Belhaven Scottish Ale: A little guy that puts up a good fight
Written: Jun 25 '01 (Updated Jul 02 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great character easy drinking, widely available
Cons: A little thinner than I'd like
The Bottom Line: An excellent Scottish ale, oozing with malt and smokiness. Fairly thin and light for style but makes for easy drinking. A great beer for newcomers.
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| andaryl's Full Review: Belhaven Scottish Ale |
Belhaven is Scotland’s oldest brewery, dating back to 1719 and an independent. It’s located in Dunbar, which is not too far from Edinburgh, on the east coast. The brewery was family owned for 250 years but was sold in the 1970’s to pub and hotel interests, passing under a few ownerships before a management buy-out a few years ago. Sandy Hunterstill was the last family owner and still lives in the brewer’s house, acting as godfather to Belhaven.
The Brews
There are a number of beers brewed by Belhaven although I have only heard about Scottish Ale, St. Andrew’s and Wee Heavy in the USA. The good news is that the beers can be found in most states as well as Canada
The Scottish Ale
The Scottish Ale is available in the nitro-cans, which are very popular with British brewers, and will offer the creamiest and smoothest version of the beer. However as most beer fans will tell you, to get the true flavor, opt for the 500ml (16.9 oz) bottle.
The first thing to note about this beer is the alcohol level. At 3.9% ABV it’s nowhere near as strong as the well-known McEwan’s Scotch Ale. This strength is actually typical of British bitters, while American lagers typically run at about 5% ABV. This seems to be intentional making the beer one that can be enjoyed in generous quantities.
What this beer lacks in alcohol, however, it certainly makes up for in character. From the initial pour to the lingering aftertaste this is certainly a memorable brew.
Here’s the Good Part
The beer pours with lots of foam. I always pour a little heavy to encourage a good head formation, but had to be a little more careful when I saw how this one needed no encouragement at all. It’s something of a nutty brown color, while fairly light-bodied. There’s a little bubble activity and of course the thick foam that I already mentioned. It reminds me very much of Newcastle Brown in looks.
The aromas jump right out and are evident with every sip. It’s certainly malty with notes of raisin and plums as well as a smokiness, which is what I expect from a Scottish ale.
It’s fairly light on the palate, which would make this a good session or pub beer, along with a little refreshing carbonation. There’s a light malt on the front of the palate with a little fruitiness. The raisin and plum come out again and what seems like a slightly hidden green apple. It turns roasty and smoky towards the end, with a little coffee-like dryness in the finish. A slight caramel stickiness coats the palate in the aftertaste, although it does not cloy. There’s a nice long lingering malt and smokiness as well as a little dryness.
I’ve almost finished the bottle, so….
This is certainly a very enjoyable beer, very well rounded, and asking many questions of the palate without being too heavy and demanding. It’s a beer that would make very easy regular drinking for a fan of brown ales, making a nice alternative to Newcastle. While McEwan’s is an excellent ale, the heavier body and high alcohol may turn some off of this style, but Belhaven makes a great beer for newcomers to ales and Scottish ales in particular.
My only complaint would be that it is a little thinner than I would prefer, but this didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment. I’ll have to see about the can sometime, as I would be interested to know if it’s thicker. It would probably work very well with food. Two popular smoky dishes from my restaurant jump to mind, Rotisserie Garlic Chicken with pancetta au jus, or Char-grilled Pork Porterhouse topped with an apple cider vinegar au jus.
A shot of Scotch would probably complete this beer, although I’m not a whiskey drinker myself. Maybe that was the brewer’s intention when he decided to settle for 3.9% ABV.
Recommended:
Yes
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andaryl
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: The Desert, So Cal
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