Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (Europe) (Bottle)

Brewed by Belhaven (Greene King)
Style: American Pale Ale
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland

Bottle 50 cl. Clear yellow with a small white head. Lightly fruity nose. Medium body, some fruitiness with a lightly astringent bitterness in the finish. 310509

50 cL bottle, 5.3%. Pours clear and golden orange with a slowly collapsing and chalk white head. Light spiced and mild hoppy aroma. Flavour is sweet caramel malt with a nice hops flavour on top, mild fruit note. Light acidic fruit note into the finish. Nice and smooth.

Bottled at Medelhavspärlan, Stockholm. Clear pale amber, firm rocky head. Grapefruity hop aroma. Medium sweet withsoft mouthfeel. Really hoppy with sweaty grapefruit over a cottony malty body with some caramel. Long resiny bitterness.

Bottle 50cl.
Clear medium yellow orange color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, moderate hoppy, flowers, citrus - orange. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090517]

Bottled. Dark golden colour, mediumsized foamy head. Bitter fruity hops in aroma. Cascade coming in pretty well. Flavour is flowery hops with some fruity hints. Grassiness in finish and aftertaste. Wellbrewed European IPA!

Bottle at Svea, Malmö. Clear golden coloured with a huge white head. Fruity aroma of hops and grass with notes of grape fruits. Fruity flavour of grass, hops and grape fruits wityh notes of caramel. Dry hoppy finish.

Clear golden with tiny white short lasting head. Sweet malty aroma with fruity notes. Sweet flavour with toasted malt, caramel and mild hoppy notes towards the end.

500ml bottle from Franglais, Calais. Rating number 2900 (even got some Scottish music!!!!). There is an argument that British beers suffer from being bottled due to the fact that the lightness of alcohol and delicate/subtle flavours can’t withstand the process. My experience would support that argument. So this is 5.3% ABV, so let’s see what happens with a stronger beer. Copper coloured with thin off white head. Sherberty hop aroma which I do sometimes go for. Some Fry’s Turkish Delight fruit in mouth, before more sherberty hop comes in on the end. If I had this in the PNW, I wouldn’t be surprised, but from Scotland? Not that I’m complaining. Quite soft in mouth. The Cascades give a bit of earthyness. Not a huge body, and to be honest it is a bit empty from the pasteurisation in the bottle. However, having druink a lot of dull bitters in the past 2 weeks, it’s a pleasant change. Even still, it’s a bit sickly by the finish.