Final fling for beer festival

Brewers set to pull in granite city crowds this weekend

This year’s North Hop festival in Aberdeen will be the event’s last in its current format.
This year’s North Hop festival in Aberdeen will be the event’s last in its current format.

OVER 2500 craft beer fans are expected to descend on Aberdeen this weekend as brewers showcase their wares at the North Hop festival.

The two-day event, which is being marketed as The Final Fling as it will be the last festival in its current format,  will feature a beer hall, cocktail lounge and food vendors as well as live music from up and coming Scottish acts.

The festival, at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre on March 30 and 31, will include teams from breweries and distilleries hosting their own bars; breweries in attendance will include new Peterhead firm Brew Toon and Insch brewer Beer Story, while the producer of what’s claimed to be Scotland’s first eau de vie spirit, Never 25, made with Scottish grain and fruit, will also be at the event.

A North Hop Bar will offer attendees five spirits, including a new London Dry gin from Berry Bros & Rudd; mixers from soft drinks firm Lamb & Watt; and cocktails created by local mixologists Adrian Forde-Beggs and Connor Knowles.

On the food front, Bridge of Don restaurant The Library Kitchen will be offering a selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes.

North Hop festival director, Michelle Russell, said: “This is our fourth Aberdeen festival and it will be our 12th festival since North Hop began in Inverness in 2014.

“It has been an amazing journey so far and we have worked with some awesome producers and folk from across Scotland and beyond.

“But the time has come to take a step back and some time out to come up with fresh ideas for the future of the North Hop brand.

“We have always been at the forefront of new trends and like to keep things fresh and unique.

“Aberdeen has always massively supported North Hop and we love running festivals in the city and that is exactly why we have chosen Aberdeen for our final fling to send the current festivals out in style.”