Harviestoun Haggis Hunters Ale

Brewed by Harviestoun
Style: Bitter
Alva, Central, Scotland

500ml bottle from Sainsbury. Don’t know if they have changed the recipe or what, but I’m right with Magic Dave on this one. I have been so accustomed to Harviestoun’s use of US hops it was nice to have something else from them and for once a pasteurised beer was really good. Very pale copper colour with lasting white head. Earthy hop with fragrant EKG coming through. Some faint gingerish caramel. Mix of soft malts and nice citric hop with gtrapefruit and excellent dryness. Good complex hops on both the aroma and in the flavour and lasting into the finish. Lovely intense juicy rapefruit. Really impressed with the hops on this. Some dustiness too.

Yes, this is the type of beer i want, i could have infinate of these, this is a really good beer. I cannpt believe im rating a scotish bottled non bottle conditioned beer this highly, but here goes. Aroma is great grassy/citrus hops, with a little malt character in there i wouldnt expect from such a low% beer. Taste is very flavoursome hoppy yes yes, the malt balances it balances it very well, bready malt too, which normally goes with nothing. Yes Yes!

A lovely orange/gold colour with an excellent white head that lasts well down the glass...leaves a good lace too! Has that fantastic, well balanced hop ’n’ malt nose that I expect from Harviestoun beers, a bit lighter in body than expected but packed with smooth malt and fruity hop flavours, a slight sharp acidity appears on the finish...lovely! Didn’t have it with haggis tho!

500ml bottle from Sainsburys, 21st Jan 2007. They say this is ’well hopped’ and they mean it! Pours a clear amber with a frothy, subsiding head. The aroma is pure floral hops and the flavour a nice mix of hops, citrus, fruit and a light smoky note. The mouthfeel is perfect - the beer is light and easy to drink, but with sufficient robustness to make each mouthful worth savouring. It certainly has enough flavour to hold its own with haggis. Recommended.

Beautiful malt and floral aroma with slight bubblegum, straw and citrus. Taste is hoppy from start to finish. Very biiter honey with floral bitterness. Very west coast tasting. Very. very drinkable.

Golden and clear with a fruitiness that just begs you to drink it.Plenty of flavour. A very pleasant drink.

Clear orange-amber ale: good & dense off-white head, not very stable. Creamy nose, and at the same time fresh-hoppy smell. Very American. Some vanilla in there. WOW! this must be my hoppiest Scottish ale to date. This is great - real northern IPA. Caramelly undertones, but nowhere sweet. Light body, but I can hardly blame a 4.4% ABV beer for not being heavy - in fact, it seems more in heaviness, if not in alcohol. Aftertaste has some tobacco ash. Great bitter. I’ll have mine without the haggis corpse, thankee. Now, as to a pistacchio-stuffed leg of lamb, Moghul style, OTOH...

Toasted malt and caramel nose, some hops. Shimmering amber color, foamy head. Thin malt base gives way to a broad tingly bitter across the whole mouth. Somewhat bold overall and with character. Nice one.