Glasgow beer fans look to the east

And so I headed to the launch of Drygate; the brewery, bar and kitchen luring everyone else in Glasgow eastwards for a taste of their many and varied craft beers.

The building (and equally imposing/inviting industrial sign shouting out from behind a high rise) is impressive; nestled just below Glasgow Cathedral and in the shadow of the Wellpark Brewery — an important point, as this is a joint venture between Tennent’s owner C&C Group and craft brewers Williams Bros.

The Drygate brand definitely leans towards a Williams Bros-favouring beard and brogues crowd more than it does the traditional Tennent’s drinker — but there’s a lack of pretension (not least reflected in some rather reasonable prices), even if it does have a sleek hipster sheen.

Upstairs there’s a beer hall — right now, displaying fruits of labour from Glasgow School of Art, and the students responsible for designing Drygate’s mythical-style labels.

There, friends and I tucked into the Gladeye IPA and Outaspace apple ale.

The other half raved about the IPA; a flavourful American-style ale with a strong finish.

The apple ale was more unusual; nowhere near a cider, but a pleasant, extra-sweet lager which would come in handy on a warm day (and with plenty of balcony space, all you need is for the weather to cooperate).

Downstairs, in Drygate’s restaurant area, we tucked into the Bearface lager; a tasty microbrew, rich and golden and colour but as thirst-quenching as you’d expect — and a far cry from that familiar Tennent’s taste.

We were also lucky enough to sample a few nibbles from the kitchen; breaded chorizo and oxtail sausage rolls were a particular treat, as well as a decent tomato arancini.

If this is what Drygate tastes like, I’ll be heading east again very soon.

Drygate Brewing Co

85 Drygate

Glasgow

G4 0UT

Tel: 0141 212 8810