Brand looks to bridge gap between craft and standard
SIGNATURE Pub Group, the operator of 20 venues across Scotland, has launched its own brewery and beer brand, Cold Town Beer.
The brewery, located on Edinburgh’s Dunedin Street in what was formerly a taxi company workshop, is currently producing one beer – Cold Town Lager – which is pouring in around half of Signature’s units.
A pale ale is due to follow in the coming months, with all Signature venues expected to be stocking Cold Town beers in the near future.
While the beer is currently in draught format, a packaged launch is also planned for later this year.
Although it is initially being installed in Signature’s own outlets, the brand will also be available to other operators.
Cold Town’s head brewer, Ed Evans, has previously worked at both Black Wolf and Drygate breweries.
Signature founder Nic Wood said the goal for the brewery’s first beer was to create an accessible craft lager that wouldn’t alienate fans of standard lagers.
He said: “There’s a split between what is incredibly hoppy and incredibly bitter and what is a standard lager, and there’s a bit in between whereby you can tempt people into the craft market
and show them they can enjoy a sessionable easy-drinking beer, without having something that will rip
your tastebuds out after two pints.”
The name and branding was inspired by the Calton area of Edinburgh, which was known centuries ago as Caldtoun.
Signature’s head of marketing, Louise Maclean, described the Cold Town branding as “clean, contemporary, not fussy, not pretentious, not precious”.
“It’s just honest, simple, everything as a company we’d like to be,” she said.
