Belhaven Wee Heavy / 90 Shilling (Bottle)

Brewed by Belhaven (Greene King)
Style: English Strong Ale
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland

500ml bottle at the Pipes of Scotland bar, Umea, Sweden. Reddish chestnut with a cream head; sweet malt aroma; nutty malt flavours, warming; sweet and malty finish. Too swwet for my taste.

Nice dark colo, not too much head. Nice roasted malts come off the nose and are even more evident in the mouth. Caramel, sugar, light vanilla aromas persist as well. Oaky, dusty coffee flavors come through and coat the palate with woodsy, smokiness. A nice brew.

Bottle. Deep red with lacy head. Nose has caramel, syrup and so does flavor. Felt a little one dimensional with sweet sugariness and some easy hops. Creamy mouthfeel with maybe some tar and leather in there somewhere. Slight disappointment.

Reddish amber with a bubbly thick white head. Strong roast caramel, brown sugar,toffee & alcohol. Sweet, smooth & round. Fine lacings & light warmth. Great!

Pour is a dark mahogany with a average white head. Aroma is loads of molasses and brown sugar. Flavor is some caramel and and dark fruit. Finish is a bit watery and sweet. Overall this is just a fairly ok beer. The taste is a little weak and watery with nothing complex about it.

This is a wonderful, rich, complex, and well-balanced beer. It pours a deep brownish red with a dense, fairly thick, light yellowish tan head and very good, long-lasting lacing. It has strong, slightly sweet toasted caramel malt flavour with fruit, offset with just enough spicy bitterness, resulting in a rich, full body. It is exceedingly smooth and very drinkable, yet full of flavour.

Bottle. Malt has a moderate to heavy smell of roasted and nutty, hops smell lightly of grass, and light leather for the yeast, with cherry, port, oak, brown sugar and very light spice in the background. Head is rocky, off white, mostly lasting and has excellent lacing. Color is clear reddish brown. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic then finishes moderately sweet, lightly acidic and very slightly bitter. Body is medium, texture is between oily and creamy and it has a lively carbonation with just a bit of astringency in the finish. The creaminess and maltiness is not what I expected from an English strong. And what’s with the bottle calling it a Scottish ale? Have I been duped? Someone needs to get their story straight. Regardless, a very good "sit back and relax" kind of beer.

Bottle. Deep-red/brown color. Creamy, off-white head. Good lacing. Light smell of sweet malt, dark bread, dried fruit, caramel, brown sugar and nuts. Smells a little bit like a belgian ale. The taste is sweet malt, caramel/toffee, toast, fruit, some yeast. Light bitterness and a bit smoky as well. Creamy and well balanced. High drinkability for such a high alcohol%. Tastes better if it´s not served too cold.