Belhaven St Andrews Ale (Bottle)

Brewed by Belhaven (Greene King)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland

Draught. Adherent and impenetrable foam. Much persistent and fine, similar to a dry stout. Red clearly color, much limpid and firm. Bitter and moderated scent. Notes of smoked malt and alcohol. Much dry taste, deprive of beads and fizz. Toasted and bitterish finish. Discreet persistence.

Well, the two-fingered head over this clear copper pour doesn’t last too long, but it manages to lace the entire glass to the bottom. The aroma is rich and malty like I’ve come to expect from a good Scottish ale. Caramel, butterscotch, and apples abound. Quite a quaffable brew, having deep flavors to match the aroma. Smooth in the mouth and down to the gullet. It’s just unfortunate that they feel a need to link this tasty ale to something as (yawn) extreme as golf.

Pours thin light brown amber with little head. However, it had a great nose of apple and caramel. Taste was of apple, caramel, and a trace of burnt marsh-mellows. The flavor is very well balanced. This beer, as the name suggests, is a thirst quencher with some real taste. I enjoyed this beer and look forward to trying it on tap some day.

Pours Amber but not clear. Almost dark bronze. The nose is mostly hops but some malt and a touch of caramel. Toasted malt on the palate and mostly caramel sweet flavor abounds as you sip this beer. Mostly bitter at the end with just a taste of honey. I liked this beer as I passed through Scotland tonight on my tour of their beers. Good beer.. I’d drink it again.

On tap, Kildare House. Amber orange with thin wisps of white head. Light malt and fruit aroma. Flavours of caramel, assorted fruit (cirtus, apples). Malt aftertaste.

Butterscotch candy nose along with caramel and some floral aroma as well. Has some dust floating about inside the liquid and color is a dark bronze like. Head size is decent and leaves behind some lacing. A normal bitterness to this ESB but there isnt much difference from this and Belhaven’s Scottish ale. A pleasant amount of toasted malt with light caramel flavor and teaspoon of honey. Overall a pretty normal premium bitter.

Bottled. Clear copper colour. Lacey head. Caramelly, sweet, malty nose. Malty, sweet with hints of fdark fruits. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel. I liked it.

Beautifully crafted beer that is impressive to pour and watch it cascade as it yields to a creamy head. Very smooth on the palate, yet crisp. It is one of the better Scottish ales I have had the pleasure of drinking.