The Wolf of Glen Moray Port Cask Finish

The Wolf of Glen Moray Port Cask Finish is a “dark Scottish ale aged in a Glen Moray whisky cask” brewed in Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland by Windswept Brewing Co. This one is aged in a port finish cask. It’s a burly 9% ale with a deep mahogany colour and a very this cream head. It comes in a 330mL bottle, sold in a whisky-style tube. My bottle was hand-numbered (4279/4344).

The Wolf Port Cask has a terrifically rich and sticky sweet aroma—malt heavy, with notes of raisin and treacle. The flavour is sweet, initially, with boozy, dried fruit leanings. The back end is warm, faintly bitter, and has subtle whisky elements.

This beer was highly agreeable; all the more so because it was woody without being overly sweet. Often I find barrel-aged strong ales run too saccharine, and this one displayed admirable restraint. Boozy and flavourful, this stuff was jammin’.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale is a highly carbonated, copper coloured ale, topped with a dense, creamy head. It has a sweet toffee aroma and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.  It's pretty mild, booze-wise, clocking in at 4.5% alcohol. NSPA has flavour notes of caramel, as well as an unusual, somewhat creamy quality. It also has some toasty malt notes. It is considerably less bitter than I was expecting.

It's a nice enough brew, although it didn't really wow me.  I'd say that it's probably worth a try, particularly if you dig smooth, malty ales.

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale is brewed by Neustadt Springs Brewery in Neustadt, Ontario. It comes in a 473mL can.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

Highlander Scottish Ale

The Highlander Brew Co. of from South River, Ontario brews Highlander Scottish Ale, a darkish copper coloured beer topped with a nice eggshell head. It comes in a handsome 500mL bottle and clocks in at 5% alcohol. The bottle says "learn life taste freedom". It's moderately carbonated and leaves a healthy does of lace in the glass.

Highlander has a sweet, malty aroma, with notes of raisin and caramel. The flavour is malt forward with some fruitcake-y notes of raisin and fig. It's very pleasant--rich without being daunting.

This flavourful brew is a fine after dinner sipper. It's quite enjoyable, though not terribly refreshing. It's a brew with lots of character that tastes like it was shipped over by St. Andrew himself.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Caledonian 80/-

I'm wary of letting this blog get stagnant.  To that end, I've decided to include occasional tandem reviews with friends and family members.  That way readers can enjoy opinions other than my own and I can share the experience of reviewing beer.  For my first tandem review, I conscripted my younger brother Rob.

Rob has been on me for months to join him at one of his preferred haunts, The Caledonian.  In honour of the bar, we decided to review Caledonian 80/- (80 Schilling).  80/- hails from Edinburgh, Scotland.  Rob and I each enjoyed a pint of draught.  It is a nice reddish brown colour and features a creamy head and lots of lace.  According to Caledonian's website, 80/- tips the scale at a slight 4.1%. 

 According to Rob, the aroma had an understated evergreen quality.  He initially described the flavour simply as "deliciousness" before I bullied him into elaborating.  After a while, he conceded that the flavour was slightly peaty with a lingering toffee aftertaste.

In my opinion, the aroma is considerably coppery (though this was slightly muddled by the unfortunate coconut candle on the bar-great for ambiance, but not an asset when tasting beers).  There is a considerable degree of carbonation.  The brew starts with a sweet, malty flavour.  This gives way to a copper flavour followed by a slightly bitter aftertaste.  My only complaint with the 80/- is that it is a touch thin on the front end.  I'd like a more robust flavour.

Rob and I agreed that this was a pretty solid brew, one that we'd both recommend.  He wanted to give it a 8.5 or a 9.  I'm not quite that enamored with it, but it definitely is a tasty brew that goes down nicely.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.