70 Schilling Scottish Ale
Silver Moon Brewing

I appreciated seeing this low-alcohol Scottish ale on the Silver Moon menu. Too many brewers shy away from low gravity beers, I suspect out of a sense that low alcohol is somehow too wimpy for their sensibilities or for their customers. Actually, they're ideal for midday, for extended sessions, or when you otherwise want to enjoy flavor and refreshment while avoiding too much alcohol.

Unfortunately this ale doesn't shine as a good example of a low gravity beer. It begins with a strange vanilla-cream aroma that thankfully fades early. The amber-bronze color shows hypnotic clarity. But the taste is of terse, oxidized lemon tea funk with marshmallow sugar. I don't know what of any worth might have once been here, but it was long gone by the time I showed up. The beer's enthusiastic charge suggests they've kept it primed, and the suds imply freshness. But it's just no fun to drink. And none too Scottish.