Music influences festival brew from Glasgow producer
A Glasgow brewery has created what it claims is the first beer to be “infused” with Celtic music.
Drygate created Festival Brew as the official beer of this year’s Celtic Connections festival, which is currently underway across the city.
Picture by Stewart Attwood
It is a 5.3% ABV saison-style beer that has been brewed with French hops, with musical input from Celtic piper John Mulhearn and acoustic guitarist Finlay Napier.
The musicians played to the brewing team during production, and music
is said to have been a constant presence through the conditioning process via microphones, which were installed on the inside of the fermentation tanks during the two-week process.
“Festival Brew has been a truly innovative and collaborative project; the first time a beer has been brewed to the sounds of Celtic music,” said Matt Cordon, operations director at Drygate.
“Beer is traditionally brewed with just four ingredients. In this instance, we’re adding a fifth – music – and can’t wait to taste the finished result.
“What’s more, the saison beer style has its roots firmly in farmhouse and folk tradition, making it a fitting accompaniment to the Celtic music being showcased at this year’s festival.”
The French saison style and French hops are nods to the tenth anniversary of the twinning of Glasgow and Marseille; the anniversary is also referenced in several events taking place during the festival.
Celtic Connections kicked off on January 14 and runs until January 31.
The programme of events includes concerts in venues across the city, as well as workshops and other events.
Festival Brew has been on sale, in both draught and 500ml bottle formats, in several festival venues.
