Historical County: Stirlingshire
Modern County: Stirling
Stirling has had a long association with beer and brewing. In 1457, by an Act of the Scottish Parliament, the responsibilities for keeping standard weights and measures were allocated to various Burghs, and Stirling was appointed to keep the pint. The Stirling Pint Jug was made of gun metal by Robert Borthwick in Edinburgh in 1511 and can still be seen in the Smith Museum and Art Gallery in the city. The Castle had its own brewhouse, and payments for its operation can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of 1459, 1478 and 1521.
The oldest 'tolerated community' in Stirling was the Maltmen, which included the brewers as well as the producers of malt. After several disputes with the Council they were granted their own seal and performed the duties of an Incorporated Trade until 1912.
Stirling was the licensing authority for the county, and the beer revenue in the period 1830 to 1831 was £26,271, while the county had 198 brewers in 1841. Stirling licensed twelve brewers in 1844 who between them consumed over 35,000 bushels of malt. There were also ten victuallers who were licensed to brew their own beer. By 1888 the number of brewers had fallen to four, consuming over 82,000 bushels of malt, while the number of victuallers licensed to brew beer remained at ten.
Brewing ceased in the town with the closure of the Stirling Brewery in 1931.
