Borders brewery sees beer embraced by capital pubs

A FLEDGLING Borders brewer took orders for more than 2,000 bottles within the first week of its flagship beer being launched in packaged format before Christmas, writes Scott Wright.

Campbell’s Brewery now has more than 100 on-trade stockists for its draught and bottled Gunner Blonde Ale, underlining its rapid rise since being launched by Murray Campbell in Peebles last year.

Edinburgh outlets Milnes, the Malt Shovel Inn, The Café Royal and the Beehive Inn are among stockists of the beer, which is made with local malts and traditional hops.

Mr Campbell, who lays claim to being the youngest ever British person to attempt to scale Mount Everest (illness prevented him from the final, 450-metre ascent), said he does not like “fuss” when it comes to beer. “I started a brewery to create a series of cask and bottle-conditioned ales that stand out for their quality ingredients and quality production,” he said.

“No jiggery-pokery, no complex or madcap inventions, just simple, wellmade, great-tasting beer, which I leave in the expert hands of my head brewer

Isaac Knowles-Gruft.

“I get enough of an adrenalin buzz from the sales and from people’s reaction to the beer that I don’t feel the need any more to push my body to the limit apart from tearing up the Glentress trails on the odd occasion!”