Devanha Scottish XXX Ale
Isle Of Skye Brewing Co.

Got this beer from the UTOBEER beerstall in the Borough Market, London. The beer itself, though not specified as such on the beer label, originates from the long-gone Devanha Brewery in Aberdeen (closed in 1987), and from some reliable sources a new company was set up in 2004 to brew beers under the Devanha names at the Isle of Skye brewery, hence the bottle in my hands now~~ I guess there must have been a wide following of this flagship beer of Devanha.

Bottle-conditioned, it comes in a brown, 500ml bottle, with a BB date of JAN 06.
A: using Fuller's ESB goblet, the beer pours a decent, very dark ruby hue, bringing an effervescent, rocky and fluffy off-white head which very slowly settles down, while several layers of tight lacing are left along the way; extremely fine carbonation detected against light.
S: medium-textured maltiness upfront, with that slightly sour-sweet edge of crushed-grains/raw barleys, a mildly brown-sugary note at the back along with pretty pleasant, sour nuttiness and a lovely tinge of cocoa; there's also some fruity aroma, but very restrained, and more like dried berries. Overall the aroma is quite intense, malt-focused, but not so complex.
T: quite sharp mouthfeel at the first sip, overpowering the senses of my tastebuds, leaving just a lingering aftertaste of crushed grains and, in particular, raw hazelnuts. Better prepared for the second sip, and also given a much softer, even creamy, texture now, what was missing in the first sip is now crystal clear--a smooth flow of juicy maltiness prevails on the palate, not sweet, but raw-nutty and grainy, gradually leading to a kind of richer, slightly buttery and nutty aftertaste; turning drier and leaving a just a hint of smoky/moderately roasted taste of dark malts in the end, faintly coffee-bean-ish as well.
M&D: pretty balanced the mouthfeel is--lively at the front but going softer as the flavour develops and the beer warms up a bit. Overall this is a moderately tasty Scottish ale, not too bold or too complex, but for me it's as easy to drink amongst varieties of Scottish Ales as a Best Bitter in generally English ales. I'm happy to bump into this revived brew thanks to the Isle of Skye's efforts~~