Belhaven Scottish Ale pours a gorgeous deep red with off-white head. It really is an exceptionally pretty beer. I understand this can be found in nitro cans, with a creamy head that lasts forever, but from the bottle I found the head and lacing didn't stick around very long.
As is typical for this style, the overall flavor was balanced and mellow with an unremarkable 5.2% ABV and very mild hops. The initial taste was slightly fruity. Finished clean with a hint of smokey caramel aftertaste. I've heard other people describe this brew as "nutty" but I didn't really pick up on that myself.
Overall, I'd say that this was a pleasant, very drinkable beer. Like the object of my previous review, this one is more of an accessible session-with-friends drink than anything terribly bold or challenging, but there's nothing wrong with that. I did notice a slight filmy feeling on my tongue after I'd finished, which may or may not be attributable to the beer, but that's really my only complaint.
I actually drink this one fairly regularly, but only from the can. I like to have a very smooth and mellow beer like this on hand to drink after I have a more aggressively flavored beer, and I tend to mostly alternate among this, Guinness, and Boddington's Pub Ale. Curiously or not, I prefer the can with the widget for all three options.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try this out of the can if I can find it, as I tend to prefer widgets too.
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