112 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8BW
This brewery was bought over by William Younger in 1858, who turned it into what was at one time the largest brewery in Edinburgh, with the capacity to produce 60 brews a week, generating 600 barrels of beer a week, or 432 million pints of beer every year. In the twentieth century malt was brought in in huge quantities by lorry and off-loaded near Coopers Close. The brewery finally closed in 1986. You can see more of the old brewery buildings by walking down Crichton’s Close. William Younger’s also owned the Abbey Brewery on the site of what is now the Scottish Parliament. It was named after Holyrood Abbey where monks first brewed beer in in the twelfth century. Abbey Brewery was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for the new parliament building which opened in 2004. Before its demolition it had been the head office of Scottish and Newcastle breweries, which grew to become the largest brewing company in the UK.
View of old brewery buildings looking up Crichton’s Close.
View of old brewery buildings looking down Crichton’s Close.
Old brewery buildings in Cooper’s Close.
Label for William Youngers Export Pale Ale.
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