CAMPBELL’S BREWERY GUNNING FOR SUCCESS WITH BLONDE ALE - Pre-Orders of Gunner Blonde Ale in Bottle hit 2,000 in First Week

Taking over 2,000 bottle pre-orders last month for its flagship beer Gunner Blonde Ale was a real shot in the arm for Borders brewer, Campbell’s Brewery. Added to an on-trade account base of over 100 in just seven months after launching Gunner on draught and this fledgling brewery is gunning for success in 2018.

Gunner Blonde Ale (4.3%) is inspired by the landscape of the Scottish Borders and has been hailed by former rugby international Craig Chalmers as ‘the best ale he has ever tasted’.  All local malts and traditional hops lend an earthen sweetness and distinct rural aroma of freshly mown fields and hedgerows in bloom.  Well balanced and refreshing, Gunner is available in cask and now in 330ml bottles. Stockists include Beer & Skittles, Malt Shovel Inn, Milnes, The Café Royal and the Beehive Inn.

Appearance  Light gold in colour
Aroma          Malty with a fresh grassy hop aroma
Taste             Smooth but strong biscuity malt flavours and gentle hop bitterness
Malts             Mungoswells lager and wheat malts
Hops             Admiral, Celeia, Sovereign, Goldings

Campbell’s Brewery’s eight-barrel brewhouse in Peebles has been operational since February 2017, masterminded and funded by local entrepreneur Murray Campbell (38), who also runs a successful marquee hire business.  A lawyer by trade, but not by nature, lack of formal brewing experience did not deter the industrious entrepreneur in tackling his latest venture. No stranger to risk or a good adventure, in 2002 Campbell became the youngest ever Brit to attempt to scale Mount Everest (illness prevented him making the final ascent, 450m from the summit); five years later he cycled across Australia in 20 days and, in 2008, he completed the gruelling Marathon de Sable for Mencap.

Campbell’s aspirations for his brewery are just as ambitious but less extreme. “When it comes to beer, and I like my beer,” he said, “I don’t like fuss. I started a brewery to create a series of cask and bottle-conditioned ales that stand out for their quality ingredients and quality production. No jiggery pokery, no complex or madcap inventions, just simple, well-made, great-tasting beer, which I leave in the expert hands of my head brewer Isaac Knowles-Gruft.

“I get enough of an adrenalin buzz these days 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 maybe tearing up the trails at Glentress on the odd occasion!”