Sulwath Brewery, Castle Douglas

After drawing a couple of blanks on the real ale front, I was quite looking forward to visiting a brewery and taproom. Luckily, I wasn't disappointed. The brewery is located in a courtyard reached by an alley from one of Castle Douglas' main thoroughfares. There are tables in the courtyard for outdoor drinking and the toilets can also be found there, which allows for extra space inside the taproom/brewery. A bunch of old boys, presumably regulars, could be found passing the time of day on the table between the entrance door and the bar. The only other customers were a couple in the far corner. The guy behind the bar was chatty and helpful. He asked if I'd ever had any of their beers before. As it happened, I'd had their Woozy Wabbit in the Weston Tavern in Kilmaurs the previous day. 3 of their cask ales were on - The Black Galloway, Moffat Toffee & The Grace. Whilst the Moffatt Toffe sounded interesting (a blonde ale with the local toffee added), I opted for the more popular Black Galloway. This was not quite as nice as their beer I'd tried the previous day, but was still perfectly adequate. Weston's Family Reserve was the real cider. Craft beers from Sulwath were Galloway Gold, Criffel & Beltie Blonde. As brewery bars go, this one had more character than most. It is located in an old building, as opposed to a warehouse and it has a well-worn feel, which I quite liked. As the only place in Castle Galloway (a reasonable size town) to dispense real ale, it has to be commended. The only negative is the early closing time. Although I believe this is now 6pm, not as stated back in 2009.

Note the opening times 10 am - 5 pm