Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (USA) (Bottle)

Brewed by Belhaven (Greene King)
Style: American Pale Ale
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland

Hazy amber body with an attractive two finger vanilla head that retains well and leaves good spiderweb lacing. Aroma begins with sweet toffee malt that is quickly chased by grapefruit, spice, and pine hop aromas. Challenger and Cascades, according to the label. Lovely mouthfeel is creamy and well carbonated atop a medium body. Taste begins with a crisp and biscuity English maltiness that is enhanced by the pine and grapefruit hop profile. Some spiciness here, as well. Zesty carbonation enlivens. A fleeting note of pears as it warms adds a subtle complexity. Quite sessionable. An interesting Scottish take on the English IPA.

Bottle from the LCBO. Bright golden colour with a moderate white head. Well hopped aroma, with floral and grapefruit notes. Soft mouthfeel. Big flavours of grapefruit and lemon, with a subtle sweetness in behind. Very nice, and much hoppier than I expected.

Coppery in colour with abundant white head. Strong aroma of hops. The hops carry over into the taste. I go back to Mill Street’s Tankhouse Ale for a comparison. Only this one is way more floral. Nice bitter, crisp finish. Very good cold. I like.

Wonderfully intense hop aroma and flavor. Unlike many other IPA’s this one doesn’t kick you in the head (not that I don’t like that). Like the description says, it tingles your tastebuds and leaves them intact to enjoy more this fine beer. Cheers!

Bottle. Limpid light amber body with moderate carbonation and a thick off-white foamy head. Very enjoyable hoppy aroma with various flowery and herbal notes. Its sharp hoppy taste may lack complexity, but it is conform to the IPA style. It ends with a lasting bitter aftertaste. Good standard IPA.

Bottle from LCBO. Pale orange, foamy white head. Good aroma - lots of grapefruit up front, followed by earthy malt and hops. Taste - wow, huge hops! I can’t believe ho bitter this is, really wasn’t expecting it from a UK IPA. Sharp stuff, followed by a light tasty sweetness. I found it too watery at first in the body, but as it sits, for some reason the malt comes ain and makes the body more assertive - weird. Much like Hop Addict from County Durham, this brew straddles the UK/US IPA line quite successfully.

Nice golden-orange hue. Decent white head. Decent mouthfeel, med-soft carbonation. A little residual bitterness in the back of the throat. Soapy hops, fairly balanced. Would like to see everything turned up by 25%.

Has an English ESBish aroma but also has a bit of a carboard aroma signaling perhaps a beer that is past its prime, further suggested by white floaties throughout the body. Some oatmeal cookie in the nose. Muddy dishwater brownish orange body with a small, off-white head. Excellent,, whispy lace. Don’t like the floaties. I winced at first sip, not because it was overly unpleasant, but more because it was different than I expected. The label promises hops, and although I suppose this is very hoppy by Scottish standards, my first impression was of smoke. Not a bad flavor though, actually. This has got to be one of the better rated beers from Scotland. There’s enough flavor in this brew to keep the palate interested. Pretty good brew; if you have a chance to get it while it’s fresh, do so, but even not, and I’m just speculating that mine was aged a bit, it has quite a bit going for it.