Category: food

From their site:

Wild in character, with a slightly fruity aroma and a spicy yeast flavor that is as unique as it is satisfying – Matilda is an intriguing choice for beer and wine lovers alike. Dry and quenching, it’s the perfect accompaniment at the dining table or for casually socializing at the bar.

From my notes:

 Beautiful blonde color with a medium ivory head, very fine bubbles that quickly dissipated. spices and lemons in the nose. bready on the tongue with some sourness. A nice floral hop  finish. Leaves an acidic aftertaste. yeasty

This is styled as a Belgian Strong Pale Ale but its one of the most mild pale ales I’ve ever had. I was also surprised at how yeasty this beer tasted considering it was a pale ale. The spiced aspect was perhaps the nicest thing about Matilda, coriander, clove and the 7% ABV make for a nice spicy beer without knocking you out.

Rating (out of five):

From the label:

The Belhaven Brewery is one of Scotland’s oldest regional breweries, dating back to 1719. Belhaven Scottish Ale is a fully rounded ale, a complex mix of malt and hop producing Belhaven’s easily recognized malted and nutty flavour.

From my notes:

Beautiful strawberry blonde color with a thick (two inch), large bubbled head that quickly dissipated. Smells of butterscotch and yeast. Flavor delivers on the smell. Nicely balanced. Smooth with a slight bitterness at the end.

Confession time. Sometimes when I’m preparing to review a beer for F(b)l and I’m sniffing the beer and swilling it around in my mouth I worry. I worry that I’m missing subtle aromas or flavors. Or I’ve smelled or tasted something but I don’t have the vocabulary to describe it to another person. Sometimes I think I’m smelling or tasting things that aren’t even there because I’m so anxious to make sure I cover the beer properly. This was the case with Belhaven. It seemed so fancy that while I was drinking it I kept thinking to myself there must be more going on here. I must be missing something. I sat there swilling the stuff around in my mouth long after I could taste anything. Thinking back on it and having had the opportunity to do some more drinking of it I know longer think it’s the case but… That doesn’t always help when it comes time to review the next beer. And, isn’t that what you really come here for? To learn about the anxieties and neuroses of an internet stranger?

Rating (out of five):

From the label:

Ruthless Rye IPA is brewed with this rustic grain for refined flavors – combining the peppery spice of rye and the bright citrusy flavors of whole-cone hops to create a complex ale for the tumultuous transition to Spring.

From my notes:

 Dark amber color, one inch thick tan head, good amount of lacing. Pine and spice on the nose, I think I detect the barest hint of citrus. Taste is hops with a kick of pepper as it goes down, very unique combination. Mild bitter finish. The rye helps to mellow out the hops in this.

Regular readers already know that hoppy beers aren’t my preferred beverage. I picked up this rye IPA in the hopes of finding something a little more mild to ease into these type of brew. Unlike most of the IPAs I’ve had though Ruthless didn’t complete overwhelm my taste buds and leave me coughing, or gagging, or looking desperately around for something else to drink. It was hoppy and there was some bitterness but the rye toned it down enough so that I could continue to enjoy the beer. One of the problems with these type of strong hopped beers though is that the hops are so overwhelming to my palate that it is hard for me to pick out any other flavors in the beer.

Rating (out of five):