Inveralmond Ossian Ale (Bottled)

Clear pale gold colour with thin white head. Fruity malt mose. Refreshing malt taste with crisp sweet malt finish.

Strong fruitiness, some doughy malt character and plenty of orange citrus with some mild butterscotch in the nose. Slightly hazy golden body is topped by a decent and very long lasting white head that leaves some nice lacing on the glass. Mild nutty sweetness underscores the honeyed malt character with some toastiness. Orange zest and floral hops offer a counterpoint and provide a fairly crisp bitterness. Medium body with soft bubbled, gentle carbonation that lasts throughout and awakens the tongue. A reasonable approximation of cask ale in a bottle even if it is pasteurized. Very nicely made. Tulip glass. Cellar temperature. Bottle (Best Before Jul-08, Brewery Creek, May-07).

Hazy gold,lasting white head. Fruity salty nose.Fruity malt taste, orange overtones, nice medium lasting spicy hop finish

Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow with a small head, nice lace, and a faint peaty sweet & floral aroma. Tastes like a blonde ale - somewhat fruity, with faint neutral bittering hops and some citrus (cascade) and floral notes. Faint almond & white vinegar taste. Lightly creamy body, sub-par carb. This would be excellent with a chilli or another spicy food, but on its own it doesn’t really stand-up. It’s too fruity to be a traditional bitter, but lacks the proper yeast to be a blonde. Ossian reminds me of the Italian "ossia", which means "or". This is either a bitter OR a blonde, OR possibly neither.

Amber with a nice head and lace. The aroma has a lot of earthy/smoked peat notes. The flavour is slightly sweet with notes of roasted malt, caramel, smoke fruit and flower. The finish is long with a discrete bitterness, that develops and grows stronger.

[Sampled in 2003.] One of the first PA’s I had and it really hit something heartly. I thought it was an IPA with all those cascade hops, buts it’s just a bitter. Otherwise I still think it’s a nice brew with a good balance.

My Bottom Line:
This fantastic blond bitter boasts a bustling osmosis of honey-smeared biscuits and sharp citrusy, floral hoppiness. Drier and thus perhaps more bitter than its cask-conditioned brother, this easy drinking pint is sure to please the thirsty hop lover.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-Sumptuous foam garnishes the clear blond.
-Sweet maltiness bounces from honey to caramel, and back.
-Obviously, the expansive, big-bubbled carbonation doesn’t try to emulate the cask feel.
-The wooden, leafy hop finish lingers ad vitam eternam.

Bottle; best before March ’08.

Bottle picked up by my dad in Perth w/c 07-08-06. Pours a warm dark golden colour, some hops in the aroma, taste is a touch sweet toffeeish bit fruity and malty but not bad at all.