“I’m cowboying it”: Glasgow comedian turns anxiety spiral into Fringe show and beer

• Glasgow comedian Kim Blythe launches a limited-edition sour beer with Vault City ahead of her second Edinburgh Fringe show, Cowboy

• A portion of profits from the beer will be donated to Save the Children, supporting mental health initiatives

• The beer is inspired by a defunct Glasgow cocktail and features Scottish honeyberry, blueberry, lemon and vanilla

• Cowboy runs 30 July–25 August at Gilded Balloon, exploring anxiety, online fame and finding confidence on stage

GLASGOW comedian Kim Blythe has teamed up with cult brewery Vault City to create a new limited-edition sour beer in support of Save the Children. 

The release ties in with her second Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Cowboy, which explores anxiety, imposter syndrome and the surreal leap from online fame to live performance.

The beer, created by Kim herself alongside Vault City, is a fruit-forward sour ABV 5% made with Scottish honeyberry, blueberry, vanilla and zesty lemon, available now for £4.75 via Vault City’s website. A portion of profits will be donated to a mental health charity.

Cowboy runs at the Gilded Balloon Patter House from 30 July to 25 August. It dives into the messy backstage of Kim’s breakout year, from viral TikToks to sold-out gigs, and the anxiety that lingered beneath the surface.

Kim said: "I tried a Vault City beer a while ago that had honeyberry in it. I was like, what even is that? It sounded made up. Turns out it’s a real Scottish berry, so I said, 'Throw that in.'

"I also wanted to recreate a blueberry and lemon cocktail from a Glasgow bar that shut down. It’s a flavour that makes no sense but works, which felt fitting.

"I thought maybe they’d send me a few tasters. I didn’t expect them to go, 'Right, what do you want to make?' I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. I was just firing out flavour ideas and they actually went for it.”

Kim rose to prominence with her observational sketches on TikTok, racking up millions of views for her dry takes on anxiety, small talk and social awkwardness. But she says the shift to stand-up hasn’t always been easy.

Kim said: "I still hate being called a TikToker. It feels so dismissive. You get introduced on stage that way and it’s like, 'Right, cheers for that.'

"I never would have called myself a comedian when I was just posting videos, even though that’s what I was doing. But stand-up has given me this weird sense of legitimacy. Like, OK, I’m really doing this now.

"People are horrendous on the internet, so when you get heckled on stage it’s like, 'Is that it?' I’ve been called way worse.

"The biggest difference is pace. Online, you post something and move on. Stand-up forces you to slow down and know the theory behind it. Seeing someone laugh in person, that’s the most rewarding bit."

The name Cowboy came from a phrase she found herself repeating last year.

Kim explained: "I kind of got into stand-up and everything was going amazing, but at the same time I had all this anxiety. People would ask how it was going and I’d just say, 'I’m cowboying it. Not got a clue.' From the outside it looked great, but I was just trying to figure it all out.

"I must’ve said that phrase a hundred times, and eventually I thought, Cowboy. That’s the show. It summed it all up perfectly.

"If Beyoncé can get people to dress up for her tour, I want the same. I need someone in a wee cowboy hat turning up for me at the Fringe. Come on."

The show explores themes of anxiety, self-doubt and imposter syndrome, drawing from Kim’s own experience of navigating a fast rise in comedy after gaining a large audience online, and from conversations with other comedians who’ve shared similar feelings. 

Kim said: "That thing of thinking, 'Why do I feel like a fraud when everyone else seems fine?' I’ve spoken to so many comedians who feel the same. It’s not just you.

 "So much of Cowboy is about anxiety, so it felt right to connect the beer to something that matters. It’s not just a silly drink. Well, it is, but it can do something good too by supporting Save the Children"

Vault City Brewing, based in Portobello, is one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent breweries. Known for its fruit-forward sours and dessert-style specials, the brewery recently made headlines with a 13 percent Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Imperial Stout inspired by a viral TikTok dessert.

Tickets for Cowboy are available now via Gilded Balloon. The Vault City x Kim Blythe beer launched now at vaultcity.co.uk.

Contact: Madeleine Dunne madeleine@wearestoryshop.com

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