philpy Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 One shop In musselburgh sells most of the williams bros range for £1.50 - £1.70 a bottle, which is very reasonable. I like going in a for 3 or 4 bottles knowing that I've purchased the product of a small independant brewery. The cairngorm brewery range Is very nice as well, trade winds and wildcat are my favourites. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiohead Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Belhaven Black is a decent pint. Only seen it in Tesco so far and a bit steep at £2 a pop. Goes down great with a nice malt chaser - Ledaig, Bowmore or Laphroig in particular. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I tried Cock of the walk based on the recommendation of a poster on here, it was fantastic! Lovely stuff that. They also do something called Williams Red which to me just tasted like a milder version of it. Still nice though. Had Williams Black last night which was tremendous. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) #1 Right, the thread originally got started with the intent of reviews so I'll give it a crack with what I'm on right now. Trying to put it in a format that's to the point and hopefully gives a good idea of what the beer is like. Beer - Badger Golden Glory Style - Golden ale Aromas - Peaches, peaches and more peaches!! Very fruity and floral aromas. Very sweet smell almost like some sort of peachy dessert. Also getting an almost Lipton iced tea type of aroma coming through too. Taste - Again the vibe of an iced tea really comes through with that very faint bitterness right at the back of your mouth. Getting a hint of melon too. Some nice light caramel and maltiness also. Very refreshing beer that I'd love to have on cask on a hot summer's day. Overall - I think this would be a good beer for someone who has maybe only really been a lager drinker but is interested in trying different types of beer. It's really tasty and light and also isn't hugely challenging for someone new to real ale. My only issue would be is that recently Badger have started putting their beers in clear bottles as opposed to brown ones and I know that if they sit in a supermarket for any length of time the bright lights can affect the beer and skunk it. This was a clear one from Morrisons. I'd be interested to see if there's still any brown bottles about and try them side by side. Would give it a 7/10 Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 (edited) #2 Beer - Belhaven Black Style - Stout Aromas - Black coffee, charcoal, dark roasted malts, hint of dark chocolate/cocoa. Taste - Not a lot of bitterness. Smooth but quite mild and watery. Light roasted flavour. Little bit of caramel. Overall - Usually I stay away from Belhaven stuff but saw a video review of this (albeit on cask, I had a bottle) which said it was pretty nice. Quite a mild stout but I think it would be good for something tasty for a sesh which isn't overly fizzy. Again as with my last review my only concern is that they only do it in clear bottles and it's not good for the beer sitting under those big shop lights for any length of time. 6.5/10 Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 (edited) #3 Beer - Williams Bros March Of The Penguins Style - Stout/Porter Aromas - Roasted malts, liquorice, oddly also a slight aroma reminiscent of Hoegaarden thanks to the Coriander & orange zest. Taste - Quite smooth. Coffee and roasted malts. Slight creaminess. Overall - Become a big fan of Williams Bros recently. Pretty much all of their beers are at the least very good and in some cases absolutely fantastic. This is a nice tasty and smooth stout which I'd love to try on tap. 8.5/10 Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
)typically Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Tried Orkney's Red MacGregor, best ale I've tried yet. Another good one is from .. I think its from the Cairngorms, called Wildcat. Prefer that sort of bitter aftertaste to ales, some of the shite like Abbot Ale, the standard ale of Wetherspoons is horrific. Tastes like watery shite. You'd like 'Cock o' the Walk' then similar taste but better IMO. Also '5am Saint' is similar. Last night I tried Loch Lomond Brewery's 'Kessog Dark Ale'. at £2.99 a bottle its not cheap. It was excellent though. Better, I think, than Dark Island or Arran Dark. 9/10 I also tried 'Williams Black'. It was not as good but still a quality ale. Bit like a crossover between a porter and a dark ale. 7.5/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkerbelle Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Used to be a massive fan of Tennants SD lager but I have never seen it for years.I used to also be a bit partial to cans of Schlitz lager, so much so that I once drank the entre stock of it from a hotel in Killin. They had to go out for more because they knew I was booked in for a second night. Until then they had never sold a single can of it.My drink of choice just now is Carlsberg as I find it very easy on the head the next day. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) I also tried 'Williams Black'. It was not as good but still a quality ale. Bit like a crossover between a porter and a dark ale. 7.5/10 #4 Wasn't sure what to expect with that as they already did 2 great dark beers in March Of The Penguins and Midnight Sun but was pleasantly surprised. Suprising amount of dark fruit aromas and flavours as opposed to the expected coffee/cocoa from stout type stuff. Would also say 7.5/10. Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Freud Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 If you can find it, Doombar, a Cornish bitter, is outstanding. