Vault City, the Portobello-based modern sour beer brewery, has launched a 5.5% ABV beer which is now sold out after being purchased by a number of bars across the UK ahead of Burns Night.
The Iron Brew Sour is the latest experimental beer by the brewery which has previously launched tributes to other popular soft drinks, including a Cheeky Vimto and a Rybena Session Sour.
Much like the popular soft drink Irn Bru, Iron Brew has become a favourite for many on Burns night over the past few years, with the 2022 version being so hotly anticipated that almost 10,000 cans sold out on the company’s website in under one hour, making it one of the brewery’s fastest selling releases.
As well as selling cans online, the drink can also be enjoyed in Edinburgh's Wee Vault on Lothian Road.
Edinburgh-based co-founder Steven Smith-Hay, who began brewing beers in his Murrayfield kitchen in 2018, said: “We’ve created our Iron Brew sour to pay homage to a drink that we truly love, and the demand is huge.
“This release is particularly special because it’s the first time Vault City has ever been released in cans, and it feels like the perfect release for us to make that transition. There’s nothing better than a can of the good stuff!
“We want to make sour beer accessible to everyone, so to incorporate one of Scotland’s favourite tastes was a no-brainer.”
The Thornwood bar in Glasgow, Innis & Gunn in Edinburgh, and Billy Franks in London are among the bars celebrating Burns Night with Iron Brew.
Steven added: “This hype release helps us and bars through an otherwise challenging month. Between Dry January and restrictions people aren’t buying lots of beer.
“People love it and ask us to make this a permanent fixture, but dropping it once a year keeps it special, and it gives people a chance to try our other beers.
“If we made it a year-round beer Barr might be a bit peeved, and I don’t want that because Irn Bru’s my favourite non-alcoholic drink, that’s why we made it! But then again, you never know what will happen in the future.”
This release has Vault City’s highest rating yet on review platform Untappd, with this year’s release sitting at 4.11.
The brewery unveils a trio of experimental beers every fortnight, with the most recent drop also including a Cloudy Lemonade session sour and a Rhubarb and Custard sour.
Vault City Brewing moved into their purpose-built brewery in Portobello last year and have recently launched their Raspberry Sour and Tropical Sour products into Tesco stores nationwide.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the brewer also announced a partnership with King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut and that they would be opening a 250-capacity music venue in its taproom pm Sir Harry Lauder Road in a bid to help Scottish and Edinburgh-based musicians recover from the pandemic.
