McEwan's

McEwan's

Industry	Alcoholic beverage
Founded	1856
Founder	William McEwan
Headquarters	Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Products	Beer
Production output	100,000 hectolitres (2012)
Owner	Wells & Youngs

McEwan's is a brand of beer that originated in Edinburgh, Scotland and is owned by the English brewer Wells & Youngs.

William McEwan opened the Fountain Brewery in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, in 1856. The firm underwent several mergers in the following century, including with local rival William Younger's, and later with Newcastle Breweries to form Scottish & Newcastle. The McEwan's brand passed to Heineken in 2008 after their purchase of Scottish & Newcastle's British operations. Heineken sold the brand to Wells & Youngs in 2011.

McEwan's is best known for 80/-, a Heavy beer, and Export, an India Pale Ale. All of the draught beers (except Best Scotch) are brewed at the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh, whilst the canned and bottled beers are produced at the Eagle Brewery in Bedford, England. The beers are sold predominantly in Scotland and the North East of England.

Despite being the dominant presence in Scottish brewing for around a century, the McEwan's brands were neglected by Scottish & Newcastle, who concentrated on their global brands. The McEwan's ales were eclipsed by John Smith's Bitter and Belhaven Best and cask-conditioned beers such as Deuchars IPA, whilst the lager fell behind Tennent's.

McEwan's is well known for its cavalier mascot, broadly based on the Frans Hals painting, the Laughing Cavalier portrait, which has been used since the 1930s. The company was a well known sponsor of numerous football teams throughout the 1980s and 90s, most notably Blackburn Rovers' Premier League title winning side, and Rangers.