About Belhaven's Scottish Ale: Malty and hoppy, we at Belhaven love the classic Scottish Ale and we've been brewing it longer than any of the other beers we produce. Delivering a sweet, smooth and creamy finish, Scottish Ale has a stunning ruby colour in the glass. Magic.
ABV: 5.2%
Case Cost: $46
There are two types of people in the world: ale people and lager people. I'm a lager person. So the Belhaven Scottish Ale probably wasn't going to be one of my favorites. And it wasn't. But not bad for an ale.
ReplyDeleteAs I'm going to do with all 24 four of the beers, I matched the Belhaven Scottish Ale up against the World's Greatest Beer (of course, Miller Lite 12 oz. can). The Belhaven scores points with its higher ABV but the Miller Lite deals a knockout punch with superior taste and drinkability.
Overall, I wasn't crazy about the taste of the Belhaven but would drink again.
As it seems to be the case the 2 folks that do not have a job have moved on to the next beer. I do not like Ale's at all but loved this beer!! Wow, it went down smooth and I loved the Malty taste and creamy after taste. I found myself wanting to drink another. I could not believe I actually thought that (maybe b/c its Friday?)
ReplyDeleteRating 9 out of 10
I'm lost without instructions on how to drink it or what shape glass to use.
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be tough without instructions... I have been practicing different angles this afternoon and I am going to try an obtuse angle... I tried for the preferred acute angle, but got all cramped up during the practice pour!
ReplyDeleteIt's 4pm, where's McNary's post? As a Govt employee I figure he's next to drink it.
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ReplyDeleteRephrasing - I started writing before I finished it:
ReplyDeleteFairly smooth tasting beer, although the aftertaste is way too sweet and heavy. I can easily see drinking 3 or 4 of these and wanting to switch to Miller Lite. Throw in the fact that its $46 A CASE and this is probably the last Belhaven Scottish Ale I drink this decade. Not a fan.
Grade: Sober enough to drive
I find it interesting that you are comparing this beer to the American beers that are basically Ice Tea. These beers are meant to be slowly enjoyed not guzzled back so you can get to the next one. This is not a how much can you drink contest.
ReplyDeleteGet into the spirit! I say again, Great choice Tony and Mark!!! A beer I would definitely buy on my own.
DJ--is Maurelli really your cousin? Sounds like you guys might not even be from the same species.
ReplyDeleteDo y'all really think Tony and Mark were smart enough to pick out 24 beers on their own? Give me some credit Maurelli!
ReplyDeleteI do love my scotch... but not so much scottish ale. It does go down smooth, but has a bit too much of an interesting aftertaste for my liking. The Hoegaarden on the other hand, that's my speed. As far as that style of wheat beer goes, Alagash White and Hoegaarden is a toss up for me. That being said, god bless PBR!
ReplyDeleteThis beer makes me think of bars made of thick mahogany, smooth jazz music, and a roaring fireplace. Which means this is probably my last Belhaven Scottish Ale for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteAnother winner. It's one of the better ale's I've had with it's smooth taste and roasted caramel aftertaste. Schulz, you should have tried the right angle, it worked for me. Katy, did you pick the beers based on the labels or the ABV%?
ReplyDeleteMmmmmmmmalty!!! Des is ambivilant but I Love it. I am very much an ale person and this beer is bangin. Not a beer for the faint of heart or the unpracticed palate. Heavy malt, great hoppy aromas, and nice bitterness.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had 5 more!
Tom is high... I have to agree with Joe. Although I'm not generally an ale person, this was a tasty beer. It's very smooth going down, but has a slightly bitter aftertase. Because it's a bit heavy, I could probably only finish two. And I love the fact that it's Scottish!
ReplyDeleteHad a glass of wine before I drank this with dinner. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Tastes nice and smooth with food. Would not drink alone. Check minus.
ReplyDeleteHad this before a few, errr several magic hats. And, um, don't remember much about it. I'll do better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteKaty I am so sorry, I did not realize you were on the panel to choose as well. So far, so good! Great job on this choice whoever choose it!
ReplyDeleteDrinking 1 beer is an enormous waste of time and something I rarely if ever do. Therefore all my ratings will prorate drinking at least 6. So Joe - go nuts rating it however you want, but thats how I'm rating em. Awesome next beer is a hefe weizen. I'll be sure to wedge a fruit basket into the glass while I'm drinking it.
ReplyDeleteOverall I liked the beer. This would be a beer I would get with dinner and have just one or two. Not a session beer like the Hoegaarden. I'll give it a 7.5 out of 10, B-
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that I liked this beer as normally I am not a huge fan of Pale Ales but I enjoyed this beer. I thought it had a good taste and went down smoothly. Like others have written, if given the option to buy this beer at a bar, I would have one or two and then switch to something else that I prefer. However, as I will drink anything, I would certainly have no issues drinking many of these in a night.
ReplyDeleteSo I had to go back and drink this. Catching up. Ugh. Too sweet. Way too sweet. I guess that's what makes it "malty." I don't think I like "malty."
ReplyDeleteDon't tell my Grandma, but Renton summed it up best, "I hate being Scottish. We're the lowest of the fucking low, the scum of the earth, the most wretched, servile, miserable, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some people hate the English, but I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are colonized by wankers. We can't even pick a decent culture to be colonized by. We are ruled by effete arseholes. It's a shite state of affairs and all the fresh air in the world will not make any fucking difference."
That sums up Bellhaven's Scottish Ale nicely.
Agree too sweet. I had this on tap recently and didn't like it then either, but I don't recall it being this sweet.
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