Fierce Beer

Fierce beer is up there as one of my favourite breweries (along with Tiny Rebel and Wild Beer, but that's something for another day!). So how better to start my first guest blog than with a post about Fierce Beer!

So who are Fierce Beer? A brewery based in Aberdeen and founded by Dave Grant and David McHardy, Fierce beer began as a home brewing company in 2013, testing their beers on the public for the first time in 2015 and  moving into their first micro brewery in April 2016 before brewing their first beer in May 2016. This being a ginger, lemongrass and Habanero pale ale - which I am yet to try! Since starting Fierce Beer have had many achievements... a few are:

• Being voted 'Best New Brewery - 2016' in Scotland by Ratebeer.
• Winning 'Best New Brewery', 'Best Stout or Porter' and 'Beer Of The Year' at the Scottish Beer Awards 2017.
• Being voted 'Best Brewdog collab beer.....ever'.
• Increasing capacity from 150,000 L/Year to 600,000 L/Year to keep up with demand.
• Doubling revenues each year, with projected revenues over £1m next financial year.
• Exporting to 12 countries globally, and as far afield as Australia and Hong Kong.
• Working with our friends over at Devil’s Peak Brewing Company to ensure their beer is readily available in South Africa

I was first introduced to Fierce Beer at the Brewdog AGM, around this time last year. As I approached the bar I saw Cranachan Killer on the menu, and for some reason this immediately stood out to me. As I walked to the bar, a bit apprehensive of what to ask for. I mean, how on earth do you pronounce these Scottish words? I approached a lovely Scottish man, who ordered the pint for me after several attempts of trying to teach me the correct pronunciation. So there it was, my first ever Fierce Beer in my hand, and a strange looking one at that, seeing as I had never seen a beer the colour of Ribena before (colour has seemed to change over the last year, and become less red).

Pint in hand, I wandered back to the table and offered my friends a taste. It was safe to say, that after that I didn't actually get to drink that much of it and it was much loved my all the crew.

So, Cranachan Killer- Heaven in my mouth. A raspberry oat ale, balanced with lots of oats and approximately 11% of fresh raspberry juice, provided by local farms. The first thing that grabs me about this drink is the bottle design. In line with all other beers by Fierce Beer, Cranachan Killer bottle displays a dog, Men in Black style, holding a gun.

Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert that consists of raspberries, honey, oats and cream. All of these flavours bar the cream have made it into this 5.2% beer. This beer grabs you from that first smell, where its immediately obvious that very soon, the raspberry flavours will be hitting your taste buds. And it does not disappoint. Soon after comes the biscuit flavours and a hint of bitterness (though not too much).  This beer is sweet and refreshing, and although I have never tried Cranachan dessert, I have been told the flavours of the dessert come through in this beer.

I rated this a 4.5 on Untapped (on draft). Ratings dropped once I had this in a bottle, but only to a 4.

So what next for Fierce Beer?  In December 2017, Fierce Beer Launched a crowdfunding page, to raise £600,000, to open a 20 tap craft beer bar in Aberdeen. Having reached their target quickly, they then increased the funds to £100,000, which was achieved by 23rd December. I was hoping the bar would be open for my upcoming trip to Aberdeen, but yet to find any information on this.  Would be a perfect start to a 30th birthday if it was!

You can find Fierce beer on https://www.fiercebeer.com/ and the new bar will be open on Exchequer Row, Aberdeen.

More information on their crowdfunding project is available at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/funding-the-first-fierce-bar

Check these guys out. You wont be disappointed!