Belhaven Sandy Hunters Traditional Ale (Cask)

Formerly brewed at Belhaven (Greene King)
Style: Bitter
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland

Serve in English pint

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First tasted this in the Bar Point, Paisley in February 1991. Cask, handpump dispense. Clear gold amber in colour with a thin white head. Slight note of toffee in the short aroma. Thin mouthfeel and good lacing. Pale malts deliver a biscuit base flavour with hints of caramel. Dusty hop resins provide a dry aftertaste. More of a bitter sweet balance in the finish with toffee malt just edging it. An ok session ale but lacking in complexity of flavours.

From cask at Clockwork Orange. Pours clear and golden amber to deep orange. Holds a small bubly white head. Mild fruity aroma to a light breadish malty note. Light roasted malty flavour with a light bitterness beneath. Light acidic touch with a vague milky note. Biter and slight spiced finish.

cask at the worlds end. this ale dont think complimented my smoked haddock fishcakes really well., was overall soapy dishwater but without the fish was a much more drinkable drop. almost too tasteless. poured light brown with some flower hops, and nutty nose. finish was the defining characteristic of lemon hops. dont couple with smoked foods it tastes like pure shite.

Cask at the Halfway House, Edinburgh, 29/12/06. Pours light amber with a small head and a flowery aroma. It’s light on the tongue and the flavour is a simple mix of hops and malt. The finish is slightly watery but it’s smooth. I’d say this has definitely been designed as a session bitter, to be drunk in quantity rather than savoured.

Tasted at the 2007 Beer Festival in Edinburgh Scotland. Good balance. Light amber. A little fruity. A tad sweet. Short head.

UPDATED: OCT 13, 2008 light amber coloured, light malt nose, light malt with a little honeyish in the linger .

Any first impressions?
-A full head of foam draws intricate lacing around the copper clarity.
-Basic cereals develop caramel sweetness in the nose, but not much else happens.
-The feathery caramelization segues into a wooden hop finish, but all’s quite unassuming.
-Carbonation’s appropriate, yet the mouthfeel is watery and bland, lacking substance.

What if you dig deeper?
-The biscuity malt finish somewhat dries up the back end.
-The leafy and wooden hop bitterness lacks definition and soon becomes characterless.
-An obvious catering to the masses here; as few flavors as possible for increased drinkability. Or maybe it was a tired cask?

On cask at the Halfway House, Edinburgh.

Cask, Edinburgh. Copper color, short off-white head. Aroma of hop, bit fruity of raspberry. Very fruity taste, quite sweet, bit sour, raspberry. Bitter palate. Refreshing.

UPDATED: FEB 7, 2006 NOt that good, alittle too strong, but it is about Ale beers. It is bitter. Really Bitter.

Cask Conditioned at The Bell, Banbury. Amber coloured with lasting laced head. There is plenty of malt body in this lowish ABV Bitter, and a fresh vibrant traditional hop note running through. There is a background of darker roasted malts, almost biscuity, but plenty of bitterness thoughout. A very nice session bitter.