Belhaven Scottish Ale
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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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Belhaven has been brewing beer in Scotland since 1719, and they’re not done yet.
I’ve been keeping my eyes open for the Stout, and found the Scottish Ale instead. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the Scottish Ale, so today seemed like as good a time as any to reacquaint myself with this Belhaven staple.
The bottle of Scottish Ale describes the beer as, “a fully rounded ale, a complex mix of malt and hop producing Belhaven’s easily recognized malted and nutty flavour.”
Belhaven pours a rich copper color with a persistent off-white head. The resulting aroma is very mild — creamy, buttery notes mix with soft, sweet malt.
If the aroma is easy going, then the taste is even more mellow.
Belhaven Scottish Ale is malty, buttery and smooth, with occasional undercurrents of roasted malt and yeast. It was chilled when I first served it, but I stretched my session out over an hour as the ale warmed in my hands. Delicate flavors emerged, including a touch of peat smoke, and hops became more apparent. Bitterness rested quietly at the back of my tongue — these hops were content to punch the clock and pull up a chair, just too relaxed to make any fuss. Overall mouthfeel is creamy, though the body began to fade away toward the end of the glass.
From the Belhaven website:
Malty and hoppy, we at Belhaven love the classic Scottish Ale and we’ve been brewing it longer than any of the other beers we produce. Delivering a sweet, smooth and creamy finish, Scottish Ale has a stunning ruby colour in the glass. Magic.
Magic may be going too far. A beer this laid back could have a few tricks, but the only magic I’m interested in involves refilling my glass without it counting as a second beer (one a day!).
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