Banchory Beer Festival

On Saturday JHogg and I dropped the dog and Piglet off at Grannys and headed to Banchory Beer Festival. We had been to it last year, but I was around 7 or 8 weeks pregnant, had morning sickness and was generally miserable! We had high hopes for this year and it didn’t disappoint!

Drink Options

They had really expanded since last year. The beer tent itself was similar, but they had replaced the smaller tent for spirits with a 2nd large one which was great. I steered clear of the beers as I don’t drink beer, and I wasn’t particularly in the mood for ciders. There were 3 types of prosecco, 1 rum and 6 gins to choose from, as well as 5 or 6 mixer options. It was a great selection, but none of of the mixer options were sugar free.

I found the fact that there wasn’t a slimline tonic available really bizarre. Due to my Type 1 Diabetes I never have drinks that contain carbohydrate (unless I’m treating a hypo). It made it a little harder to relax throughout the day as I was always concerned about my blood glucose levels and making sure they weren’t going dangerously high. Alcohol is a tricky balancing act with diabetes anyway and I didn’t really appreciate the added complication. OK – rant over.

We got started not long after midday so I opted for a prosecco. I can be a bit fussy with my wine but it lovely and went down a treat! Our friends arrived not long after and we spent the rest of the afternoon catching up.

beer taps at a beer festivalRelated Post: Our Maryculter House Hotel Wedding

Entertainment

We are apparently all really old now because we found the music in the two tents too loud. There were live bands but we enjoyed listening the music, but we preferred listening to them outside. It was a bit chilly outside but after a few drinks we had gotten used to it! There were hay bales to sit on and some barrels to use as tables so it was quite comfortable.

What Is There To Eat At Banchory Beer Festival?

There were a few food vans on site. The Bay Fish and Chip Shop were there with their on the road van, alongside Fresh Mex, The Farmers Grill and and old school ice cream van. Over the course of the afternoon and evening I think we sampled something from each – just to be thorough!

The food is not the cheapest, but then it never is at these sorts of things so we were prepared for that. The food vans are also the only place that you can purchase soft drinks, which you will need if you’ve been smart enough to take a designated driver with you.

The End Of The Night

We took the bus home this year. We were quite lucky to get on as it filled up fast and had to turn people away. We then stopped off for chips before walking up to the house. We laughed up the road saying we can’t remember the last time we’d done that. It was nice to have a night off from responsibilities, although a little sad to not have a Piglet to cuddle when we got home.

I didn’t take many photos – we were too busy enjoying ourselves! We’ll definitely be getting tickets for next year. Perhaps even for the Sunday, which is the beer festivals family day.

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