Scottish beer and brewing are booming. Gone are the grim days where your choice consisted of cooking lager, a heavy and, if you were really spoilt, Guinness.

Nowadays we have, officially at least, 93 breweries operating in Scotland, up on last year's 80. The range of beers is vast, the quality world-class, with innovation central to many breweries’ ethos.

As Derek Hoy of specialist beer shop Hippo Beers in Glasgow says: “It might take a while for the British brewing industry to regain the international reputation it once had but we’re certainly on the way to doing that, and Scotland is certainly holding its own.”

So, ahead of St Andrew’s Day (and Hippo’s third birthday), here are 10 world-class Scottish beers for you celebrate our National Day with this Monday.

Radical Road by Stewart Brewing (6.4%)

Twice a gold winner in the World Beer Awards, Radical Road is a potent hop-forward pale beer that reeks of citrus, grapefruit and resin. Finishes bold and bitter after a ride of toffee malt sweetness.

Cocoa Psycho by BrewDog (10%)

Another winner at the World Beer Awards where it took gold in the Chocolate & Coffee Flavoured Beer round (Black Wolf’s Double Espresso won it in 2012), this imperial stout is complex, layered and delicious. Amid the chocolate, there’re flavours of roasted coffee, molasses, oak, vanilla, toffee …

Mills and Hills by Fyne Ales and De Molen (9.5%)

A shining example of a collaboration beer; this one with the Dutch brewery Brouwerij De Molen. Prunes, spiced fruitcake, chocolate and roasted malts, vanilla, booze, pungent hops, and a body so squishy you could hug it. Magical.

In The Dark We Live by Tempest Brewing Co (7.2%)

Looks like a porter, but tastes like a big IPA. Tempest’s black IPA sets the Scottish benchmark for the style. Strong in alcohol, it opens with big hop flavours of pine and citrus alongside rich, dark and spicy malt flavours alongside berries, pine and citrus.

Tennent's Lager (4%)

An unusual addition to this list perhaps, but some of us grew up on Tennent’s Lager, went to TripTych, T in the Park, rocked the T-Break Stage or even played with the T5s football app thingmy. Breweries such as BrewDog, WEST and Wooha may make better-tasting lager, but no other brewery in Scotland has had such an impact upon our culture.

Silkie Stout by Loch Lomond Brewery (5%)

Sweet, smooth and simply stunning, Loch Lomond’s Silkie Stout was recently crowned Champion Cash Beer of Scotland. With flavours of coffee and chocolate, Silkie Stout also gives you hints of dark berries, caramel and liquorice. Ends long and dry.

Chew Chew salted caramel milk stout (6%) by Fallen Brewery

An aroma of thick, syrupy malts, a velvet texture and flavours of liquorice, vanilla, sea salt and juicy blackcurrant, the sweet caramel malts helping to add balance. Finishes with a gentle bittering and smooth, slightly salty finish.

Pale Ale by Swannay Brewery (4.7%)

A citrus hop-forward pale ale with a rich aroma of resin and floral notes. A sweet biscuit-flavoured malt leads you to a nicely balanced bitter finish. Swannay’s Island Hopping and Barrel Aged Porter are also spectacular.

Rogue Wave Extra Pale Ale by Cromarty Brewing (5.7%)

Heaving with American and New Zealand hops this is a pungent fruit bowl of a beer. Aroma is of an unspoilt Pacific island after the first rain. Caramel and biscuit malts carry it all home to a stunning finish.

House Ale by Traquair House (7.2%)

A traditional and strong Scotch ale, this brilliant beer is sweet, boozy and rich. Within the deep, dark red are layers and layers of flavours – plums, dates, dark chocolate, vanilla, smoke, oak, toffee, sherry, Christmas cake. Delightful and mildly bitter finishes hangs around for a long time, which is no bad thing.