Belhaven St Andrews Ale (Bottle)

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

Pours a surprising amber color that seems promising with a slight fizzy head. The first taste is alittle boring with english hops and barley and slight flavors amaretto and apricots. However, the beer leaves the mouth quite dry and the bitterness of the hops isnt well balanced by the sweetness of the malts. Alittle let down by this beer

Just before rating, a little snipe. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and this beer is brewed to commemorate Scotland’s religious Independence from England ( Re- highlandlad ). Anyway, tasted a number of times bottled. Poured a tawny reddish bronze body, with a short dense off-white head, that laces down the glass. A peaty, fresh turned soil aroma dominates with roasted grain and sugary malt hints. All malt in the mouth, with bread crumbs, grain husks and burnt grain. Balanced, malty and dry right through to the medium length aftertaste. A good, sessionable ale, suited to long nights at the bar.

Pours a light head. Amber in color. Nothing special about the smell. Taste is.... ok, better then some I guess. Leaves the mouth a bit dry. Smooth... and a nice warming of the chest. I wouldn’t mind drinking this again.... but as my aunt would say... "It didn’t blow my skirt up." And since this is Scotish... I guess.... "it didn’t blow my kilt up" would be more suitable.

The name and label (picturing the Old Golf Course at St Andrews) seem a clumsy attempt to secure an international market, as the St Andrews ’brand’ won’t find many friends in Scotland. (St Andrews is where Engand sends its university rejects and America sends its golfers.) This is not the best beer in the Belhaven stable but it’s a fair drop, all the same. The nose is ripe and malty. Medium-bodied. Lots of fruit in the mouth and a fine malty finish. If you enjoy this, try the 80/- (or Scottish Ale). (Bottle)

Bottled. Kind of a light brown body with a fizzy head. Some diacetyl and buttery hints. Again, a touch of peat, with some cola notes as well. Noticably more bitter than their scottish Ale.

Nice copper body topped with a thin but lasting white creamy head. Fair hoppy aroma with floral and herbal notes. Mild texture and well-balanced taste. Finish is mild but quite pleasant. More than decent everyday beer.

Clear and amber in color with a decent white head. Nice malty aroma with some smoke. Fruity peated flavor with pears and malt. Not bad.

Really liked this one. Poured to a medium amber-light brown color with a diminishing off white head. Good lacing. Smells richly of malt and a hint of smoky malt. Big lightly modified malt flavorand a bit of smoked malt in there as well. Not much in the way of hops or bitterness, very mild bitterness that doesnt interfere with the malt flavors. I don’t think the body was too thin at all, medium bodied, definitely not full bodied.