Beer #44: Belhaven Scottish Ale

Sept. 5, 2012.

Name:  Belhaven Scottish Ale

Brewed by: Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.
Style: Scottish ale

ABV: 5.20% 

Price: $1.99 (at Total Wine in North Miami)

Bottle: Can

Presentation: This beer came in a 14.9 fl ounce can. The expiration date was not labeled on the can.

Appearance: Dark amber body along with a very creamy slightly lard colored head. This beer retained its head quite nicely and laced wonderfully.

Smell: Smelled of sweet toffy mixed with warm caramel.

Taste: This was a pretty descent Scottish ale. Very creamy texture; it was definitely the creamiest Scottish ale I've ever had. This beer creamy thickness empowered the taste of slightly sweet metallic malts. There was little to no hop character. Aside from this beers texture and faint malt taste, it didn't capture my excitement. I had higher expectations. 

Mouthful: Thick medium body: the creamy texture to this beer became more evident as it settled on the tongue over time.

Overall: This was a descent Scottish ale. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't at awe with this beer. I could have used a sweeter clash of malts. I felt as if a maltier character would defiantly give this beer much more pronounced Scottish flavor; Scottish ales tend to have sweeter bodies and smoky highlights. In this beer's defense, it had a phenomenally thick body with a slight malt taste that complemented its body in a pretty good way. All in all, I can definitely see myself having this beer again sometime in the future but it certainly wouldn't be anytime soon.

Rating: C+