St Andrew's AleNov 30 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Spirits and Beers
The Bottom Line Is it a flag, is it a town, is it a patron saint? No it's a beer.
There I stood, nervously looking at the World's End when a doorway opened before me and, after but a moment's hesitation, I boldly stepped over the threshold into the gloomy half-light beyond. The World's End is a pub on Edinburgh's Royal Mile at the point where the Auld Toon merges with the burgh of Canongate. This was the site of the East Port in the medieval town walls and therefore, as far as the citizens of Auld Reekie were concerned, the end of the world. Back inside the pub, I ordered a pint of Belhaven St. Andrew's Ale and, as by a happy coincidence today (Nov. 30) is St Andrew's Day, what could be more appropriate than a review of this ale. * The Brewery * Belhaven brewery sits on the edge of the Firth of Forth in the Royal Burgh of Dunbar - about 30 miles east of Edinburgh. The brewery was founded around 1415 by Benedictine monks who found the water to be excellent for brewing beer. The present brewery was built in 1719, and is one of the oldest in Britain. For many years Belhaven also acted as a maltings: germinating and kilning the barley that is widely grown in East Lothian and the Borders, and supplying not only its own brewery but also many whisky distilleries. Two malting kilns from 1719 are still standing. Traditionally, Scottish beers lean toward the sweetness of the malt as against English beer which is more hop dominated. It may be that because of the slightly cooler climate, Scots prefer a more sustaining pint. But I think it is more likely that Scotland grows a great deal of malting barley but the climate is such that hops can't be grown and must be imported. For more information: http://www.belhaven.co.uk _________________________INTERLUDE__________________________ A Scot and an American were talking about playing golf during the various seasons of the year. "In most parts of the USA we cannot play in the winter time. We have to wait until spring" the Yank said. "Aye? In Scotland we play in the winter time. Snow and cold are no bother to us." said the Scot. "What do you do - paint your balls black?" asked the American. "No", said the Scot "we just put on some thermal underwear." ____________________________________________________________ The 19th hole....... St. Andrews Ale is named for Scotland's patron saint and the town of that name which is also the home of golf. It's a rich and creamy ale with a distinctive hoppy flavour which is unusual for a Scottish beer. The label on the bottle features the Old Course and the Royal & Ancient clubhouse at St Andrew's. Whilst the label on the neck displays the Scottish national flag - the St. Andrew's Cross, or Saltire. * The Pour * St Andrew's pours sparklingly clear with a dark amber, almost coffee colour and a creamy off-white foamy head which is quite long-lasting and leaves plenty of lace on the glass. The aroma is malty with caramel tones, a somewhat peaty, earthy quality with a little hint of plums and some nuttiness with a bready, yeasty aroma in the background. * The Taste * It's medium-bodied with a creamy, buttery mouthfeel. The taste is rich, heavily malty and slightly sweet caramel up front with some roasted nut flavour, smoky even, and some slightly-sweet fruit notes. At all times it has a grassy, tangy hop bite going on. The finish is fairly bitter and quite dry and the aftertaste is bittersweet but all-in-all, well balanced. * The Verdict * At 4.6% ABV, this is not particularly a classic from belhaven, the 80 and 90/- are better, but it's not too shabby either. It's very drinkable, a good session beer and I don't see any problems pairing this with most dishes, especially pub food. I had fish and chips with this and 'tested' some of my wife's steak and ale pie - both went well. Would I drink it again? - Yes, and not just on St. Andrew's day. More related reviews for your perusal: Belhaven 80/- http://www.epinions.com/content_58768199300 Belhaven Robert Burns Ale http://www.epinions.com/content_2816450692 Scottish beers in general http://www.epinions.com/content_2886115460 St Andrew's - the Town http://www.epinions.com/content_52163743364 Thanks for reading, Sláinte ©proxam2002  |
| Read all comments (3)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
