Tartan Export
McNeill's Brewery

Bottle pours a dirty and hazy dark amber body with a medium sized beige head. Some patchy lacing clings to the glass.

Aroma is malty caramel, toasted bread, and a hint of fruity hops.

Medium body and carbonation.

Taste is malt driven, as expected. Caramel and toffee notes are nicely balanced by a subtle earthy hop bitterness,joined by a hint of ripe pear skin.

Not a bad Scotch ale, but I was hoping for better.

A Scottish style ale sampled on tap at the brewery. Poured a very appealing dark bronze color with amber highlights. Clingy tan head laced well and displayed good retention. The nose was malt, wheat bread and hints of wood (oak?). The flavors were good too. Roasted malt up front with the charred character being clear like burned toast. A caramel sweetness adds to the palate but it's not very complex otherwise. Slightly bitter on the finish giving it a certain crispness. Medium body, medium carbonation. Nothing stellar but a good standard brew.

Actually a better than average beer, picked up at the Co-Op in Burlington. This is a malt and caramel play,taste and aroma, and very drinkable for what it is. Caramel yellow colour with some head. Above average mouthfeel.Maybe a little too sweet. Lunchtime sessionable.

22 oz. bottle purchased in Bennington, VT.

Pours a semi-clear ruby red with a big cloudy two finger off-white head that slooowly recedes. Nice frothy layer of stickiness remains on the sides of the glass. Smell is woody and malty. A slight smoked grain tickles the nose with a fair amount of cinnamon bread. Sweet lemongrass aroma as well. Sweet caramel malt and candy apple up front on the tongue, not what I was expecting. Very light citrus flavoring with white grapes and pear as well. This beer almost tastes like an apple cider to me. Just the slightest hint of smoked malts to give this beer even more character. Very light and crisp body with a very fluffy feel. Carbonation is fairly strong, but as are most with this brewery. Another beer to enjoy on a warm summer day. Very easy to put down and keeps you wanting more. By far the best beer I've had from these guys.

Pours a dark reddish-brown (mostly brown) color with a one-finger head. Aroma is one of smoked malt with slight fruitiness. The taste is interesting. Smoky upfront with a slight chewiness to it. Smooth and interesting. The smokiness lingers in the mouth. As should be noted, the taste upfront is VERY smoky, somewhat like tobacco notes. Not sure if this was intended or not.

Regardless, a fine example of a scottish ale. I have a feeling that this could be better as a wee heavy but works well for what it is.

On tap at the brewery>

AP: Dark brown with red-amber hues, constant 1/8" off white head that dissipates to a thin covering.

Nose: Yeasty and malty with aome minor cinnemon notes.

Taste: a Robust, malted flavor with cinnemon and nuts, finishes with a mellow leafy hop.

Mf: Medium body, feels dry and rather substantial on the palate.

DA: Not too bad.

I have no idea why everyone is sleeping on this beer... Wtf. This beer is a gem.

First of all, props to my man Jim "Good Man" from Hartford, CT. Geah.

Deep ruby, almost garnet-like brilliance despite bottle-conditioning. Traces and streaks of russet brown highlighting throughout.

Floral imported prairie-like and fresh meadow hops dominate the aroma, with a distinctive British ester profile. Slight complex ester pronunciation in falsetto.

Wonderful balanced taste. Slight mineral water like cleansing with every sip. Distinctive floral and herbacious hop bite, but clearly dominated by a classic British yeast strain and accented by a very distinct caramel and nutty malt infusion.

I could quaff this one all night long, and I think it would be particularly nice on cask.

<5/20/06 revisit> Still as I remembered it. Good stuff for a break from yardwork today.

<original review>
22ozer from Waterbury Beverage, Waterbury, VT.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a beige 1/2" head over a dark amber brew. Frothy head laces nicely. Slight dark malt aroma competes with a bit of hops for nose superiority. Flavor is great for a scottish ale, with enough dark malts for the style, but not overdoing it. Hops come in and help out for the balancing effect. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but that helps the drinkability. This brew has enough character to be an all-day drinker without boring the palate.

Smells of some complicated malts...

Pours Dark brown with some redish hue, with a decent off-white head.

The taste is quite peculiar. Very tart as one might expect from the name... Tastes of lemons,lemon rinds and apple that I feel overpower the malty goodness in this beer. Almost tastes like a cross between a beer and a hard cider.

This beer is certainly unique, and some people will like it simply for that, but it's not much to my liking. So far my least favorite McNeill's brew.

Thanks to egajdzis for the sample.
Appears a murky brown with a tiny, fizzy white head and little lacing.
Smell is of a rich peat-like sourness and funkiness that isn't overly appealing, especially for the style.
Taste is also slightly goofy, as there is a sweetness that tries to break through but it is muddled by the oddness going on.
Mouthfeel is about average with a slight fizz and sweet and sour notes combining for an interesting one.

I love Scotch Ales so this was a bit of a disappointment. Too thin, too mild no notes of peat or any smoke. mildly malty, and very thin. Too much like the Younger's Tartan Bitter that I remember from the UK in the 80's. I was craving malt and peat and ended up with a thin watery dark ale. Perhaps this may be a good Porter but it is not a great Scotch Ale.

Hey, this sucker's unfiltered!

The head dropped away disappointingly fast on my sample.

Very mild in flavor and aroma for the style (and I'm not even drinking it overly chilled.) Very light in mouthfeel, leading to a high drinkability factor.

Still: some complexity in the flavors. Roasty notes, smoky, peaty, the slightest oily center. Seriously more notable when the sample had a chance to warm next to a winter fireplace. I'd say 58 degrees is not too warm for a taste of this. Long hop and peat aftertaste.

Pleasurable for sipping, but truly easy to drink at a high rate if you're not careful.

Curious.

A beautiful brown with red highlights and a tan head that lasts and sticks. Smell is extremely faint muted nuts, yeast, and aged English hops. Flavor is also very restrained and dull. I am not looking for anything in-my-face, but this is pretty boring. Medium body, low carbonation. I most likely won't be having this again. This is like a yeasty Newcaste with more hop character. Not impressed.

Pours a deep brown with a big off white head. Bold with a full body. Smooth is an excellent way to put it. As with other McNeill's brews, the hops are vivid, but here they are not the only attraction. The balance is very nice. Malts aid the mouthfeel and the simple feel good flavor. Certainly worth a try.