oak-aged & lagerEdinburghTap room

Innis & Gunn

3.6

TasteSCOT rating

Location

Edinburgh

Founded

2003

Style

oak-aged & lager

Flagship

The Original (oak-aged lager, 6.6%)

Size

Medium (independent-with-investment)

The brewery that made oak cask-aged beer mainstream. Innis & Gunn started in 2003 with The Original — a 6.6% strong ale aged in oak casks, originally a happy accident from a contract whisky-finishing run. Today they're best known for The Original, Lager Beer, and a strong supermarket presence. The cask-aged side of the catalogue still gets serious attention, but the volume sits with their craft lager.

Core beers

The Original

Recommended

Oak-Aged Strong Ale · 6.6% ABV · 24 IBU

£2.60/can

Vanilla, toffee, gentle oak warmth. A 77-day cask finishing process gives it a richness you don't get from other strong ales. The beer that made the brewery.

BottleCanWorld Beer Awards Gold (The Original)

Buy →

Pairs with: Beef stew, hard cheese, sticky toffee pudding

Lager Beer

Craft Lager · 4.6% ABV · 22 IBU

£4.80/pint

£2.40/can

Crisp, biscuit malt, light hop bite. Their volume product. Reliable.

KegCanBottle

Buy →

Pairs with: Pizza, fish and chips, anything fried

Seasonal

Caribbean Rum CaskLimited annual

Rum-Cask Strong Ale · 6.8%

Aged in ex-rum casks. Sweeter and more tropical than The Original.

Our verdict

Innis & Gunn occupy a strange middle ground in Scottish beer — bigger than indie, smaller than BrewDog, focused on supermarket-friendly cask-aged lagers and ales. The Original is genuinely distinctive: a 6.6% oak-aged strong ale that still tastes like nothing else widely available. Lager Beer is a competent craft lager. The wider range is hit-and-miss. Worth knowing for The Original; everything else is supermarket craft.

Best for:Oak-aged ale fansCraft lager drinkersSupermarket craft browsers

Where to buy

Innis & Gunn Online Shop

Mixed cases from £24.

UK-wide · £4.95. Free over £40.

Shop

Find their beer near you

Tesco

UK-wide · Supermarket

The Original and Lager Beer.

Sainsburys

UK-wide · Supermarket

Core range.

Waitrose

UK-wide · Supermarket

Stocks the cask-aged range.

Strong. The Original and Lager Beer in nearly every UK supermarket. Specials in Waitrose and Tesco Finest ranges.

Tap room: The Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen

Brand-owned restaurant-pub in Edinburgh (and other UK cities). Full Innis & Gunn range plus food. Polished, corporate, family-friendly. Less of a brewery tap room and more of a casual restaurant.

Mon12pm–10pm

Tue12pm–10pm

Wed12pm–10pm

Thu12pm–10pm

Fri12pm–11pm

Sat12pm–11pm

Sun12pm–9pm

Food

Burgers, pizza, sharing boards, pub mains. Reliable.

Outdoor

Limited.

Info

12 taps · Family-friendly · ~120

Walk-ins or book via website.

What's on tap →

Getting there

From Glasgow

1 hour

50 miles

From Edinburgh

Transport

Edinburgh Beer Kitchen is a short walk from city centre transport hubs.

Designated driver essential — the tap room pours generously.

Parking: Public parking nearby.

Find Innis & Gunn on tap

Most major UK supermarkets

UK-wide

Easy to find.

Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchens

Edinburgh, Glasgow

Full range and food.

Awards

World Beer Awards Gold (The Original) 2022

Beer & food pairings

The OriginalSticky toffee puddingVanilla and oak meet caramelised sugar. A natural pairing.

Lager BeerPizzaCrisp lager cuts through cheese.

Innis & Gunn beers pair with comfort food. The Original works with rich, slow-cooked dishes.

Compare Innis & Gunn with

Williams Bros Brewing Co →Belhaven →Harviestoun Brewery →BrewDog →

Frequently asked questions

Is Innis & Gunn Scottish?

Yes — Edinburgh-based since 2003. Some of the beer is contract-brewed off-site, including outside Scotland — check the can label for production location.

What is The Original?

Innis & Gunn's flagship — a 6.6% oak-aged strong ale finished in oak casks for 77 days. Vanilla, toffee, gentle oak warmth. The beer that made the brewery.

Is Innis & Gunn independent?

Edinburgh-based and founder-led but with significant private equity investment. Not "indie" in the small-craft sense, but not part of a multinational either.

Where can I buy Innis & Gunn?

Most UK supermarkets stock the core range. Online at innisandgunn.com/shop. Their own Beer Kitchens in Edinburgh and Glasgow stock the full range with food.

Is there a brewery tour?

No public tour at present. Their beer is largely contract-brewed off-site, which makes brewery tourism harder. The Beer Kitchen restaurants are the closest you get.

How does Innis & Gunn compare to BrewDog?

Both started Scottish, both grew big, both took outside investment. Innis & Gunn focus on cask-aged ale and lager; BrewDog on hop-forward IPA. Innis & Gunn are smaller and quieter; BrewDog louder and more controversial.