Pilot

Microbrewery in Leith, Midlothian, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Associated with 2 Venues

Established in 2013

Contact
Unit 4B, Stewartfield, Leith, EH6 5RQ, Scotland
Description
Pilot was born when Matt Johnson and Patrick Jones met while studying for masters degrees in Brewing & Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in 2012. A shared view that there was something different to be done in brewing – not traditional real ales, but not just another U.S. craft beer clone either – led to home-brewing together, which eventually led to buying a second-hand brewhouse and moving to the heart of cosmopolitan Leith, commencing brewing right at the end of 2013.

We’ve never done things the easy way. We dismantled the plant ourselves. We moved it to Leith and rebuilt it ourselves. We dug out the drainage (pro-tip: pay real men to do that), installed the flues and built the cooling system ourselves. We design, brew and drink the beer ourselves. We are Pilot.

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7.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Cask at Carters Tap. Pours hazy gold with a thin white head. Aromas of orange zest, green plant stalks. Taste is bitter, green! Orange! Bitter finish.
Tried from Cask on 11 Feb 2016 at 09:34

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
On cask at Carter’s Tap. Appearance - cloudy amber with a nice creamy head. It says unfined and it definitely is. Nose - big orange note. Taste - orange lozenge with a green herb backbone. Orange and green alright. Palate - close to medium bodied with a creamy yet tangy texture and a long dry finish. Overall - yep another good ale from Pilot.
Tried from Cask on 11 Feb 2016 at 08:09

7.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Cask at the Hanging Bat. Pours hazy golden with a thin white head, nice lacing. Aromas of creamy sweet malt, grapefruit. Taste is bitter, pithy. Rich mouthfeel, creamy finish.
Tried from Cask on 08 Feb 2016 at 11:54

7.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
2nd February 2015
Hazy gold beer, decent off white head. Palate is light, semi dry and has a fine crispness. Mild seltzer. Does what it says on the tin - pleasingly lemon, not too sharp. Fruity basil, just a trace of herb. Citic dry finish with a mild lemony bitter linger. Nicely done if a tad dry.
Tried on 03 Feb 2016 at 14:19

6.3/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
Initial fruity hoppy aroma. Very smooth and silky. Some boiled veg in the background. Ok but not quite balanced.
Tried on 21 Jan 2016 at 15:56

8/10
Tried on 09 Jan 2016 at 08:00

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle at craig’s. Pours deep ruby, nose is caramel, toffee, citrus, raisins, taste is similar, rich, fruity.
Tried from Bottle on 07 Jan 2016 at 15:26

6.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
bottle at home ... dark copper ... massive tan head ... soft dark roast... soft orange ... soft spice ... soft malts .. light ligth over fizzy fruit ... soft malts .. rich roast .. bihh fruit
Tried from Bottle on 07 Jan 2016 at 15:25

6.3/10 Appearance 2 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Cask (handpump) @ GBBF 2015, Great British Beer Festival, London Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, England W14 8UX. [ As Pilot Beer CitraBlond ].Muddy matt - grey medium orange color with virtually no head. Aroma is moderate malty, wheat ! pale malt, moderate to heavy hoppy, citrus, grapefruit, pine, spruce. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, grapefruit, citurs, hoppy. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is flat. [20150811]
Tried from Cask on 31 Dec 2015 at 08:11

7.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle at in ABZ. It pours cloudy darkest mahogany brown with a medium light tan head. The nose is rich, bitter - sweet, festive spice, prune, date, fruit cake, candied peel, marzipan, touch of creaminess, Vimto, Bakewell tart and molasses. The taste is bitter - sweet, rich, some fruity tartness, date, prune, dried apricot, warming alcohol, earthy roast, chewy malt, winter spice, glace cherry, mild acidity, jammy, raspberry, earthy and toasted sugars with a warming, slightly spiced finish. Medium - full body and fine - moderate carbonation. Good depth of flavour and balance. Very tasty.
Tried from Bottle on 23 Dec 2015 at 13:18