Belhaven Scottish Ale / Export (Bottle & Keg)

Nitrogenated. Creamy. But it finished with a taste of prunes with I didn’t care for at all.

Tasted 04/11/2005. 500ml bottle from NW Metro, Wellington. Red with orange hints. An off-white, airy, head thins and holds. Quite lacey for a low strength beer. Nose, though mild, is dominated by smokey, toffeeish, specialty grains with a slight prune-like ester intermingled. Flavour, again, is mild - a little watery, in fact. A nutty, roasted grain, flavour comes to be the dominant, but not overwhelming, flavour. A touch thin, even given the low strength. Good, pleasant, mild, drinking. Much better as it warms up. Definitely grows on me.

Nice scottish ale, on tap. Amber with white, creamy head, pretty sure it was a nitro-gas mix on the tap, so it would be different in the bottle. Lovely peaty notes and leather in the aroma. Flavor was creamy and built upon the peat and leather with a nice maltiness and medium body. Pleasantly surprised. I probably wouldn’t like it without the nitro tap, tho.

Clear dark amberish brown, rocky light tan head. A nice nose with typical Scottish ale characteristics that blend touches of peat smoked malt, raisin, cherry, tobacco, and leather, with lighter notes of caramel. Good complexity for such a low ABV. Initial flavor kicks off with light tones of smoke, dark fruit, and caramel, middle and end bring a slight metallic hop bitterness into the equation. Light to medium bodied, fizzy carbonation, semi-bitter, dry, lightly smoked finish. Decent session brew if your into this style...

(Bottle) Pours a very nice burnt orange, creamy biscuit head, no lacing. Aroma of malty sweetness, brown sugar, smoke. Mouthfeel OK, smooth, a bit thin. Flavor fairly sweet at first, but then something else kicks in - not sure what, maybe wet smoked peat or something but it is surprising, interesting and a little foul all at the same time. Interesting...

Clear deep copper colour with thick frothy tan head. Slightly sour mild malt nose. Flat licorice malt taste with mild licorice finish.

35.5 cl bottle. No yeast in bottom. Amber colour with a nice white head. Little aroma of malt and caramel. Surprising taste of smoke, caramel with a dry end.

On tap at The Globe. Nitro keg. There is not much in the way of aroma, just a tad of malt. Wood, charcoal roasts, and scotch all come through in taste.