Hard to imagine now but there was a time when having their name over the door of their own restaurant was the ultimate aspiration for many chefs.

These days, that is just the beginning. Cookbooks, signature kitchen equipment, Christmas puds and other products are all the next logical brand extensions.

Last year, we wrote about Chef Tom Kitchin and his collaboration with the Isle of Skye Brewing Co. Together, they created Yer Ben, a 5.5% ABV beer which is designed to pair perfectly with everything from pork terrine to fish and chips. It has sold well.

Scottish beers

Kenny Webster, managing director of Isle of Skye Brewing Co, noted: ‘Sales of Yer Ben have surpassed our expectations. Up until now Yer Ben has only been available to buy online, in The Scran & Scallie and The Kitchin. Despite this, almost 6,000 bottles have been sold in only a six month period.’

As a result, Waitrose shops across Scotland are now stocking shelves with the first premium ale to be created in collaboration between a Michelin star Chef and leading quality craft Scottish brewer.

The premium ale will be introduced alongside Isle of Skye Brewing Co’s Skye Red (ABV 4.2%, RRP £2.19) and Skye Gold (ABV 4.3%, RRP £2.19).

The trio of beers have been introduced as part of Waitrose’s commitment to local Scottish brewers. The retailer will introduce 49 new Scottish craft beers this month, increasing the number of Scottish breweries it works to 21, thus giving them the largest assortment in Scotland.

While on the subject of beer, we like the look of these Pint of Science events which are taking place in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The festival aims to deliver interesting and relevant talks on the latest science research in a format which is accessible to the public – all in the pub.

The idea is to have a pub-based platform which allows people to discuss research with the people who carry it out – no prior knowledge of the subject is required.

It is run mainly by volunteers and was established by a community of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in 2012.

The main festival takes place annually over three days in the month of May simultaneously in pubs across the world.

Our body, our beer

Topics covered this year include:

Beautiful Mind – neuroscience, psychology and psychiatry

Atoms to Galaxies – physics, chemistry, maths, astronomy

Our Body – medicine, human biology, health

Planet Earth – geosciences, plant sciences, zoology

Tech Me Out – biotechnology, robotics, computers

Our Society – law, history, politics, policy, languages

Edinburgh pubs taking part are The Three Sisters, Safari Lounge, the City Café and The Canon’s Gait.

In Glasgow, there are events in The Butterfly and The Pig, Dram, Waxy O’Connors and The Drygate Brewing Co.

We’ll raise a glass to that.