Scottish Ale
Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.

Scottish AleScottish Ale
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From:
Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Scottish Ale
Ranked #17
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
86
Ranked #18,807
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 13.32%
Reviews:
997
Ratings:
2,341
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sunday at 11:13 PM
Added:
Aug 07, 2001
Wants:
  90
Gots:
  436
Our signature Scottish Ale is the beer we've brewed the longest and is our best-selling bottle world-wide. We brew it from 100% Scottish Optic and Crystal barley malts for a nutty, biscuit character, balanced with a subtle spiciness from Challenger and Goldings hops for an all-around satisfying beer.

George Howell - Master Brewer, Belhaven
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Ratings by Todd:
Photo of Todd
Reviewed by Todd from Finland

3.96/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
On tap: A caramel-amber beer with an off-white creamy nitro head -- that stays, sticks and tracks down the glass. Soft aroma with a touch of sulfur, and a soft malt flavour with toasted, smokey and woody/sulfur notes.

Without the nitro, this beer would be just an average ale. With the nitro and it takes on the characters of all other nitros ... an easy drinky, eye-candy pleasing beer. Lovely stuff.
Dec 14, 2001
More User Ratings:
Photo of MutuelsMark
Reviewed by MutuelsMark from Kentucky

3.35/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
After the foam settles down, the color is slightly reddish like tea. Nose was all buttery. Taste was very sweet and buttery. Not my favorite and didn’t finish.
Sunday at 11:13 PM
 
Rated: 1.59 by RoyalKaiju from Kentucky

Sunday at 11:13 PM
 
Rated: 3.92 by Costa417 from Massachusetts

Feb 03, 2024
Photo of showell
Reviewed by showell from Arizona

4.58/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Beautiful Reddish Amber color. Poured into a pint glass an absolutely gorgeous color with a nice white head that stayed for a few minutes. Tastes of malty grain with a bitter background. And with only 5.2% abv it is something that I can probably enjoy a couple of them.

I like the experience with this beer. The color and the flavor/aroma make it a very enjoyable one. Am definitely buying this one again.
Jan 28, 2024
 
Rated: 4.06 by Plonk from Alabama

Jan 21, 2024
Photo of superpete93
Reviewed by superpete93 from New Hampshire

4.68/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
One of my all time favorite pub beers. Beautiful deep golden amber color with a light white head. Nutty and slightly sweet taste without being cloying. Very smooth and drinks well without feeling heavy in your stomach. ABV makes it a great beer for hanging around with friends. I drink it anytime I can find it.
Jan 14, 2024
Photo of KP7
Reviewed by KP7 from Massachusetts

4.32/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a deep amber with a one-finger off-white head after nitro cascade.

Aroma is sweet; toffee, caramel, honey, dried fruit; white bread and nuts.

Taste is wonderful. The nuttiness comes to the fore at the beginning of the sip, mingling with brown bread and caramel through the middle, and then blending in with some earthy roast bitterness at the finish. Fairly sweet, dry, and nutty aftertaste without being cloying.

Nitro can, super smooth. Medium-light bodied.

Overall, a fantastic beer. Big flavors of a scotch ale while being much easier to drink than a wee heavy. In many ways, this is a sweeter rendition of that most quaffable of dark beers: the brown ale.
Jan 06, 2024
 
Rated: 3.24 by scottishdrinker from Scotland

Dec 31, 2023
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Reviewed by Tolianych_Pivomnabuhanych from Vermont

5/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Love this one! Beautiful color, nice body, delicious nutty ale.

Poured from a can into a regular English pint glass. The nitro widget did its job and the ale looked like a snow globe for at least a minute.

Not as strong as a Scotch Ale, which makes this Scottish ale a good table beer.

Highly recommend.
Dec 31, 2023
Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
11.2 oz bottle best by Jan 2024 into a Becher glass.
L: SRM 12 Pours clear burnished copper with steady carbonation bubbles, a 1/2" off-white head that quickly recedes to edge foam, thick skin, and is lightly fizzy, no lacing.
S: Rich buttery caramel malts, brown bread, dark ripe fruits, toffee.
T: Rosy caramelized malts, tea, brown bread notes, toffee, tannins, light sweetness of plum, fruit zest, gently rich, nutty & floral with a malty and zesty balanced aftertaste.
F: Very brisk, smooth & glassy. Crystal clean, fast medium-light bodied with a very quick dry finish.
O: Absolutely gorgeous tasting with a mighty fast & dry finish. The dryness arrives quite quickly. A lovely everyday quaffable Ale that is very good in its style.
Dec 13, 2023
Photo of BigGold
Reviewed by BigGold from Mississippi

4.04/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
After years away, had Belhaven's Scottish Ale again recently at Tremont Tavern, Chattanooga, on draft into tumbler.

Pours deep amber with clarity and 1-finger creamy off-white head, with decent retention, leaving little lace. Aromas of sweet malt and English Pale Ale mild tart fruit off pour, then mild toast and growing nutty malt aromas as warms. On tasting, begins big sweet caramel malt with a little tart fruit and some neutral hop bite, then a bit of earthy spiciness, some mild biscuit and continuing tea, all over a very creamy, somewhat nutty body, leading into a crisp, herbally bitter, slightly toasted finish.

Beautiful beer, nutty rather than peaty in the aroma, malty smooth, interestingly fruity and nicely bitter. A Scotch Ale meant to enjoy, rather than impress (oppress).
Nov 08, 2023
Photo of Tomisk
Rated by Tomisk

4.73/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Incredibly smooth. Great nutty aftertaste. Very easy to drink.
Nov 07, 2023
 
Rated: 3.92 by lakewy17 from New Hampshire

Nov 04, 2023
Photo of Cdriver0414
Reviewed by Cdriver0414 from Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
My first time trying this style of beer. Pour is similar to a brown ale. The nose has nutty textures followed by a sweet malt with a touch of bread. The nose transfers to the palate. Overall a decent brew. Nothing special but nothing off putting.
Sep 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.74 by Iggy88 from Ohio

Sep 19, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by BrisLoganite from Australia

Sep 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.88 by chossboss from Oregon

Sep 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.84 by Ernald_Elbertson from Delaware

Aug 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.58 by DentedArthur from Vermont

Aug 21, 2023
Scottish Ale from Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 2341 ratings