Scottish Food Events & Festivals: March 2019
March's food events round-up is mostly liquid, with beer events in Edinburgh and a pair of gin fests at either end of the M8
We begin this month with some seriously funky beers, courtesy of Wild Beer Co. The Somerset-based brewery specialise in weird, sour and otherwise non-standard beers, and they’re bringing ten of their funkiest to Salt Horse in Edinburgh for a lip-smacking evening of drinking. For fans of tart and sharp flavours, extensive discussions on the merits of various types of barrel, and those of you who like to test yourselves in a game of ‘Which Of These Seemingly Innocuous Drinks Is So Sour It Will Make Me Cry?’ Salt Horse, 57 Blackfriars St, Edinburgh, 6 Mar, from 5pm, salthorse.beer
Next up is a chance to get all veg-based, with the return of Scotland Vegan Festival. There will be more than 80 stalls to choose from at the slightly incongruous location of Hampden Park, as well as cookery demonstrations and various other vegan bits and bobs. There will also be yoga. Hampden Park, Glasgow, 9 Mar, from 10.30am, £3-15, tickets via Eventbrite
Now it’s time for the monthly gin festival! It does feel like there’s one of the buggers in each of these round-ups, but Glasgow University Gin Festival is a little different. For one thing, it’s run by students and if there’s one thing students know, it’s partying. For another, the festival is soundtracked not by your standard ‘four lads playing soft jazz’ but by DJs from Subcity, so expect the thing to turn into an extremely well-curated rave at the drop of a hat. Two rooms of gin await; that’s two rooms with gin producers in them, not two rooms filled to the brim with gin, but let’s see how this thing plays out. GUU, 32 University Ave, Glasgow, 20 Mar, 6pm, £6-8, tickets via fixr.co
Next, more beer! The Great Grog’s beer fairs are big faves around these parts – take a church hall, put a load of brewers in it, send us round with a tasting glass and we’re set for the afternoon. This latest bottled beer extravaganza features just under 100 beers to check out, and because it’s bottled beer it’s all too easy to stock up the cupboard with delicious drinks for special occasions/sitting in front of the sofa later that afternoon. Come for the tasters and the convivial atmosphere, stay for the chance to spot The Skinny playing that sour beer game from earlier in this round-up. St Peters Church, Lutton Pl, Edinburgh, 30 Mar, from 1pm, £8-10, tickets via greatgrog.co.uk
And finally, because one wasn’t enough, here’s another new gin festival to check out! The True OriGINs festival focuses solely on Scottish gins, of which – as you well know – there are loads. Stands to reason that there should be plenty of interesting sippers on offer across the festival’s eight bars, so if you’re a big ginhead save up your pennies for a juniper-packed end of the month blowout. The Biscuit Factory, 4 Anderson Pl, Edinburgh, 29 & 30 Mar, various times, £12.50, trueoriginsco.com