Tennent Brewery – Back in Glasgow

Glasgow Central was spotless and I only noticed that because I couldn’t find the one trash bin in the place! It’s by the mobility center.

A very quick day trip to East Kilbride.  At first I thought I had found another New Town with nothing of interest again.  Like Cumbernaught.  Ok, apologies to Cumbernauld but there is naught to see there.  The signs pointing to the Town Center in Cumbernauld take you through 3 level flats that are all the exact same color to a shopping mall called Town Center which is attached to a shopping mall.  Wetherspoon’s is apparently the only pub in town.

At least in East Kilbride there is a wee old village not far from the shopping center and closer to the train station where I could stop for a beer and chat.

Out for a stroll later  back in Glasgow and the day had brightened,  I decided to check out the Tennent/Caledonia Wellpark Brewery. And added a few new murals to the collection.

Tennent has been making beer in Scotland for over 450 years and for a lager, it’s pretty good.  I’m more of a bitters, Best, stout kind of beer guy. And along with their flagship beer, the first lager made in Britain, they produce Caledonia Best and Magners cider.  They also make beer for others according to provided recipes like the American Pabst Blue Ribbon. And many store brands like Ashfield for Tesco.  Every day tankers pull into the facility to have their load canned or bottled.

When I got out of college I started a beer can collection.  Cans not bottles so no breakage and empty so mates wouldn’t hit me up on a Sunday.  I even had the “Penny” collection of the 1970’s showing Penny in divers outfits throughout the day. Who can forget Penny in the Morning?

Staggering numbers and if you have a hat you are not required to  wear the hairnets

The only place photos are not allowed is the canning/bottling area so these 2 were downloaded.  Stella was racing through when we were there at the rate of 2000 cans per minute! Filled, capped and packed.

Tennent’s Academy is a cooking school where you can take classes weekly.

And of course the tour ends in the tasting room with a pint included in the price and another £5 gets you 3 1/3 pints of some of their other brands like Stout, Scotch Ale and IPA

A pint of Tennent’s should leave a line on the glass for every sip. And I was told that if you pour any beer into a glass rather than drink from a can or bottle you’ll feel less gassy.  Drinking from the bottles the gas equivalent of 2.5 bottles, so a glass it is.

A nice thing about Scotland this time of year is that you don’t have to be out late to see the evening illuminations. Here is the Cathedral, which I had never seen before at night, at around half 5.  With a photobombing moon.

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