Cairngorm Highland IPA

Brewed by Cairngorm
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Aviemore, Scotland

Serve in English pint

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Cask (gravity) @ The Fat Cat, Norwich, England NR2.
Clear medium yellow orange color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, moderate hoopy, grass, grapefruit, lemon. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat. (310708)

First tasted this in the Last Post, Paisley (JDW) in August 2009. Cask ,handpump dispense. Clear pale amber in colour with orange tints around the edges and a thin creamy white head. Strong dusty hop aroma with hints of orange peel. Thin creamy mouthfeel and good lacing. Pale malt base gives a powerful smack of tangy, zesty grapefruit and gooseberry flavours. Dusty hops assault the throat with moisture sucking dryness in the aftertaste. Warming alcoholic kick of Grand Marnier in the long bitter sweet finish with thick cut marmalade, barley sugar and bitter hop resins present. An excellent ESB style ale and worth seeking out.

Cask conditioned at The Chequers (Nicholson’s), Oxford. Amber to gold with white head. Dry toffee caramel notes initially on a thinnish body, pretty malty without the hop kick you would want. Reasonable though on the whole.

On cask at The Caley. Dark golden colour with a thin white head. Strong caramel aroma with some apple cider qualities. Not bad. Alcoholic is quite present with a nice backbone of caramel malt, yeast and some pleasant mustiness. Lingering dryness.

Cask @ The State Bar. Amber brown colour, reasonable head. Mild oaty malty aroma. Floral resin malt flavour. Citrus aftertaste. Reasonable bitter.

Cask@GBBF2010. Goldeny amber colour with small off-white head. Aroma is wood, quite much citrus along with some mild nutty and fruity notes. Flavour is fruity, citrusy as well as mildly wooden and herbal. Mild leathery notes as well.

Tasting notes from 2003 Harbury beer festival. Hazy golden with thin off-white head. Floral, grass, and citrus aroma notes. Balanced sweet malt and grapefruit hops; mild spice and caramel flavours. Bitterness did not seem enough for an IPA; however, a decent session bitter.

Cask at aberdeen Beer festival ... Orange ... fruity hop ... sweet fruity hop flavour with a little orange peel.

Cask at Volunteers Arms, GBBF 2007. A slightly hazy dark golden beer with a fine beige head. The aroma is sweet fruity and malty with a light touch of diacethyl. The flavor is sweet malty and fruity combined with lighter notes of toffee, leading to a slightly bitter finish. The body is thin - no wonder in a 3.6% IPA - this would never have made it to India!

Cask @ Volunteer Arms, GBBF 2007. Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a small off-white head. Fruity malty slightly hoppy aroma. Sweet fruity malty hoppy flavor. Sweetish malty finish with a slightly bitter aftertaste.