Edinburgh’s Cold Town House crowned Scotland’s ‘Best Beer Destination’ at Scottish Beer Awards 2025
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.
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.
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. 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.
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.