Stuart's Natural Session Ale
Scotch Irish Brewing Company

Stuart's Natural Session AleStuart's Natural Session Ale
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From:
Scotch Irish Brewing Company
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
English Bitter
ABV:
3.7%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.11 | pDev: 20.9%
Reviews:
29
Ratings:
32
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 20, 2012
Added:
Jun 09, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Formerly known as Stuart's Organic Session Ale.
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Rated: 3 by hopsolutely from Canada (ON)

Jan 20, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by kelvarnsen from Canada (ON)

Nov 30, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of mfgeorge
Reviewed by mfgeorge from Canada (ON)

1.16/5  rDev -62.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Pours hazy golden yellow with no head. Smells like it tastes, which was a bit grassy but mostly just plastic and piss. I'm not trying to be offensive with my remarks, it really tasted like that to me. It wasn't skunked so I would say it wasn't off, just awful. Really one of the worst beers I've ever had.
Apr 03, 2011
Photo of Swedes21
Reviewed by Swedes21 from Canada (ON)

1.95/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Poured in a chilled pint glass...

Appearance - beer pours with almost no head, any head is gone within seconds of the glass been filled. Colour is a golden haze with almost no carbonation present.

Smell - very light smell, i would even go as far as saying fresh smell. slight hint of grass/barley.

Taste - for a light beer it has a very distinct taste, not overly smooth.

Mouthfeel - carbonation is almost not even existent in this beer, after taking a full mouthfeel, the beer did not add any carbonation.

Drinkability - this beer is not a solid choice for most, its not even refreshing or has an distinct taste. Would not buy again...
Sep 27, 2010
Photo of kjyost
Reviewed by kjyost from Canada (MB)

1.8/5  rDev -42.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Poured into a beer glass. Cute little stubby bottle notched F 5 ? bought at the LCBO in mid-July.

Immediately I turn the bottle upside down as the pour produces NO head. WTF? Clear straw yellow, slight head finally shows, but no bubbling is going on in there. Aromas of corn and sweet malt with a strong vegetal note that really forces itself upon your nose as you drink it. The beer is a pretty standard vegetal and lingering sweetness. Initially I though I had hints of biscuit, but they are gone now. No detectable ale-like qualities, as I was hoping for a fruity estery english beer. Seems like a bad light beer. Carbonation is way too low, but I could see some people viewing this as a good drinkable beer.
Aug 06, 2010
Photo of spinrsx
Reviewed by spinrsx from Canada (ON)

2.02/5  rDev -35%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
341ml bottle poured into a pint glass

Appearance - small head that went away quickly, low carbonation, dark golden yellow

Smell - grassy, barley/wheat, sweet notes

Taste & Mouth - I'm not sure if there's something wrong with my bottle, but it seems really flat. Or at least a very very low amount of carbonation.

Drink - I would not buy this beer again.
Jul 30, 2010
Photo of pootz
Reviewed by pootz from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On tap:

Gold with a clear body and a smallish white cap. Light caramel tones, boiled cereals and some leafy hop notes. Fast clean lightly bitter finish with a golding bite at the end

I'm not much on these mild Brit session ales but this one had enough taste to hold my interest and the hegged version is far better than the bottled product.
Jun 08, 2010
Photo of nokes
Reviewed by nokes from Canada (ON)

3.43/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured clear and gold with a white unremarkable head which faded quickly and left no lacing. The colour is actually quite nice, though.

It smells bready and maybe grassy, mildly so.

Flavour is slightly biscuity, but what I notice most is the grassy/lemony twang. It actually goes very well with the nachos and fresh salsa we have out at the moment. Not really bitter at all, actually.

It's light-bodied with good carbonation.

Eminently quaffable for sure.

This beer was a perfect match for what I was eating, so the review might be generous. I might try this again sometime when it has to stand more on its own, but why bother? It was a good match for nachos and fresh salsa, and quite enjoyable in that context.
May 24, 2010
Photo of Mora2000
Reviewed by Mora2000 from Texas

3.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

Pours a clear yellow with a white head. The aroma is light malts and grassy hops. The flavor is more of the same with some very light grassy hop bitterness and wheat. High carbonation and a light mouthfeel.
Feb 19, 2010
Photo of tuvok
Reviewed by tuvok from Canada (ON)

3.1/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Second time drinking this one. The first sip goes down very well, but the experience changes as you get a chance to process the experience.

Appearance:
Dark, golden yellow. Slightly murky when held up to the light. Beer had slight, white head that dissipated relatively quickly. No lacing was evident.

Smell:
No really bold smells, just a very subtle earthy aroma.

Taste:
Starts off slightly sweet with a mild bitter finish. Taste is somewhat grainy with malts not really evident.

Mouthfeel:
Thin mouth feel.

Drinkability:
Low ABV and light taste make this one easy to drink.
Feb 08, 2010
Photo of JohnnyBarman
Reviewed by JohnnyBarman from Canada (ON)

2.75/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A surprisingly golden brew, not what I was expecting. A thin head, doesn't really last long, nor is there much lacing. Aggressive, visibile carbonation at the beginning.

The nose was both fruity and earthy, with a bit of hops to the finish. Smelled more like a Czech pilsner to me, actually.

