Scotland’s largest celebration of craft beer returns to Edinburgh this May with a special foodie focus, top-class music acts and a huge selection of craft beers.

Taking place on May 24 and 25 at The Biscuit Factory, the Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival will see some of the city’s leading restaurants serve up a tantalising array of culinary treats, keeping beer lovers well fed.

Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival

This year the festival has partnered up with two of Edinburgh’s top restaurants, Aizle and Harajuku Kitchen, to offer revelers something a bit special. The event will also play host to another impressive line-up of top-class music performers.

Some of the world’s hottest new breweries will be showcasing their products, including Fierce from Scotland, To Øl from Denmark, Canada’s Collective Arts, and Stone & Wood from Australia, as well as major names in the brewing world that have never before poured in Scotland.

Collective Arts’ Asia and Europe manager, James Goulding, said: “We’re super excited to come and pour our beers in Edinburgh for the first time. We’re all about creativity, art, music, and culture fusing with craft beer. Coming to Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival, an event and city famous for all those things, is an awesome opportunity for us.”

Marking a first for the Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival, this year the organiser, We Are Beer, will create a special brew in collaboration with Pilot, to be launched ahead of the event. At just 3.5% ABV, it’s a refreshing, low-alcohol pale brew for lazy summer days, with zingy flavours of watermelon, mint and hibiscus.

Pilot Brewery director, Matt Johnson, said: “We Are Beer events are hands down the best beer festivals to be a part of. As a small brewery, it’s really humbling to be in the company of such a high calibre line-up, and the atmosphere is always buzzing.

“The opportunity to make the festival beer was one we couldn’t turn down. We wanted the beer to be easy going and sessionable. Although we’ve played around with herbs in our beers, we’ve never used mint before, so this was the perfect opportunity to give it a go, and we think it will pair perfectly with the watermelon and citric zing of hibiscus. It’s a semi-sour because we’re going for a nice, refreshing tartness, whilst keeping the acidity in check to make sure it’s approachable and moreish.”

This year will also see the return of the Raise the Bar competition, which seeks to find new, up-and-coming brewers and shine a light on creativity and innovation in the brewing industry. Winners will once again have the opportunity to showcase their products at the Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival as well as the London and Bristol festivals, and new Birmingham event, Beer Central.

Stellar line-up

Greg Wells, co-founder of Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival, said: “We can’t wait to return to Scotland with our third Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival, which promises to be bigger and better than ever, with a stellar line-up of music acts and some of the top brewers from around the globe. This year we’re really upping our game in terms of the food offer, bringing along some of Edinburgh’s leading restaurants who will be serving up tempting treats to go with our huge range of craft beers.

“We’re also looking forward to unveiling our special brew created in collaboration with Pilot, which promises to be the perfect drink for the summer with zingy, fruity flavours and a low ABV. Tickets are selling fast and once again Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival looks set to be Scotland’s top celebration of craft beer and great food on the calendar. Don’t miss out!”

Tickets for Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival are priced from £45 and include entry, all your beer, a special festival beer glass and magazine, and access to the festival’s pop-up kitchens and music acts. Find out more here