Tennent’s has spent more than a century being associated with one particular kind of pint in Scotland. That could be about to change.
I tried the new Tennent’s Stout at 99 Hutcheson Street, Glasgow city centre’s newest pub, and there is enough about the pint to suggest it could become a popular choice in Scottish bars.
It was also an opportunity for a first look at the former BrewDog Merchant City that has been taken over and reopened simply as a bar and diner with a deliberately straightforward drinks and food menu.
The new operation feels more like a modern Glasgow pub, and there is something pleasingly uncomplicated about seeing Tennent’s Stout being enjoyed by locals.
The stout only launched in September but its roots go further back.
Long before Tennent’s Lager appeared in 1885, stout was an important part of the Wellpark Brewery business. Tennent’s says stouts were being brewed there as far back as 1740 and were exported around the world as the Glasgow company developed into a major bottled beer exporter.
The modern version is a 4% draught stout and was initially introduced at Òran Mór and the Tennent’s Visitor Centre in Glasgow before being rolled out to pubs around Scotland.
Early signs suggest the launch has worked. Hundreds of taps are being lined up for installation around Scotland following a positive response from pub operators.
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So what does it actually taste like?
The obvious comparison is Guinness which dominates the market, or perhaps Beamish. Tennent’s Stout is lighter than I expected, smooth and creamy. There is a noticeable roasted malt flavour, followed by coffee and dark chocolate notes rather than an overwhelming bitterness.
Tennent’s also lists liquorice and treacle among the flavours in the beer. I found the sweeter character more noticeable towards the finish, which helps distinguish it from Guinness while still putting it firmly in that familiar stout territory. It’s a good pint.
There is another reason to have a look at 99 Hutcheson Street: the food prices.
The launch menu keeps things simple, with all of its beef and chicken burgers priced at £10.
The beef choices include the Mull cheddar smash – two smashed beef patties with Hutcheson beer cheese, grated Isle of Mull cheddar and a crispy potato rösti – served in a toasted Freedom Bakery milk bun brushed with browned butter.
There is also the Late Night Takeaway, combining smashed beef patties with doner meat fried in garlic butter, roasted garlic mayo, sriracha, chipotle and charred corn slaw.
The Mac & Bacon Double Bypass piles smoked streaky bacon, double American cheese and mac and cheese onto two smashed patties, while 99 Problems But Beef Ain’t One comes with American cheese, animal sauce, roasted onions, ketchup, pickles and American mustard.
Chicken burgers are £10 too. The southern-fried BBQ version comes with bacon, Buckfast BBQ sauce and a beer-battered onion ring, while the salt and chilli chicken burger adds chicken balls, curry mayo and curry sauce.
Fries are sold separately, but £10 for the burgers makes the menu one of the more immediately eye-catching aspects of the new pub.
Mac and cheese is also £10, nachos start at £8 and chicken tenders at £8.
Tennent’s Stout, made in Glasgow and soon to be spotted in pubs across Scotland an beyond.