Wasn't blown away by the taste, but it was okay. Earthy, with a bit of malt in the front, with the hops coming through at the end. Skunky finish, I wonder if this bottle is a dud...

Mouthfeel is thin, but the carbonation had remarkable staying power (I thought it had all burned off during the pour).

Can't say I'd get this again. It's not bad, and the low ABV does lend itself for a session drinker, but I found the taste department wanting. Not something I'd enjoy drinking a lot of in a session.
Jan 27, 2010
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

3.3/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A lovely English bitter, mild and refreshing. Aside from Fuller's Chiswick Bitter and Grand River Mill Race Mild, light beers don't get much better than this.

Tawny, clouded body is orange-golden in colour with tan hues and a skinny ring of white head. Aromatic nose has floral, grassy hops, great mix of peaches, mango, and apple. Quite fruity and doughy. Taste mimics these aromas with pale and caramel malts producing toasted bread and biscuit flavours, some yeast, nice English hop bitterness marked by lemon and spice. A trace of sourness as well. Mouthfeel is light-bodied, crisp and tingly, somewhat malty again. Very little dryness. For 3.7% ABV, this is unusually flavourful. I'm impressed! Solid session beer that delivers on its name.
Dec 22, 2009
Photo of ZorPrime
Reviewed by ZorPrime from Canada (QC)

3.72/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Tasted on September 11, 2009.

Thanks to bobsy for this beer.

The beer is yellow color... some might say the color is slightly golden. The aroma is earthy/grassy hops with some faint notes of fruits. The taste is similar to the aroma. More grassy hops than earthy in the taste. The bitterness is light,but it is there. The head is thin but sticks a little to the glass. Crisp and dry which to me is in the beer style.

A good session beer. I like it.
Sep 12, 2009
Photo of mintjellie
Reviewed by mintjellie from Canada (ON)

3.52/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
The clear golden body is capped by a fingers worth of white head. The head fades quickly to a thin cap, leaving no lace behind. It smells of bread, damp earth, and grassy hops. Mild caramel flavour, biscuit, and a restrained grassy/lemony hop flavour. Bitterness is mild. Light bodied and a little bit fizzy. It succeeds at being a quaffable session beer with a nice flavour.
Sep 05, 2009
Photo of ThatWineGuy
Reviewed by ThatWineGuy from Canada (ON)

2.23/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Ditto from the last review, the name has been changed to Stuart's Natural Session Ale and it's 3.7% now. The label indicates it was bottled in either C, D or E (March, April or May) early in the month - I'm guess it was March. Fizzy, spritzy head on the pour disappeared quickly. Clear cognac colour with scarce carbonation. Slightly grassy smell, wet soil, not much else that I could detect. Flat taste and mouthfeel, bitterness seems AWOL for the most part, slight malt in the finish. No hops to describe. For what was intended as a session ale in particular, I'm sorry to say that I would not buy this again.
May 24, 2009
Photo of MeisterBurger
Reviewed by MeisterBurger from Canada (ON)

3.92/5  rDev +26%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
The name has been changed to Stuart's Natural Session Ale and it's 3.7% now.

Pours a medium amber with lots of froth and chunky lacing.

Smells sweetly of malts and slightly floral hops, with a hint of fruitiness.

Prickly bitterness, sour almost lemony/orangey juiciness, and toasted malt and grain. The hops are on the earthy/grassy side with maybe a hint of the metallic. It could stand to be a little more bitter especially if it's going to be listed here as a bitter.

This beer obviously sets out to be a sessionable, easily drinkable beer and it succeeds admirably. It doesn't have much depth or complexity but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that was on purpose.
May 15, 2009
Photo of Voonder
Reviewed by Voonder from Canada (AB)

3.48/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to bobsy for this one!

Pours orange-ish color, a bit cloudy with small white head. Smell - sweet malts, some spices, some caramel. Taste - biscuity, toasted malts, somewhat sweet, hint of citrus. Intresting and I should say I'm liking it. Pretty balanced, fair amount of carbonation. Easy drinker, great session beer.
May 14, 2009
Photo of SingleCell
Reviewed by SingleCell from Canada (ON)

3.58/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured from a stubby bottle into a mug after warming out of the fridge for a few mins.

A: Poured a very light amber colour with a half inch slightly off white head which died down very quickly to a small amount of lacing. Some of the head stuck to my mug as it died down.

S: Biscuits, smells relatively hoppy, light caramel, slight yeasty/bready scent.

T: Toasted malts, just a hint of light caramel, bitter hops in the finish, slight oxidized aftertaste.

M: Medium peppery carbonation, light body, bitter finish slightly numbs the palate.

D: Very low ABV at 3.7%, decent amount of flavour for such a low alcohol content, I could have a few of these on a hot day if there was nothing else in the fridge.

Overall a pretty good beer. I would probably buy it again...
Apr 10, 2009
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
341ml. stubby, bottle acquired in trade with Sammy - thanks!

Poured a medium and slightly hazy golden color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of grains, a little earthy, and light card board. Tastes of grains and some citrus. Started out lightly sweet and had a light tart finish. Light lacing left on the glass.
Jan 19, 2009