Blackfriar
Inveralmond Brewery Ltd., The

BlackfriarBlackfriar
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From:
Inveralmond Brewery Ltd., The
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Scottish Ale
Ranked #6
ABV:
7%
Score:
87
Ranked #15,467
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 10.26%
Reviews:
125
Ratings:
168
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 16, 2023
Added:
Dec 02, 2003
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  7
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.59/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Aug, 2007: 500 ml bottle, at Blackfriars, Glasgow. ABV is 7.0%. Voted "Champion Beer of Scotland" - was it in 2004 or something? Beautiful dark amber colour, moderate head. Oaky sherry-like aroma with raisiny notes. Oaky / woody flavour where the alcohol is noticeable, but not too sweet. Bitter finish.
Mar 16, 2023
Photo of AdmiralOzone
Reviewed by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

3.91/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours clear copper in color with a thin tan cap that dissipates quickly, minimal lacing. Aroma is dark fruits and caramel. Flavor is caramel, figs and raisins. Feel is a bit thin but well carbonated. Nice beer that I'll look for.
Jun 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by Leperstone from Scotland

Nov 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hanyuu from Finland

May 14, 2016
 
Rated: 4.15 by thatsmyspot from Italy

May 12, 2016
Photo of Andrewharemza
Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From bottle, Pours murky brown with virtually no head very little soapy bubbles. Aroma dark fruits, plums, butterscotch, figs. Taste toffee, caramel, dark fruits. Very enjoyable.
Jan 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by hopnerd from Australia

Nov 01, 2015
Photo of MacPhergus
Rated by MacPhergus from Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Red-ish amber color, big head that falls nicely. Aroma and taste more pine than citrus or other fruit, bitter dry finish. Medium body, style right.
Oct 26, 2015
Photo of ke1
Reviewed by ke1 from Canada (AB)

4.06/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured 330 mL bottle best before Apr 2016 into a standard pint glass. Copper colored with little head that faded away rapidly. Smell is of dark fruits, dates, plum, raisin. Taste is heavy on the same fruits with nice malts, delicious. Carbonation light-medium. I am sad it is gone..
Aug 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.02 by Heeenrik from Finland

May 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.47 by Walu from Taiwan

May 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.63 by -DF- from Russian Federation

Apr 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.87 by Hyperionecta from Australia

Mar 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.76 by Shadman from Canada (AB)

Dec 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.28 by Lodisgrisen from Finland

Dec 16, 2014
Photo of Svingjo
Reviewed by Svingjo from Canada (BC)

4/5  rDev +2.6%
This poured a translucent copper with a thin white head that dispersed quickly. The nose has a strong dark fruit, prunes, figs and dates, nose as we'll as some dark sugar and malt notes with zero hops to be found. A lot of those same flavours are in the taste along with some roasted nut and bready notes. There is a hint of bitter hops in the back end of the finish. It had a nice medium body with just the right amount of carbonation. A nice scotch ale that was quite enjoyable.
Dec 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by cam477 from Canada ()

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.2 by Sborycki

Dec 14, 2014
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.82/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
330ml bottle, day 13 of the 2014 Craft Beer Advent calendar - so this is a sort-of monk-adjacent Scottish ale?

This beer pours a clear, medium bronzed amber hue, with two fingers of puffy, lazily foamy, and bubbly off-white head, which leaves some low-lying rocky shoreline lace around the glass as it slowly recedes.

It smells of musty, sugary fruit - kind of like that stuff they jam into fruitcake - semi-sweet bready caramel malt, a bit of yeasty phenols, muddled bruised drupe fruit, a touch of sour cherry, and herbal, leafy hops. The taste is grainy caramel malt, a touch of toffee pudding, broad black fruit notes - plum, date, and maraschino cherry - subtle bittersweet cocoa and cafe au lait, a hint of butterscotch, orange marmalade, faint smoked peat, and more staid leafy, herbal hops.

The bubbles are quite engaging in their coy frothiness, the body a dense medium weight, and mostly smooth, with perhaps a bit of acrid fruitiness, and a burgeoning booze warmth taking it down a notch. It finishes off-dry, the complex malt and various aged fruit essences swirling about a musty hoppiness.

An interesting, and generally drinkable Scottish Ale, with lots going on, and even exhibiting a few Old Ale impressions along the way. I'm guessing that the dark monks of titular lore would find this appropriately "braw 'n nae peely-wally".
Dec 14, 2014
Photo of Bunman3
Reviewed by Bunman3 from Canada (AB)

4/5  rDev +2.6%
I will begin with a caveat - I love this style of beer, but this is the first one that is actually brewed in Scotland. The packaging is great and it looks very nice - perhaps lighter in color than I expected. The head dissipated quickly and it remained active throughout my sampling. There are many layers of flavor here - dark fruit, caramel
malt and a toffee sweetness. Another winner from my Craft Beer Advent calendar!
Dec 14, 2014
Blackfriar from Inveralmond Brewery Ltd., The
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 168 ratings