Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen

There are a lot of really amazing four letter words.  There’s that one you’re not supposed to say. There’s that one you’re really not supposed to say. There’s some really great Scottish ones. There’s that one that you say while looking deep into somebody's eyes which can change your relationship forever. (Or tank it completely if one of you says it but the other one was more, you know, just looking to have fun and see where things went and oh that’s my phone going sorry I’ve got to take this)

 And then there’s “Beer”.

 That’s the one that really gets everybody’s attention. Homer Simpson has spent two and a half decades telling us how great it is and it seems like we’re finally coming around – with more active breweries in Scotland now than at any previous time, the rage for craft ales, microbrews and specialised beers of all kinds has swept the nation and transformed its bar scene completely. Politics, entertainment and, well, most facets of society really might still be all too homogenous, but never before has there been such diversity in beer.

 With Innis & Gunn opening their latest Beer Kitchen in Glasgow’s legendary Ashton Lane, the city now has another bright jewel to add to its sudsy crown. The three-floored beer extravaganza is a sight to behold, comprising of a microbrewery topped with a stylish restaurant and then a cosy attic bar. Rather than formal brewery tours, they’ve simply educated their staff to within an inch of their lives so that all of your hoppish queries can be answered on the spot. Their love of beer extends to the restaurant menu, with just about every dish either beer-battered or served up in an ale-laced sauce. Up top the snug bar holds, on top of its astonishing repertoire of beers of every imaginable kind,  a selection of their own specially developed “hoptails” which might be the perfect answer for anyone who felt themselves to rugged for your more colourful, mini-umbrella-y cocktails.  (Another answer would be to tell them to wheesht, grow up and enjoy their mojito but that's a whole other thing)

For all those who worship at the altar of the hop, the head and the holy pint class – enjoy your new temple.