Aldi crowns garage pub owner as Scotland's beer lover
The winner, 55-year-old Iain Mason, decided to convert part of his garage into a cosy bar, which he named Stoaters, in 2023.
(Image: Supplied) He did this after realising he lived miles from the nearest pub.
Iain spent four months creating Stoaters by himself, using Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, and local skips to source interior fittings for less than £10 or for free.
Read more:
MSP demands answers over future of 'vital' bus routes
The resulting pub, spanning 13m², features an authentic pub façade and a richly detailed interior and craftsmanship.
Judges praised Iain's use of recycled materials and his attention to detail, which reflect the charm of a traditional Scottish pub.
Iain said: "I'm not a handyman by any means, so there was plenty of trial and error when building Stoaters, but I got there eventually.
(Image: Supplied) "Low lighting and dark varnish hides a lot."
Stoaters has become a social hub for Iain's friends and family, hosting karaoke nights, sporting events, and Hogmanay celebrations.
Visitors must adhere to two house rules: they must contribute a foreign banknote or business card to pin to the ceiling and take a turn serving behind the bar.
The pub stocks a selection of beers, with guest ales regularly on draught, including Iain's favourites from Fierce Beer and Loch Lomond, both available at Aldi.
As a reward for his passion for beer, Iain has won a 12-month supply of Aldi Scotland's craft beer range.
He will be able to choose from a variety of lagers, pilsners, and IPAs, including Innis & Gunn's Tequila Cask, Loch Lomond Brewery's Bonnie & Clyde, and Fierce Beer's Cerveza.
Iain said: "I'm chuffed to have been named Scotland's biggest beer lover and to win such a generous prize from Aldi.
"I built Stoaters to enjoy a pint with friends and family without the long trek to the nearest pub.
"It's been a real labour of love and I'm very happy that the judges saw the efforts that went into every detail."
Graham Nicolson, group buying director of Aldi Scotland, said: "We'd like to raise a glass to Iain on being crowned the nation's biggest beer lover – a well-deserved title for someone so clearly passionate about great brews.
"We share that same passion at Aldi Scotland and are proud to support so many of Scotland's microbreweries by bringing their craft creations to shelves across the country.
"From bold new IPAs to time-honoured traditional ales, we're committed to showcasing the very best of Scotland's brewing talent for enthusiasts like Iain and for beer lovers everywhere."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Why Donald Trump can teach primary school children how to avoid toxic group chats leading to violence
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The recent fall out between Trump and Musk had all the hallmarks of a Greek tragedy, a struggle between two characters, with ambition, hubris and a downfall, or as much of one you can have as a billionaire, all played out on a grand stage – or at least on social media. But after accusations were levelled on social media, despite initially fuelling the feud and trading insults and threats, Trump eventually employed tactics to take the heat out of the fallout. De-escalation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Few of us can have looked at the geopolitical events over the past weeks and not hoped for de-escalation – the art of reducing tension and potential conflict. Some issues, of course, require confrontation, so great or heinous are the matters at stake, but even then, we need strategies for engaging so that emotion and impulse are not brought to the fore. Donald Trump, Elon Musk and his son X Musk in the White House in February before the two men fell out (Picture: Andrew Harnik) | Getty Images 'Are you sure?' It seems now that conflict is the thread that underpins our current status quo, whether on the streets, in schools, or across geopolitical borders – the concept of de-escalation has never been more needed. Skilled negotiators and diplomats use that old technique of speaking to someone on the phone (yes, young people, that is a thing) or identifying others who can intervene to calm a situation, before the hard work starts in negotiations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I rather like some of the prompts that are now on social media platforms, 'are you sure you want to post this?', although the evidence, at least to my reading, is that people seem to think 'meh, yes'. Nothing engages more like outrage. I am endlessly defending young people, the vast majority lead good lives, aspire, are engaged and so much more, yet I do lament their ability to pick up the phone and actually speak. Messaging group chats with large numbers of young people are fertile grounds for insults, sarcasm and misinformation. READ MORE: The tragedy of Scottish children who just disappear between primary and secondary Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Toxic, explosive, violent Primary teachers have shown me these group chats and how toxic and explosive they can be, leading to fights in and around schools. Older groups prearrange meet-ups ending in violence, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. We know that many teachers practice de-escalation techniques, but it is our young people who also need these tactics. Working out how to slow down encounters that they have online, how to step back, introduce a 'circuit breaker' to defuse or dampen down an interaction. It's never as simple as this; de-escalation takes emotional intelligence, an understanding of the role of ego and adrenaline. More critically, de-escalation involves the parts of the brain that aren't always fully developed in young people, such as the prefrontal cortex. This is often referred to as the reasoning part of the brain and is where our ability to make decisions, practice self-control and understand consequences is based. Unfortunately, one of the most developed parts of the teenage brain, the amygdala, is where all our primitive aspects are situated – aggression, impulse and fear. It's a powerful influence on how young people act and behave. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Yet de-escalation is a skill that we must teach our young, older people and maybe even our leaders. In this febrile and online world, de-escalation shouldn't feel like a radical act. It should become a key skill at every level, embedded in policy, schools and in our institutions.
