Nessie's Monster Mash
Cairngorm Brewery Company, The

Nessie's Monster MashNessie's Monster Mash
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From:
Cairngorm Brewery Company, The
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Scottish Ale
ABV:
4.4%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.4 | pDev: 14.71%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
17
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 21, 2019
Added:
Dec 21, 2003
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  2
A predominantly malty, lightly hopped beer giving a satisfying fullness of flavour with an enjoyable lasting finish. A glass or two is a must before seeking an audience with the monster!
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Ratings by BlackHaddock:
Photo of BlackHaddock
Reviewed by BlackHaddock from England

3.48/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle: best before 28 May 2013. Poured into a UK pint sleeve at home on 30 Dec 2012.

The beer looked good: deep reddy brown body with a full biege head on top.

Malts all the way in this brew: semi-sweet and fairly mild roastiness wise is both the smell and taste. Some hints of peat smokiness try and sneak into the flavours along with dark chocolate and a hand full of mixed nuts (unsalted). Pleasant enough and although a 'tourist-beer' it was OK.
Dec 30, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.36 by 2beerdogs from California

Jul 21, 2019
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
£ 4.85/500 mL bottle, Inverewe Garden, Scotland.
Appearance – 4.25.
Body – Amber, hazy.
Head – Small (Maximum 1.5 cm, controlled side pour), cream-colored, creamy, excellent retention, slooowly diminishing to an irregular three to five mm ring and complete layer. A narrow ring of lacing remains after head retraction.
Lacing – Very good – Wide rings of predominantly tiny bubbles breaking into lacy curtains.
First pour – Chestnut, clear.
Aroma – 3 - Very weak malt.
Flavor – 4 – Lightly malty, slightly bitter. No alcohol, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 – Light, watery, lively carbonation.
Impression and summation – 3.75 – Very pleasing and easy-drinking English IPA. Certainly less hopped than any American IPA but extremely well-balanced.
Jul 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Rymish from Colorado

Jun 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.53 by dextermcgurk from New York

Sep 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.94 by tappangordo from New York

Apr 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.31 by Cold_1 from California

Apr 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.28 by IRONRakkasan from California

Oct 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by harpus from Alabama

Mar 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Bix from New Jersey

Jan 12, 2013
Photo of flyingpig
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland

2.85/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Nutty brown in colour and semi-clear with a very thin white lacing for a head

Sweet smelling ale that is a mix of dark summer fruits & toffee. It is quite typical for the style.

Again pretty typical for the style with a taste that closely matches the aroma with dark fruits dominating. A nice bitter finish.

Light bodied and smooth to drink but not watery.

Pretty decent for an ale and almost right down the middle of the scale in every aspect. A nice, drinkable pint although not necessarily one I'd look out for again. I did enjoy the name though.

1001 Beers to Try:
http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com
Jul 09, 2011
Photo of AgentMunky
Reviewed by AgentMunky from New York

3.95/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from a 500mL bottle into a pint glass.

A: Two fingers of frothy, pitted head. Well-defined lacing down the sides. Dark-dark beautiful brown.

S: Malty gingerbread. Interesting and pleasant. Aromatic floral scents and molasses.

T: Malty yes, but with initial roast that fades into caramel flavours. A bitterness bites, but it's mostly round and sweet, with hints of chocolate. The aftertaste is mild.

M: A bit watery, especially over time. As carbonation fails, so does the mouthfeel. Otherwise nice.

D: Good name, good beer. Goes down very easily. Would drink again.
Nov 07, 2010
Photo of ivanwatling
Reviewed by ivanwatling from England

1.9/5  rDev -44.1%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
Appearance: Dark brown, very little head that disappears to nothing within a minute. Not an auspicious start.

Smell: Very pleasant aroma suggesting a sweet, thick brew

Taste: Awful. The bottle notes talk about a strong malt character, but to me it tastes too bitter and quite acrid. Hints of metallic bile push to the forefront, making a most unpleasant drinking experiance.

Mouthfeel: Nasty acrid aftertaste that had me reaching for some water to get rid of the awfulness

Drinkability: Verges on the un-drinkable.

It's amazing how a brewery that can produce such wonderful brews (Trade Winds, Wildcat) also puts out something as repulsive as this. It's almost as if they bottled the dregs and sell it with a 'nessie' label to guillable tourists. Tarnishes the image of an otherwise good range of beers
Apr 28, 2010
Photo of kmacphail
Reviewed by kmacphail from Scotland

4.06/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A nice dark coloured Scottish Ale, with a good creamy head that lasted thoughout the whole duration. This had a good smell of hops, if a little bland in comparisson to others. There is a good taste of hops combinecd with a nice roasted taste and a hint of nuts. This went down very well and at a reasonable abv this is a beer that can realistically be drunk all night.

This is a beer that must be taken at room temperature, it does not react well to the cold, which changes its character totally. When taken cold it removes the lovely taste and increases the fizz, starts to taste a bit like a dark lager.

Well worth a try.
Jun 23, 2006
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Sampled the last month of April in Aviemore.

This beer poured a mahogeny color with an OK head. Nose was somewhat malty but generally non-descript. Taste started off light but concluded with a medium hop bite finish. Mouthfeel was light to medium bodied. Overall drinkability was pretty good with a low abv and an overall pretty good feel to it. Definitely worth a shot.
May 15, 2006
Photo of GreenCard
Reviewed by GreenCard from Maryland

3.11/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Appearance: dark amber, good clarity, not much head development

Aroma: lush malty backbone w/ just a hint of dark malts and roast, very light woodsy hops, strawberry fruitiness, angel's foodcake, hazelnuts

Flavor: subdued malt sweetness, predominating flavors are dark malts and a pronounced hop bitterness, hop flavor is definitely "English", wood, finishes dryish with resiny hops and a hint of corn (weird!) in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: medium body, mild carbonation, a bit astringent or "dry" feeling

Overall Impression: Pretty good all around. Full-flavored, but the hop bitterness is a bit too harsh for my taste. Not too bitter, just a bit harsh on the pallate.
Jun 30, 2004
Photo of StevieW
Reviewed by StevieW from Florida

3.44/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500ml stubby brown Euro shaped bottle. Label has a menacing looking green cartoonish Nessie eyeballing you, alot like Todd's picture. The picture in the background depicts the famous loch ness and the castle.
Described as a "mahogany ale, malt predominating" on the label, I think it is loosely in the Scottish Ale category. Shiny mahogony color, with a dense, tightly carbonated beige head. Lasted forever. Sticky lace down the side of the glass.
Murky aromas of barnyard, and wet grass. Very muddled.
Taste is dominated by highly charged carbonation bubbles. Underneath is a whisper of earthy scottish malt. Some very slightly toasted malt in the background. Flavors are a bit more noticable toward the end. Carbonation is really strong, I guess that's better than it being flat. Medium bodied. Tasty enough.
I bought this one at roadside restaurant on highway 82 in sight of the famous Loch Ness, lugged to Florida and stored in my fridge for six months. Best buy date of April 2004.
Dec 21, 2003
Nessie's Monster Mash from Cairngorm Brewery Company, The
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 17 ratings