Belhaven Scottish Ale / Export (Bottle & Keg)

Brewed by Belhaven (Greene King)
Style: Bitter
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland

500ml Bottle: Pours a clear dark red copper with a off-white to tan thin head, faint aroma of yeast, old wood-dirt-earthy fragrance, an aged aroma, faint caramel and malt sweetness, faint wiskey wood fragrance (not a wiskey alcohol aroma), taste of malt, some sweetness and caramel, light to medium carbonation, mouth feel is a little thin but I do not believe this style is suppose to have thick mouth feel, some creaminess that ends quickely with hop bite arriving on the scene, has a small bite in the finish and finishes pretty dry, lots of flavor for a ale with 3.9 alcohol.

500ml bottle - labelled 80/- Export Ale.Copper coloured with an off-white head; apple aroma; big malty flavours, quite warming, developing a nutty finish. Well balanced and full of flavour despite the low ABV.

One of the nicest toasted malts ever, just a hint of sweetness and very pleasant. Not overly hoppy but with the otherwise nice taste, it’s alright. Wish it was just a bit thicker for the style - even if the taste is big, the mouth feel isn’t. Can sometimes sit on the shelf as being expensive and not the most popular - have gotten a bad bottle now and then.

This was disappointing for a Scottish ale. It was weak and thin-bodied. There was just a slight malt flavoring that was hard to taste past the alcohol.

Name: Scottish Ale
Date: 03/09/1996
Mode: Bottle
Source: Jax

deep amber color, sweet malty aroma with rich peat accents and fruity undertones, medium body, rich complex sweet malt flavor with a touch of smokieness, and just a hint of bitterness
-------- /> Name: Scottish Ale
Date: 03/04/2007
Score: ii+ to ii
Words: Bottle
Words: Tasting

clear dark amber, sweet caramel malt aroma, rich caramel malt flavor, a hint of earthy peat, light balancing bitterness, nice lingering caramel sweetness,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4

Draught can. Milk caramel aroma. 1/2 inch thick dense head over toffee colored ale. Subtly sweet flavor and nothing stands out. Foam clings to the side of the glass and looks much better than it tastes.

Bottle. Crisp amber color, decent head. Smells malty sweet. Bitterish taste, but clean finish. Flavor is nice. Drinkable but not my first choice.

Reddy brown pour with offwhite head that hung around for a bit. Not a fan of the smell of this at all, and was different from any other "bitter" style beer. Wasn’t bitter at all, but smelled and tasted kind of sour and sweetish at the same time. Almost a sour and sweet chocolate-ish flavor but not in the way a stout is chocolately. All in all this was slightly drinkable but I wouldn’t do it again on purpose.