Orkney Red MacGregor (Bottle)

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Smallish white fine-bubbled head over dark mahogany body. Lovely sweet, smoky flowery aroma with hop notes. Taste is very like the smell, but with slightly more pronounced smokiness. The finish is nicely rounded, but mostly a simple fading. A very good ale; strong, interesting taste, yet easily drinkable. (0.5l bottle, self-poured in lager glass.)

Tasted 29/08/2005. 500ml bottle from Rumble’s, Wellington. Dark red-amber. Off-white, hinting at grey, lacey, disappearing head. Rich nose of carmelly malt, prunes and oranges are all delivered with a background smokey profile. Flavour is more of that peaty, smokey, malt with a woody hop bitterness. There’s a background of dark, dried, fruit too. Soft mouthfeel, low carbonation - just a tingle past flat. Only negative in the palate is a slightly lingering powdery feel.

Bottled. Dark amber colour, mediumsized beige bubbly head. Hops and fruit in aroma. Strong ryebreadish malty and hoppy flavour with hints of fruit. Long ryebreadish aftertaste. A bit mouthdrying.

Definite cherry (!) note in the aroma with some grassy hops and buttery malts; really nice looking brew with a lacey head residue; smooth and pretty sweet, yet watery, smoked toffee and toast flavor that hints at dirty, not so bitter hops; more body and kickin’ these flavors up a notch would really help; overall, it’s good

Decent frothy light tan head of fine bubbles. Light carbonation. Dry dusty aroma with plenty of roasted grains and a bit of smoke and malt. Color is a dark mahagony orange. Dry and slightly bitter palate with more roasted grains. Strong, biting hops bitterness in there but goes away quickly. Finishes a little creamy, dry and astringent. Very easy drinking though. Pretty good.

bottle, poured red-amber with a tan head. Hoppy aroma, touch of malt. Taste was malts with some hops and wood. Good, will try again.

Pours a lush red/brown (amber) color. Aroma is sweet grass. Frothy head. Taste is slightly smoky and peaty, with a hint of bitter hops. A dull tint of whisky as it warms. Interesting beer, to say the least. Definitely worth a second try.

Pours a rich copper color unter a foamy beige head. The nose held sweetness and grassy hops. Peat. Yes. Peat. Just happened to be tasting some Bruichladdich 3D "Peat Proposal" Islay Single Malt Whisky and recognized the hints of peat in this brew. Or was it the scotch playing with my taste buds? Anyway, it was watery and medium bodied. The flavor was malty, sweet, and, well, peat.