Members of Parliament got a taste of Scotland recently when a Bo’ness brewery had its flagship beer served at the House of Commons.
Pennvael Amber was the first ale produced by Kinneil Brew Hoose when it launched in 2011.
Last month it was featured as a guest beer at Strangers’ Bar at the House of Commons after it was requested by Martyn Day, MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk. Day also invited the owners to Westminster, where they were given a tour of the building.
Kinneil Brew Hoose brewer and co-founder Stuart Simpson said the beer was well received.
“The bar manager down there said he was very impressed with the beer,” said Simpson.
“It cleared beautifully and he was very pleased with the flavours he was getting out of it. That was quite something to us, because we don’t go in for competitions or anything like that.
“We’re pretty small and with the SIBA and CAMRA competitions it tends to be customers that vote, and if you’re not in very many pubs you’re not going to get very many votes.”
Kinneil Brew Hoose was founded in 2011 by Simpson and partner Elaine Campbell in a building behind the Corbie Inn – a village pub owned by friends of Simpson.
A keen home-brewer who had taken early retirement from Hewlett Packard, Simpson went on to create a range of cask ales that includes Caer Edin Dark Ale, Kincardine Sunset and Wayfinder Pale Ale, in addition to Pennvael Amber.
Beers from the microbrewery, which produces around 365 litres a batch, are mostly stocked by pubs in the local area, as well as UK beer festivals.
