Neustadt Springs Scottish Ale

Brewed by Neustadt Springs Brewery
Style: Scottish Ale
Neustadt, Canada

Poured with a head that reduced to little more than a soapy ring over a dark copper body. The aroma was a little grape-y and had a whiff of alcohol, despite the low ABV. Only faint, floral hops. The flavour was malty sweet and slightly roasty. Grainy, dry finish. Inoffensive, but unremarkable.

Cask sample at C’est What Spring 2008 Festival of Small Breweries - "Double Fuggled" version. Orange-amber with a small creamy head. Nose is malty, a bit earthy, with some mild hops. Body is creamy. Flavour starts the same as the regular Scottish Ale, but the hops come through stronger in the finish, giving it a pleasant herbal ending. Nice stuff.
Earlier Rating: 4/15/2005 Total Score: 3
Sampled at C’est What’s Spring 2005 Festival of Small Breweries. Orange-amber colour. Light body. Flavour is malty and a little fruity with a slightly metallic hop finish. Not bad, but much lighter in both body and flavour than I generally expect from a Scottish Ale.

can from the LCBO. dark amber mahogany color. small beige head that didnt last long. aroma of caramel hops, and some sweet sherry notes. Flavour is full bodied, and sweet. Nice notes of malt, and nex tto no hops. A little too sweet, but its a nice enjoyable beer, but i wouldnt have more than one.

Cask at C’est What. Pours a clear dark copper with a small diminishing creamy off-white head. Mild aroma of caramel malt and light herbal hops -- overly mild but pleasant enough. Slightly watery flavour of grain, and the hops appear mostly in the finish, not so much in the flavour. Light to average bodied. Decent enough, it doesn’t come across as really "Double" anything but it’s alright.
Earlier Rating: 4/14/2006 Total Score: 2.4
Bottle at The Rhino. Pours a clear sparkling gold with an average size diminishing white head. Extremely mild aroma of malt and...I don’t know...I can barely smell anything. Flavour of malt and fruit is decent but quite watery. Thin bodied. There’s nothing bad about this beer but it loses points for being so damn mild and bland.

Cask. At C’est What. Bubbly copper-coloured pour, creamy beige head. Dry grain-malt aroma, almost flour-like, with a pleasant funky-herbal bitterness (fuggles - yes; double? dunno ....). The taste was dry and mostly grassy - slightly herbal, but not very acidic - in fact the flavour dropped off quite quickly. Overall light-bodied, with only moderate carbonation and bitterness - it smelled very nice, but ultimately didn’t really go anywhere. That being said, I would certainly try this on cask again....
Earlier Rating: 8/26/2007 Total Score: 3.3
Bottle (341ml). Sample at 2007 Fort York TFOB. Clear amber with an average off-white head. The aroma reminded me of many Belhaven beers - and I like those - sweet grain, pungent hops, and something tangy that makes me thing "dusty kerosene" for some reason, but in a good way. The taste was a little less tangy, and more cereal grain sweetness, with light honey and grassy hops to balance it - not much alcohol presence at all. Average body, somewhat creamy mouthfeel, nice amount of astringency and carbonation, with a medium-length finish. Decent, very easy to drink, would be a good summer beer for when you want something not too hoppy and not too light.

473 ml can from the LCBO. pours a hazy light brown with a big tan head that lasts and lasts. i love the way this one looks in a glass. aromas are a weird funky hoppish aroma and some english style malt. flavours are nice and bright with some zingy hops splashes and pale malt sweetness. seems kind of thrown together and also a touch watery. finish has some plastic issues. not bad and ill have to try it again.

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale - Mild biscuity malts in the nose along with some light cabbage. Hazy copper blonde body is topped by a decent off white head that recedes to a partial cover with some lace. Caramel and biscuity, toasty malts are apparent along with a light bitterness and light floral hops. A touch of DMS in the aftertaste. Medium-light body with moderately prickly carbonation. Pretty middle of the road. Tulip glass. Just above fridge temperature. Can (LCBO at Lynden Park Mall in Brantford, May-08).

I love this style, so it kills me to diss one of these beers, but this is thin, metallic, watery, and the hops are of a variety that sucks ass. I don’t know the technical name for this hop, but it shouldn’t be used in anything other than beers from Steelback. "Scottish Ale", my ass. This is too bitter and not malty enough for the style.