Caledonian 80

We're back in Whitby now for another excellent beer that I tasted while we were there. This was a beer that had travelled all the way from Scotland, to entertain us before we went to collect the Chinese we had ordered for supper. I found it to be a real winner ~ the beer in question is Caledonian 80/-. The Caledonian Brewery ~ or The Caley, as I was later told, was set up way back in 1869, by two gentlemen called George Lorimer and Robert Clark. It is based in Edinburgh and remains a testiment to Scotland's brewing heritage. They still use the same processes and, wherever possible, the same equipment, using the natural ingredients. They even still ...  Read the complete review

Many Scottish brewers have their take on what an "80 shilling" ale should be but of all the commonly available ones, the Caledonian 80/- takes some beating. For people who are curious about the name of the beer, it stems from an old Scottish way of classifying ales in terms of their strength. At one time it was the price of a hogshead of ale. 60 shilling and below were mild ales 70, 80 and 90 were progressively stronger export ales. This notation has persisted, despite the obvious increase in price over the years and the fact that we don't deal in shillings any more :) Anyway, enough of the history, back to the beer! ...  Read the complete review