Isle of Skye Leann Nollaig

Brewed by Isle of Skye
Style: Stout
Uig, Isle of Skye, Scotland

bottle from the sconser lodge, skye, under the name oyster stout. pours dark amber, mohagony lighty coloured head nearly white. lots of lace. nose is butter lemon tastes lemon grass and fresh, sweet and hoppy loads of malt butterness. and a salty seaweed flavour. it tastes like the uig air in skye.

Pours a clear brown color with a ring of offwhite lace. Aroma and flavor of toasted malt and butterscotch with a dry finish. The body is light with gentle carbonation. Not even close to a stout, I would put it as a scottish ale.

Almost clear dark brown body without much head. Lots of butterscotch on the nose but fortunately a bit less in the taste. The very malty body has some roastiness and red fruits jam flavours that do not get along with the butterscotch. Drinkable but not memorable. Allegedly this was supposed to be a stout but when it didn’t come out right it was renamed and repackaged to make it seem like the desired result. I often do the same think with my cooking to save face.

Cask Stillage from the outside bar at the Hillsborough Hotel, Sheffield 16/12/2006 Fruit and roast aromas. Copper mid brown coloured and a little rich on the palate. Some bitterness and dryness in a crisp full roast finish.

My Bottom Line:
This under-roasted oyster stout (which the brewery admitted) would manage to emerge as a roastier-than-usual scottish ale if it weren’t for the bothersome diacetyl.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the burgundy-tinged blackness.
-Some roastiness appears in the nose, underneath the butterscotch.
-The soft carbonation works with the healthy maltiness, building a nourishing yet drinkable mouthfeel.
-The finish brings back some roasty dryness.
-I wish I had tried it on cask at Blackfriars in Inverness when I had the chance.

Bottle; best before December ’07.

Cask: Hazy light brown with a beige lasting head. Touch of roast. Sweet, berries and a nice touch of spice.

Bottle from Green Welly Stop, Tyndrum. Christmas Ale (literally, in Gaelic) from Isle of Skye Brewery. Dark red/brown in colour. Aroma of spices including Cinnamon. Medium mouthfeel. Pleasant fruity finish.