Heather Ales Kelpie

Brewed by Williams Brothers (Heather Ales)
Style: Traditional Ale
Alloa, Central, Scotland

Aroma is like a stout, strong on chocolate, except there is a noticeable sea saltiness. Appearance is the dark black appearance common to a stout as well. Flavor was strong on bitter chocolate, coffee, salt. Medium body, the finish was a little astringent (maybe the salt?) Decent beer overall.

11.2 oz. bottle. Malty aroma with strong chocolate notes and a brown ale-like sharpness. Pours a dark brown with an orange hue and a large amount of tan head; long and long-lasting legs. The flavor is surprisingly bitter. The dark malts produce a roasted, almost smoky, tobacco-like impression (but in a good way) as well as an emphatic tartness. Although I certainly smelled it, I don’t taste the chocolate that others have mentioned. Long, pleasant, bitter aftertaste; medium body; smooth and soft in the palate; a little undercarbonated. I had no idea what to expect before I drank this brew, but I certainly am happy with what I got. Kelpie Seaweed Ale smells like a sweet stout and tastes like a cross between a brown ale and a dry stout. It is unique but still familiar and very appetizing.

THOUGHTS: This beer actually smelled like the ocean. Way thinner mouthfeel than I expected from this dark beer. Bitter chocolate taste with some saltyness but not as much as in the aroma. Much better than I ever would have expected. I never would have guessed there would be chocolate flavors in a seaweed beer when I first heard about them. A good beer and a must try for those of us that are always looking form something different. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown, that was almost black in the glass, with an average-sized, off-white head that was moderately lasting and left fair lacing. The aroma was light to moderate chocolate and mild coffee along with a lot of sea salt. The initial flavor was sweet chocolate, coffee and salt in that order. The finish flavor was salty. The body was light to medium, oily up front and dry in the back. It had soft carbonation and a light chalky finish.

Impressive! Who knew you could make such a tasty beverage with seaweed? I often enjoy it at the local sushi bar when I’m not in the mood for sake. It doesn’t exactly make a good match for sushi as it tends to overwhelm sushi’s subtle flavors but I love it anyway.

330 mL bottle in gift pack from LCBO. App.: deep cola with a moderate foamy, light tan head. Aroma: lots of chocolate and vanilla, a hint of coffee or dark chocolate in back. A faint iodine/seaweed note once warmed a little. Palate: med.-full body, sl. astringent, carbonation is fine but a touch aggressive. Flav.: some of the chocolate and vanilla, a bit watery and weak on swallowing. Kinda powdery and a touch of roasted malt bitterness to finish. Not my catch o’ the day, and I think it’s bladderwrack.

Heather Ale Kelpie Seaweed Ale 12 oz bottle Medium pour in an English pint Best before 09/06 or 07(?), breezed through 12/06. Poured a very dark mahogany with an average light brown frothy somewhat lasting head with fair lacing. Smelt of moderate chocolate and dirty fishbowl. Taste was moderate bittersweet dark chocolate and light salty algae followed by more moderate chocolate, turning into roasted malt, and algae on an average finish. Palate was light to medium bodied, slightly oily turning slightly dry, lively carbonated, and light astringency. Overall, its everything I expected it to be. A dark brown ale "hopped" with seaweed. Very well done, albeit fairly light.

Drank in a tulip. Dark poor with a almost non-existant head. Aromas of torrefied coffee and dark chocolate. Bitter / sweet to the palate, salty, nice long aqueous aftertaste that reminds you a little of creamy coffee. Very distinctive taste, not very common.

Poured a deep black with a whispy whtie head, much like a porter. Had a salty, sea like smell, almost scotch whiskey like with just a hint of whiskey like fruit. Flavor has more roasted malt than I anticipated. Chocolate, grainy, malty, very nutty flavor. Finish is slightly oily and the nutty flavor stays on the palate.