Orkney Dark Island (Bottle)

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Old Ale
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Bottle. 50 cl. Pours to a deep ruby brown with a small sized head. Smells a hell of a lot like butterscotch. Medium body. Fairly creamy with a lot of butterscotch flavor up front. While other reviewers have picked up on fruits, Im certainly not getting these at all. This finishes with a yeasty sweetness. Interesting, fairly simple beer, but nothing if not a shining example of the style.

Bottle. Unlike the discription, this is not "the colour of a glorious ruby red wine". It is the colour of a glorious black porter, and I honestly cant say why it is listed as an old ale. I dont get any molasses, or anything you would consider typical. Just chocolate and British ale yeast. Very little hops in the nose, and it swims over the tongue like something from Samuel Smiths. s All in all a good beer. It may lack complexity, but it is practically flawless.

Bottle@Home. Coffee and butterscotch aroma with a hint of black currant. Very dark brown, light brown head, good lace. Sweet, moccha, light bitter, roasted, more coffee in the finish. Thinnish, but dusty, certainly pleasant.

0,5 lt Bottle from Utobeer. Black with brown notes and thin brown head. Rosted and smoked malts are dominating in botha aroma and flavor. Very smooth, it reminds me of a porter a lot. Good Stuff.

Pours a dark brown with a low but firm head ... wow, this is wonderful stuff... pure and delicious ... a true classic brew that completely satisfies .. smokey and balanced, so much flavour in a small abv beer ... an almost perfect Scottish ale!!!

Pours a very dark mahogany, clear but too dark to see through, lovely red garnet hue with a big creamy thick beige froth, thick gorgeous lacing. Sweet sugary aroma, very buttery with some roast... smells like a sugar cookie. Flavor is sweet and tangy, then turns smokey and super woody. Lots of beachwood. This beer almost tastes like a smoked. Smoked brown sugar and ham, rich but not overpowering, lightly fruity. Medium/full body that is very creamy but with very fine tingly carbonation, sparse but intense. Super drinkable for a heavy beer. Quite juicy actually. A very complete brew!!!

Bottle. Ruby red with a little beige head. Some fruitiness, peat, earthy hop. Roasted hints. Acidic flavour, some chocolate.

This ale poured a deep black colour with a very quick living rocky, tan coloured head. To the nose there are scents of coffee, caramel, burnt malts and cocoa. First taste was smooth but a little watery with roasted flavours most prodominant.. Slightly nutty with cooffee notes the finish was just as roasty as the beginning. Palate is burnt with molassass and caramel flavours lingering.