Heather Ales Kelpie

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

Very deep brown/black pour with small khaki head. The aroma is very malty and dark chocolatey, with some red winey hints. The taste is nutty and simultaneously merloty, with more roast malt and dark chocolate. Medium to dense palate. This one is very good, and exceeds my expectations. Now, go fetch me a nubile young mermaid, captain, or at least a Japanese tentacle hentai DVD!

So black I can’t see through it unless right next to the light. Beige head, light malty aroma had after Rogue Chocolate Stout with clean palate... similar to a stout, with a watery palate and minus the chocolate....

First off, Kelpie is not a type of seaweed. A Kelpie is the name of the mythical creatures that roam the lochs of Scotland, the most famous Kelpie of course, is the Loch Ness Monster. This beer is brewed with seaweed to simulate locally malted barley, which were fertilized with seaweed in Scotland’s brewing past. This seaweed is put in the mash tun along with organically grown malt, and a portion of roasted malt, that the brewery roasts itself. All these ingredients make for a very interesting, flavorful beer. Kelpie Seaweed Ale pours to a beautiful, deep chestnut brown color, with a thick and creamy tan head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is very interesting, with aromas of roast, sweet malt, and the salty smell of fresh sea air. The palate on this beer is firm, with lots of good chocolate, sweet malt, and roasted malt flavors on the tongue, and a subtle salt water undertone that dances on the tongue. Kelpie finishes with more malty, roasty, and slightly salty flavors that linger.

bottle. brown-mahogany coloured body with a small mocha head. the aroma is interesting - stoutish in many aspects with notes of roasty raisins and salt. the body is a little bit buttery and creamy and a touch watery at times. it’s certainly an interesting concept though not particularly great.

Thanks for sharing Eric! ROasted malts, coffee, and brine in the aroma. Opaque brown, with a good sized mocha head. Sweet coffee flavours, mildly roasted, and I guess the somewhat salty finish is coming from the seaweed. Silky and smooth, but a tad thin and watery on the finish. Glad I got to try it.

Pour is black with a tall tan head. Aroma is slightly roasty and cocoa. Flavor is dark chocolate with a bitter aftertaste. Slightly weak in flavor. Overall this is ok and has it qualities.

Near black with rich mahogany highlights and a simple, tan head... the image of a Doppelbock. Aromas of tar & vegetation (maybe broccoli) with additional oily, bitter, soy sauce notes. Flavor holds a nice malt presence with coffee bitters late. A little thin with an oily mouthfeel, but fairly strong flavors regardless. Not a "seaweed bomb" as expected.

<font size=-4>Purchased from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/chicag Wine & Spirits, Chicago, IL 60614<font size=-1>

Black in color with a small light tan head. Sweet, coffee-like aromas reminiscent of stout. Roasty-sweet malty flavor, but nothing noticable that reminds me of seaweed. They should just call this Kelpie Stout. Nice and full-bodied, soft mouthfeel, light bitter finish. This is pretty good, but I’m a little disappointed that there’s nothing distinctly seaweedish about this; I was looking forward to something different.