Belhaven Scottish Ale

[Bruno_78]

Upon meeting some friends (yes, I do have some) at a local Irish pub, I had the chance to enjoy this scottish ale. The bartender said it had a higher alcohol content than Guinness, but after returning home and checking their web site, it only comes in at 3.9%. A little lower than Guinness.

It took forever to pour, served on nitro it entered and filled the glass as a thick, foamy, mass. After a few minutes, the foam had settled into about a two thirds full glass of beer, and the bartender then filled it the rest of the way. All in all, about eight minutes from start of pour until it was ready to drink.

The thick head remained until the very end. I didn't take any notes on the beer. It was after dinner, and the room was smoke filled, so my senses would have probably been tainted.

However, this was one of the fullest bodied beers that I've ever tasted. It was very good, flavorful and filling. Definately one of the better of the lower alcohol beers that I've tried.

[fretlessman71]

Doon-chick-a-doon-chick-a-doon. ;)

[Seymour]

Curiously, this seems to be a beer people loathe or love. I myself am rather fond of it, though I don't drink it as often as I did when it wasn't readily available in my area. To me it's nice and malty and thick--though I confess I prefer it from the bottle rather than the tap. The nitrogen head interferes with the flavor, IMHO. It has a nice hops presence without the bite of the "spicier" domestic Scottish Ales. I've heard a lot of people bash it, however. Go figure. Drink what you like, I guess. Hey, Bruno: keep your eye skinned for Belhaven's tastier cousin, St. Andrews Ale.

[Bruno_78]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Doon-chick-a-doon-chick-a-doon. ;)

What the heck is that?

[skahtboi]

Originally posted by Bruno_78
What the heck is that?

The return of the 70's porn soundtrack. Seems to be a theme that Fret has going these days! :D

[fretlessman71]

It's a DISCO beat. It's also any pop song turned into an aerobic workout tape's drum track. Not sure about 70's porn music, save for a really strange Jim Beam commercial I heard on the radio that had a guy singing, "Wha-ka-chick-a-WAAAAAA... Wha-ka-chick-a-WAAA-WAAAA- Wha-ka-chick-a-WAAAAAA..."

.... you gotta admit, NOTHING like "Doon-chick-a-doon."

Doon-chick-a-doon-chick-a-doon. :D

[skahtboi]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
It's a DISCO beat. It's also any pop song turned into an aerobic workout tape's drum track. Not sure about 70's porn music, save for a really strange Jim Beam commercial I heard on the radio that had a guy singing, "Wha-ka-chick-a-WAAAAAA... Wha-ka-chick-a-WAAA-WAAAA- Wha-ka-chick-a-WAAAAAA..."

.... you gotta admit, NOTHING like "Doon-chick-a-doon."

Doon-chick-a-doon-chick-a-doon. :D

Disco...porn....six of one, half a dozen of the other!

[chazwicke]

Never seen Belhaven on nitro. That would be interesting.

[fretlessman71]

I'm pretty sure I've seen Belhaven in Imperial Pint bottles around here somewhere, and I'll have to give it a shot, disco beat background or not. 3.9%? Does that qualify it as a mild?

Even BMC light beers have more alcohol than that (all the better to get trashed with, my dear) - I wonder if there's a proportional amount of calories as well?

[Bruno_78]

that belhaven scottish kinda reminded me of you old avatar and signature line, Fret.

[fretlessman71]

You mean about the beer that you can knock over and still grab before anything spills out? I see... So, what you're saying, in a word, is: NO. ;) Gotcha.

I'm still used to equating alcohol with calories and forgetting about the malt unfermented still in the beer. I'm sure that's what helps make it a very tasty brew. Based on your notes I'm going to have to keep an eye out for Belhaven and St. Andrews, as well. And I'll be sure to put on a good CD with some of that doon-chick-a-doon music to go with it!

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
.... you gotta admit, NOTHING like "Doon-chick-a-doon."

Yeah, nothing like root canal either...

Boy, talk about turning a thread - I've never seen one get off track this quickly! I still don't see the connection between a disco beat and Belhaven - was Belhaven the popular brew for Tony Manero and his friends?

S.