Head south for a cold one

The event follows in the footsteps of the Southside Festival, Film Festival and Fringe in hoping to put the area on the map, as well as promote local businesses.

And, with just 10 tickets left to sell (and 500 already gone), the duo behind the beer festival are delighted with its speedy success.

Dave Lannigan, a web developer who runs Twitter feed @AboutShawlands, told The Extra: “It all started on Twitter. I’d always wanted to do a beer festival, and found Emma Mykytyn, who runs the Food and Drink Glasgow blog (@GlasgowFoodie).

“It grew from a couple of pints in the pub, and from there it’s taken off, and become almost a full-time job.”

The fun kicks off on Friday, July 26 with a pre-festival event at the Old Stag Inn, Pollokhaws.

The Taps Oan takeover will run from 5.30pm. showcasing fine Scottish beers and fundraising for Yorkhill Children’s Foundation.

The festival itself, on July 27, will include over 17 breweries — including Fyne Ales, Houston, WEST, Brewdog and Loch Lomond — and Babu Bombay Street Kitchen and Buddy’s BBQ providing sustenance.

It’s just the first of many events, as the festival duo plan ahead for a monthly takeover of the Old Stag Inn in Pollokshaws, a southside nod to Oktoberfest and a Christmas pop-up.

Shawlands man Dave added: “It’s about getting beers — especially Scottish brewers — that you can’t get elsewhere. The pubs in Shawlands have plummeted, and we seem to be left with just the big chains. We want to show people that there’s more to beer than the usual brands.

“The idea of a monthly meeting, with meet the brewer events and meals, will also make it more of a social club, and give people a chance to meet.”

For now, the beer festival has the support of fellow fests, with Southside Fringe and Southside Sessions performers taking to a stage outside with music, acrobatics and even fire breathers (festivalgoers can rest assured that they’re not seeing things as a result of all that tasting,

then).

All that’s left is to hope for the sun to rear its head — making the southside all the more likely to reach for a cold

one.

The Southside Beer Fest runs 12-9pm on Saturday, July 27. Tickets and info can be found on the festival website, or by following @ssbeerfest on Twitter.