street Drill Hall in December 1965. Photo: Crauford Tait
22. Beer barrels
Barrels of beer at the Scottish and Newcastle Breweries Bottling and Blending Warehouse in Bath Street, Leith, in November 1963. Photo: Unknown
23. Fill them up
Bottling beer at the McEwans Brewery, in Fountainbridge, in April 1960. Photo: Unknown
24. Roll out the barrel
Workmen rolling barrels at Drybrough's Brewery, at Craigmillar, in August 1955. The brewery closed in 1987 and the site was subsequently demolished and replaced by flats. Photo: Unknown