Edinburgh Live
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Live
Life on Edinburgh's Princes Street as high streets suffer 'decades of decline'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info New figures show one in eight of Scotland's high street shops are empty following 'decades of decline'. Scottish Labour have called for rates to be slashed for local businesses to improve the growing problem. But the Scottish Government pointed to a rates relief package worth around £733 million, with a spokesperson adding: 'We are working with businesses to drive economic growth and prosperity…this includes the most generous small business rates relief in the UK.' So Edinburgh Live checked in on Princes Street, to see how Edinburgh's famous thoroughfare is shaping up. In 2023-24 the average rate of empty shops across Scotland rose to 12.3 percent, up from 11.9 percent the previous year. Edinburgh has a lower proportion of empty shopfronts, at 5.4 percent. But Princes Street has come under fire in recent years, with residents branding it 'a disgrace' and 'embarrassing' on social media. Shopkeepers complain of theft, antisocial behaviour and littering while locals object to the broken paving slabs, litter and empty shopfronts. (Image: Edinburgh Live) But things could be looking up for the historic high street, with new hotels and shops filling the empty gaps, and the police vowing to crack down on anti-social behaviour and youth disorder. Muhammad Amin, who runs phone repair and accessory shop Mobile Plus, said that during school holidays they still have problems with anti-social behaviour from kids. He explained how teens throw food and bottles into the shop, just to get a rise out of him. He also has trouble getting drunk people to leave the premises. He said: 'We call the police when trouble starts, but they always take too long to arrive. 'At our old shop in Glasgow there weren't so many problems… you get to know the troublemakers and it's easier to deal with.' Despite this, Amin had a positive attitude looking forward. He was happy that the street cleaners had, for the first time in two and a half years, cleaned his shopfront of rubbish and weeds. (Image: Edinburgh Live) Visitors were also positive about Princes Street. Amy and Mcclean Titterington, from Texas, chose Edinburgh for their honeymoon and spoke highly of the area. Amy said: "The gardens are gorgeous, and it's easy to spot [and avoid] the touristy shops on Princes Street… Obviously there is a fair bit of construction at the moment, but that's okay." Her husband added: 'You can easily spot the gimmicky shops.' But Alex Currie, a local, believed the street had seen better days. 'I like Princes Street, but its charm has been diluted by tourist traps and too many sweet shops. 'It has almost been replaced by the St James Quarter, where a lot of the high-end shops have moved to. 'The east end of Princes Street is still really good though, and I think once the construction is finished at Jenners the whole area will look a lot better.' Although not a fan of tourist and sweet shops, Alex conceded they were better than empty shop fronts. Edinburgh Council chiefs, meanwhile, launched a plan to 'revitalise' Princes Street in 2024. The proposals included more pop-up stalls and improvements to the pavements. They also said they would introduce street art and building wraps.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
West Lothian struggling to tackle housing waiting list despite building more new houses than most councils
West Lothian is still struggling to tackle its housing waiting list, despite building more new houses than almost every other Scottish local authority. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The county comes in third place behind neighbour authorities for the number of new houses built since the turn of the century. But while a quarter of the more than 1,000 new homes built in West Lothian in 2024 were classed as affordable, it comes nowhere near addressing the 11,000 plus waiting list. And elsewhere there are warnings that such concentrated development around the capital cannot continue without substantial infrastructure investment by Holyrood. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Midlothian's Labour group leader last week said his council would have to put up the 'full' signs. New starts on housebuilding fell across Scotland to their lowest since 2012, according to figures released last month. The fall comes despite the Scottish Government calling a national housing emergency in 2024, while at least a dozen councils have also called their own emergencies. West Lothian far outstrips the national housing completion figures. Between 2001 and 2023, the number of homes in the county has increased by 28 per cent. This is the third highest percentage change out of the 32 council areas in Scotland and a more rapid change than for Scotland as a whole, which grew by 17 per cent. Only East Lothian and Midlothian have seen more new homes built. Cala's Millgate Lawns development launched in Winchburgh last year, one of many new developments in the county. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the last five years nearly 5,000 new homes have been built in West Lothian, which has substantially widened choices. Since 2018, the average annual delivery rate in West Lothian has risen from 875 to 997 per annum. In 2024, the all-tenure house building completion figure for West Lothian was 1088 homes of which 275, or 25 per cent were 'affordable'. A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: 'The delivery of new social housing remains an ongoing commitment from the council and the development of new units is progressing well across a number of locations in West Lothian. 'Since 2022, 1,208 homes have been completed in the affordable housing programme by the council and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in West Lothian. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'All types of social housing in West Lothian, whether council or RSL, are currently in very high demand and as a result, anyone considering applying for social housing in West Lothian is strongly encouraged to ensure that they register not just with the council, but with all Registered Social Landlords who operate in West Lothian.' Access to Edinburgh has helped grow the demands for housing in the neighbouring authorities, putting pressure on all three councils in the number of planning applications and the demand for sites. While 25 per cent of all new development must be ' affordable' the bulk of homes being green-lit are much more expensive, rather than purely social housing, leaving West Lothian with a growing housing list and limited cash resources to provide more social housing. The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last week concerns in Midlothian about the concentration of development. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Former council leader Derek Milligan, who is the Labour group leader, says the county cannot continue to provide housing sites to meet government targets without more investment. Speaking after Midlothian council's planning committee approved the addition of new sites onto a land shortlist last month, Councillor Milligan who spoke out against the additional housing, said it was not possible to keep building without improvements to roads and services. He said: 'If we carry on like this Midlothian is going to be full'. Housing projections for the future in West Lothian schedule another 12,000 homes in the county by the end of the next decade. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A spokesperson told the LDRS: 'The council has begun the process of preparing a new Local Development Plan for West Lothian – LDP2. 'The new plan will set out planning policies and proposals for the use and development of land including setting an ambitious target to deliver an additional 12,500 new homes across West Lothian a minimum of 25 per cent of which will be affordable.'
