Beers made in Highlands among winners at 2023 Society of Independent Brewers awards

Beers produced by two craft breweries in the Highlands have been judged to be among the best in the UK.

Inverness-based Dog Falls Brewing and Cairngorm Brewery in Aviemore were among the winners at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Independent Beer Awards.

Dog Falls Brewing picked up the bronze award in the Bottle/can IPA category for its Split The Tree beer plus the bronze in the Keg Amber, Brown and Red Ale with Red Hook.

Cairngorm Brewery's Wildcat was awarded silver in the Cask British Best Beer section and also picked up bronze in the Cask British Beer category with Stag.

Dog Falls Brewing was established by Bob Masson and his wife, Louise, in 2019 after Mr Masson stepped away from his career in the oil and gas industry.

Its first beers were sold at the Inverness Farmers Market before Christmas that same year.

Brewing was carried out in a garage but at the end of last year the company moved to premises in Lotland Place.

Cairngorm Brewery Company was established in 2001 and now has a 20-barrel brewhouse capable of producing 6500 litres of beers each day ranging from a light continental style beer to a traditional Scottish Milk Stout.

The SIBA Independent Beer Awards, judged by brewers and industry experts, run across a range of beer style categories in cask, craft keg, bottle and can.

The awards at BeerX UK, held in Liverpool, are the trade association’s national finals and in order to earn a place at the competition, brewers must first win at their regional competition.

SIBA competitions chairperson Anneli Baxter, said: "The quality of entries into these awards genuinely does go from strength each year, and 2023 was no exception with some superb beers across the board."

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.