Hello there fellow beer lovers,
The next stop on the boys Edinburgh tour was Moonwake Beer Co, which I believe was a bit of a disaster as they cocked up their timings, but eventually they made it there… via several other cheeky pub stops! (not that you can tell from the cover photo)
Moonwake: “the moon’s reflection on a body of water” speaks to the brewery’s Leith Shore location, the importance of water as an ingredient, and our beers’ reflection of our combined experience.
Moonwake beer Co
Established in 2021 its the youngest of the breweries the lads looked at on this tour.
They might be a young pup in the brewing world, but they have already got a few awards under their belts for their brews, so lets see what they have to offer!
Moonwake Beer Co, IPA- 5% ABV
Appearance: Clear Golden Colour with a white film head.
Scent: Very strong citrus notes with a healthy handful of bitter hops.
Body: Thin but heavily carbonated, poor head retention
Taste: Strong hit of hop that mellows to a juicy citrus which lessens to a dry finish leaving a bitter aftertaste.
Stu’s Thoughts: “Not a bad IPA, little high for a session but it has a very pleasant zing to it.“
Stuarts Rating: 3.3 / 5.0
Moonwake Beer Co, Breakfast IPA – 6% ABV
Appearance: Opaque Marmalade with a tight white head.
Scent: Very mellow scent of hop with freshly cut grass
Body: Medium bodied, well carbonated with good head retention
Taste: Aggressively bitter, with a hoppy dry finish
Sam’s Thoughts: “Doesn’t taste anything like it smells, and it feels more like a DDH than a IPA. A little too bitter for me, I feel its one John would enjoy more!.”
Sam’s Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Moonwake Beer Co – Kolsch – 4.4% ABV
Appearance: Slightly cloudy lemon, with a tight white head when poured
Scent: Zesty, Sharp, Sweet and fruity.
Body: Medium bodied, well carbonated but poor head retention.
Taste: Crisp fresh grapefruit, with a twist of sour which mellows to a slight hop & cucumber.
Stuarts Thoughts: “This one is a little different, never had a Kolsch before, very similar to a mild modern sour, I was a little worried about the cucumber aftertaste in case it repeated on me… it didn’t so that’s a definite plus!”
Stuarts Rating: 3.4/5.0
Moonwake Beer Co – Dry-hopped stout – 5% ABV
Appearance: Black as night, with an off-white tight mocha head when pored
Scent: Mild malty aroma, with a slight touch of vanilla
Body: Medium bodied, good level of carbonation with great head retention.
Taste: A little malted biscuit mixed in with dash of vanilla and mellow hop which grew more bitter leaving the palate dry, and a lingering hoppy aftertaste.
Sam’s Thoughts: “This one is a grower, I was unsure on the first mouthful but by the fourth I had this one worked out. Its quite complex, and a little unusual for a stout, but not at all unpleasant.”
Sam’s Rating: 3.5/5.0
Not bad, not bad at all. We will be keeping an eye on Moonwake in the coming year as they seem to be quickly gaining ground in the Scottish beer scene.
If you do get chance to visit whilst your up there, We would recommend taking a look at their merch stall downstairs, although we didn’t get any as there was nobody manning the stall and it was quite busy the designs are cracking and it looked like quality stuff, so if you are someone who collects brewery T-shirts or hats, definitely worth a look.
The|Eternal|Hoptimitsts 
One thought on “T|E|H On Tour – Edinburgh 2023 – Moonwake Beer Co”