Belhaven Scottish Ale / Export (Bottle & Keg)

A clear rich ruby amber with a decent frothy white to offwhite head. The nose is subtly sweet with some toast, light caramel malt, and something downright grapey? A little bit of fruit and I may even get a hint of wood and smoke. Rather creamy and smooth for a filtered and pasteurized bottle, but then again, it still feels slightly lifeless from the process. Sweet malt, more than I would’ve thought from the nose. Again, a bit grapey. Toast and caramel malt, some floral hops, some definitely woody smoke too. Creamy. A creamy finish to fruity to diacetyl. Toasty aftertaste going to slight floral hop bite, to smokey wood. Not a bad beer by any stretch, though the toast does bug me.

Caramel color with good nitro-pour characteristics. Nutty aroma along with caramel. Creamy, full mouth feel with some smoke and subtle sweet caramel notes.

A good beer I tried poured from the bottle into a pint glass, I enjoyed it more and more as I drank. The aroma is dense, with caramel malt easily noticeable, along with some dark and strong fruit scents, and perhaps a bit of bubble gum and pine. A dark amber color with a medium-sized, creamy tan head, and a semi-cloudy appearance. Taste was initially a bit grainy and sour, with good bitterness, and evened out as the beer breathed. The texture was wet and full with a slightly dry finish. It had low carbonation and was slightly fizzy, and became creamier as I drank. Overall, the beer had a rough start, but came together nicely and performed well.

Bottled 355ml. A beautifully amber coloured beer. The nose is fruity. malty, ripe fruit aromas. Hay-like elements in the taste, malty, roasty, smoky, some apples, slightly sour, sweetish notes. The malt presence dominates the taste. Nutty flavor. This beer really combines some good elements which I really like. A very well balanced beer. Hay-like elements in the finish. Quite enjoyable, very powerful beer despite its low alcohol content...

The appearance was quite opaque, with a strong amber red, light head. It had a light crisp hoppy aroma. the taste showed medium malt, light spiciness, with some nutty and smoky wood flavours, and a short finish. It was moderately complex, with restrained flavours, and good crispness.

Spicy malt aroma with hints of fruit like peaches or apricot. Light amber color with a medium tan head that fades. Coffee malt taste. Finishes smooth. Stick and chewy palate.

Bottle -- A light reddish brown with a large beige head with the same texture as beaten egg whites. Great retention and lots of lacing. Aroma is sweetish and a little smoky. Palate is creamy but a little thin. Flavour is smooth and reflects the aroma with not a lot of bitterness. Disappointingly thin and watery aftertaste. A thoroughly enjoyable drop just the same.

Pours a dark amber with a creamy head and minimal lace. Aroma of sweet malt - dark crystal - plums, raisins. Tastes like a scotch ale for a moment, then plunges into something a little less than fresh. Strange milky off-flavour, some hops but a very brief aftertaste. Nice creamy body, decent carb. This is clearly a scotch ale - I don’t understand why it’s considered a bitter. Maybe it’s supposed to be a bitter among scotch ales? Can’t quite wrap my taste buds around it.