Scottish Food & Drink News – February 2018

This month's events guide features gin paired with science and running, a pair of new beer festivals, and a celebration of Chinese New Year

Feature by Peter Simpson | 29 Jan 2018

The month kicks off with A Glasgow Beer Event, a new beer festival with a can't-miss name and a pleasing focus on dark beers rather than the usual flood of 'hoppy and floral' IPAs. There'll be beers from a host of our favourite breweries including Alechemy, Top Out and Fallen, as well as a couple of your favourites in the form of perennial Food and Drink Survey winners Williams Bros. and Pilot. 2 Feb, 6-11pm, 3 Feb, 12-5pm and 6-11pm; 249 Govan Rd, Glasgow; £10.50, tickets via aleselabeers.com

Have you made a resolution to get healthy this year, but decided to give up on it and just eat and drink nice things instead? Well, Run the Sights can help you combine the two with their Pickering's Gin Running Tour. After a quick potter around the Pickering's distillery at Summerhall, you'll head off on a four-mile trek around Edinburgh, before arriving back at the pub for more gin. This is the kind of healthy outdoor activity we wholeheartedly endorse. 4 & 25 Feb, 1.15pm; 1 Summerhall Pl, Edinburgh; £20, tickets via runthesights.co.uk

Next up, The Hanging Bat host a tap takeover from craft beer veterans Abbeydale Brewery. They've been brewing since the mid-90s, and have recently decided to shake things up with some interesting new styles so expect – in the words of the Hanging Bat – a mix of traditional beers and "some experimental madness." That madness, we gather, includes a coffee & donut-inspired stout. Colour us intrigued. 8 Feb; 133 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh; facebook.com/theHangingBat

Up in Dundee, Craft Beer Discovery brings together a host of great breweries from across the country for an afternoon of tasty, tasty beers. Edinburgh Beer Factory, Stewart Brewing, WEST and Dundee's own 71 Brewing all feature on the line-up; the beer festival prerequisites of street food and your very own branded glass also make an appearance. 10 Feb, 12-4.30pm and 5.30-10pm; Bonar Hall, Park Pl, Dundee; £12, tickets via Eventbrite

Over in Glasgow, it's time to combine two of our favourite things – gin, and scientific chat! The Science of Gin sees Glasgow Science Centre team up with The Good Spirit Co to work through a half-dozen expertly selected gins and discuss the science behind them. You'll try some tasty drinks, and you can have a G&T in a planetarium, which is always nice. 14 Feb, 7pm; Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay; £35, glasgowsciencecentre.org

And finally, some food! Celebrate the coming of the Chinese New Year with a Chinese Street Food Festival in Edinburgh. Expect stalls showcasing a host of dishes from across China, in a scene that should absolutely baffle the hungover stag parties trying to watch the football on a Sunday afternoon. 18 Feb; The Three Sisters, 139 Cowgate, Edinburgh; facebook.com/the3sisters

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