Aldi will be selling a popular Edinburgh based craft beer for the first time.
The German supermarket has revealed the line up for its 25th Scottish Beer Festival and will include Edinburgh's Cold Town Beer.
The popular craft beer can be picked up in some limited shops around Edinburgh and now the whole of the nation can have a taste of the city's beverage.
Crafted by the independent brewer in the suburb of Calton Hill, formerly known as Cauld Toon and the birthplace of Britain’s first brewery back in 1835, Cold Town Beer was established in 2018 to pay homage to Edinburgh’s renowned brewing roots.
Just a few years later, the micro-brewery has signed its first major supermarket deal, which will see a selected number of products appear on shelves across all 98 of Aldi’s Scottish stores from October 28, in line with the launch of its highly anticipated 25th Scottish Beer Festival.
Cold Town Beer is known for its innovation and creative and adventurous flare, as well as serving Royalty a pint in their bar.
Edinburgh Live reported how Prince William paid a visit and enjoyed a drink at the Cold Town House to watch a football match between Hibs and St Johnstone.
The brewery experiments with different flavour profiles to create distinctive products which appeal to all types of craft beer drinkers.
It is this innovation which led to them picking up three awards at the Scottish Beer Awards 2021, including Excellence in Branding and Best Beer Bar for the renowned Cold Town House bar which sits beneath Edinburgh Castle.
They will make their debut in Aldi Scotland with its Chocolate Cake Stout, Hopped Up Wheat Beer, Porn Star Martini and Pride As Helles products, all available from just £1.49.
Ed Evans, Head Brewer at Cold Town Beer, said: “The craft beer market has become increasingly competitive in recent years, and it is easy to get caught up trying to create the ‘hoppiest’ ‘freshest’ or ‘tastiest’ product.
"Cold Town Beer was launched purely with the intention of making a really good beer, that we love to create, and our customers love to enjoy.
“We started out making beer for our bars, but there was so much demand that we realised we had something special that could have wider appeal. We love experimenting with different ingredients and flavours, and all our products are tried by our customers in the bars before they are offered to retailers.
“Scots have been able to purchase our craft beer products in some limited convenience stores, but this has mostly been in the Edinburgh area. This deal with Aldi Scotland is huge for us, giving us national reach and a chance to bring our products to more people across the country.
“Aldi Scotland has long been a champion of independent Scottish producers, and the support and guidance of the team has been indispensable as we embark on this next chapter in our journey. To feature as part of the 25th Scottish Beer Festival is a huge achievement for us, and something we are incredibly proud of.”
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, commented: “There are some incredibly talented people working in the craft beer industry here in Scotland, and at Aldi Scotland our buying team remain focused on doing all they can to support and promote local suppliers.
“Cold Town Beer are a wonderful example of the innovation, creativity and passion driving the Scottish craft beer industry, and we are glad that we can use our position as one of the UK’s largest supermarkets to give them a platform for growth.
“The Beer Festival was launched with the intention of showcasing such suppliers and it is hard to believe we are now hosting our 25th Festival. Over the years it has gone from strength to strength and we have now worked with over 80 Scottish breweries across all of our Beer Festivals, which have generated sales of over £3 million for the Scottish brewing industry and we look forward to delivering more Scottish Craft Beer Festivals in the future.”
Aldi’s 25th Scottish Beer Festival launches in stores across Scotland this Thursday (October 28). You can find your nearest Aldi here.