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Rover Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I remember a visit to a Yorkshire small brewery, and sampling its outstanding creamy-smooth product. i believe it was called Copston's but I've never again seen that beer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanky_ffc Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) Innis and gunn for me. Oak finish is my favourite, you can get it for £1.29 a bottle in aldi. Good choice. The dark one done in the rum cask is my favourite. All 3 are highly drinkable though. And £1.29 is an absolute steal! I thought I was doing well with £1.50 a bottle in Morissons. Edited September 1, 2012 by lanky_ffc 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 If you can find it, Doombar, a Cornish bitter, is outstanding. Nice one that. Had it for the first time in St. Ives a few years back. Don't see it in the pubs enough though. Good choice. The dark one done in the rum cask is my favourite. All 3 are highly drinkable though. And £1.29 is an absolute steal! I thought I was doing well with £1.50 a bottle in Morissons. Obtained bottle of Innis & Gunn Highland Cask (which incidentally also comes in a nice looking box) the other day. Not had that one and looking forward to firing into it this evening. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Freud Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 1346276683[/url]' post='6577844']Belhaven Black is a decent pint. Only seen it in Tesco so far and a bit steep at £2 a pop. Goes down great with a nice malt chaser - Ledaig, Bowmore or Laphroig in particular. We had that on draught in my local- it was a nice change from Guinness. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I've never been much of a reviewer of things, but this thread appeals so I'll give it a decent go. Beer: Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA. Abv: 5.3% Style: India Pale Ale Aromas: Clean fresh and citrus, little bit of hops. Taste: Very light, immediately obvious it's an IPA but there's a little bit of citrus, maybe even a bit of bitterness. Quite dry as well, not too much though. Probably best as a summer beer. Overall: Belhaven isn't a brewer I'm a huge fan of (Belhaven Export on draught excepted) but this is a good quality refreshing drink. I could almost say it would be a decent session beer were it not for the fact it's got 5.3% abv. As far as IPA's go there are better, but I can drink this happily without complaint. 6.5/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
)typically Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) Innis and gunn for me. Oak finish is my favourite, you can get it for £1.29 a bottle in aldi. Not one I like, too caramely. I've never been much of a reviewer of things, but this thread appeals so I'll give it a decent go. Beer: Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA. Abv: 5.3% Style: India Pale Ale Aromas: Clean fresh and citrus, little bit of hops. Taste: Very light, immediately obvious it's an IPA but there's a little bit of citrus, maybe even a bit of bitterness. Quite dry as well, not too much though. Probably best as a summer beer. Overall: Belhaven isn't a brewer I'm a huge fan of (Belhaven Export on draught excepted) but this is a good quality refreshing drink. I could almost say it would be a decent session beer were it not for the fact it's got 5.3% abv. As far as IPA's go there are better, but I can drink this happily without complaint. 6.5/10 Probably Belhaven's best beer for me. Tonight I have tried: 'Williams' Gold': An excellent beer and quite low in alcohol at 3.9%. Similar to an American Pale Ale. Lovely stuff 7.75/10 "Williams' Grozet': You can taste the gooseberries but I think I prefer their heather ale (Fraoch). That said I would gladly drink either on tap in my local ahead of the shite that I normally pick from. 7.5/10 Edited September 1, 2012 by Cammy35 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) #5 Beer: Innis & Gunn Highland Cask Abv: 7.1% Aromas: Faint hops, banana, butterscotch. Slight whisky aroma. Taste: Slight heat from the whisky. Light vanilla flavours. Caramel/toffee. Overall: Underwhelmed to be honest. Heard so much good stuff about Innis & Gunn but found this a bit bland. Nice enough and doesn't feel like such a high ABV but just expected more after all I'd heard about Innis & Gunn. 6.5/10 Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Patterson Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 (edited) #6 Beer: Orkney Brewery Dark Island Reserve Abv: 10% Style: Barley wine/imperial stout Aromas: Huge!! Whisky, treacle, plums, dark fruits, spice. Very boozy smelling. Taste: The whisky is fairly prominent but doesn't overpower the beer. Quite sweet. Dark chocolate bittersweet. Caramel liquorice. Overall: Already a fan of the normal Dark Island. This is a totally different animal. Would recommend trying it along with some strong cheese such as a mature cheddar or a stilton. The sweetness of the beer contrasts well. A huge beer which you really need to drink more like a fine wine or even a whisky instead of just chucking it back. Very happy that I found this in a wee independent offie in Perth as it isn't that easy to get. If you see it, buy it.> Glorious 9/10 Edited September 15, 2012 by Derek Patterson 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Brightside Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I was in the Torrance hotel tonight for a night out, they had Budvar on tap...5% stuff, lethal. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 If you can find it, Doombar, a Cornish bitter, is outstanding. It's actually difficult not to find it in London at the moment as it seems to be rivalling London Pride as many bar's stock beer. Might seem a bit strange as it's a Cornish beer brewed by Sharps in Rock (on the opposite side of the estuary to Rick Stein's Padstow) but as Sharps are owned by Molson Coors that probably explains it's distribution. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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