Caledonian Brewery, Slateford Road

Image: © kim traynor Taken: 5 Sep 2011

The last of the breed. This is apparently the last brewery in Edinburgh which is actually brewing beer. It was originally Lorimer & Clark's Brewery, started in 1869 at a time when the city had 41 breweries. A borehole was sunk 200 metres to reach the water of an underground lake. Situated directly on the Caledonian Railway's main line to England, its 'Best Scotch' brand was sent south to quench the thirst of many a coalminer and foundry worker, especially in the north-east of England, during the industrial era. It was taken over in 1947 by the north of England brewer Vaux. Despite coming close to closure in the 1980s (saved only by a management buy-out) and suffering two fires in the 1990s, the brewery has been well maintained with its main buildings Grade B-listed. In 2004, Scottish & Newcastle bought a major stake in the company, taking over completely in 2008, shortly before S&N was in turn bought out by the Heineken Group. As well as its own creation of Deuchars IPA, the brewery continues to brew the famous S&N brand, McEwan's Export.

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