Vault City Brewing

Pioneering modern sour beers inspired by Edinburgh

Vault City Brewing was founded in 2018 by Steven Smith-Hay, a former IT consultant and passionate home brewer from Edinburgh.  

Starting in his home kitchen, Steven quickly moved into a dedicated space in Portobello, right beside the sea. This Edinburgh suburb, with its rich brewing history and strong craft beer community, provided the perfect backdrop, and Edinburgh remains at the heart of the business, with Vault City’s name inspired by the city’s underground vaults.  

After experimenting with heavily fruited sour beers as home brews, Steven spotted a niche that was being enjoyed by avid craft beer fans and non-beer drinkers alike – it’s a style which has grown in popularity over the five years but remains at the heart of Vault City.  

The business’ tagline ‘Modern Sour Beer’ also nods to the capital’s rich heritage and modern-day culture with Vault City’s mix of traditional vs innovative brewing styles, which focuses on relentless exploration. The mixed fermentation base beer pairs perfectly with real fruit ingredients, with Steven and his team regularly pushing the boundaries of what people expect from beer flavours.  

Vault City’s modern sour beers have converted even the most stubborn non-beer and traditional beer drinkers, with a mix of accessible and adventurous flavours. 

Describing the essence of Vault City Brewing, Steven describes the produce and business as: big fruity, accessible beers with a sweet/sour balance and a ridiculous idea thrown in every now and again.  

This innovative approach is evident in its production of small-batch recipes, introducing at least six new flavours each month alongside its core range of popular brews which include the Strawberry Sundae, Cloudy Lemonade and Triple Fruited Mango. Vault City is known for experimenting with unconventional flavour combinations and ingredients. 

Starting out making around 400-litre batches, it now produces well over a million litres of beer every year.  

Vault City is also a leader in progressive business practices, being the first UK brewery to implement a four-day work week with no loss in pay and committing to the London Living Wage as a minimum salary. 

Growing up in west Edinburgh suburb of Corstorphine, Steven continues to be inspired by the city he calls home. With Heriot Watt’s Brewing and Distilling course – one of the best in the UK – they and the city’s producers can pull on the best fresh talent living and working in Scotland’s capital, creating a bustling craft scene.  

Lighter sour beers tend to work better as aperitifs, with the darker-stronger ones saved for nightcaps. It’s comparable to wine in its method of preparation — both are blended and can be aged in oak barrels. 

Vault City Brewing often produces beers in small batches, with many of their releases being one-off or seasonal. This focus on limited-edition brews gives fans something new to look forward to regularly and encourages experimentation with each batch. 

Vault City has now opened the Wee Vault, a custom-built 24-tap bar offering Vault City flavours and an ever-changing line-up of rare and delicious guest beers, meads and ciders. The team is also now offering brewery tours with tank tastings and 2 beer flights – one of your choosing, and another as part of a sensory flavour mixing class.  

The man behind the business, Steven Smith-Hay, said:  

“Community is a big part of craft beer, especially for Vault City who have built a network of dedicated sour beer fans. We work with many local and independent bottle shops and bars across the UK, we’re also hosting a beer festival to bring this community together in October. We’ve always worked with our local community in Portobello and have volunteered on occasion with the Keep Porty Tidy initiative. 

“A question people ask us all the time is: “Why are you called Vault City?” Edinburgh shaped the story behind our name. If you’re from Edinburgh, the connection is probably obvious. For anyone else, here’s our best tour guide impression… Edinburgh is a city steeped in history and tradition. It’s home to ancient underground vaults that have been part of its history for well over two centuries. Locals and tourists can visit the underground vaults to learn more about their dark past which we won’t go into, but it’s fair to say they have a huge cultural relevance and make up a big part of the city’s rich tapestry.” 

Vault City’s commitment to quality, innovation, and community involvement makes it a distinctive presence in Edinburgh’s thriving craft beer scene. They currently have a Vault City-based cocktail at the 1820 rooftop bar at Johnnie Walker which has spectacular views, making it one of the team’s favourite places for a drink in Edinburgh. They are also big fans of amazing craft bars like Cloysters and The Hanging Bat.  

The Porty Vault – 243 Portobello High St, EH15 2AW

The Wee Vault – 7a West Maitland St, EH12 5DS

This project is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund