Isle of Arran blond ale

[Malkavian]

Found this little brew at the Total Wine in charlotte. The manager told me they'd gotten a small supply in, and the distributer/importer had promptly gone outta business. Being a scottish beer, I figured I'd take a chance Smile

Was not disappointed.

Pours pale blond, hint of cloudiness from the lees being stirred up (Oops, my bad) Very balanced taste, hint of hops but mostly sweet malt and fruity esters. Medium bodied, VERY easy drinking.

Now, the kicker? The stuff 'expired' december 05, so I got my nice Scottish beer pre-aged. I'd love to find a fresher sample to see how the extra time makes a difference. I also plan on culturing the yeast from the lees, just to see what I can do with it

[rabidscottsman]

Do you still have the bottle? Would it be possible to take a picture of it and post it here? I would like to see the bottle. I have never heard of it.

[BrentKulman]

Do you still have the bottle?  Would it be possible to take a picture of it and post it here?  I would like to see the bottle. I have never heard of it.

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Here's a picture from beeradvocate.com:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/649/1777

[Malkavian]

Do you still have the bottle?  Would it be possible to take a picture of it and post it here?  I would like to see the bottle. I have never heard of it.

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I'd never seen it before either; I'll try to get a photo of it up in the next day or two.

[Henry dV]

Hopefully this is it (first time pic poster)

Edited March 5, 2007 by Henry dV (log)

[ghostrider]

They've got a brewery on Arran now? Too cool! I must go back.

[Malkavian]

That's the one henry. My yeast culture is going well, bout time to step it up to 250mL volume. Can't wait to get a chance to try it out on some unsuspecting wort

[cdh]

Was the beer anything like Duvel? That classic Belgian is alleged to be brewed with a yeast that came from Scotland... Might history be repeating itself here?

[BrentKulman]

Was the beer anything like Duvel?  That classic Belgian is alleged to be brewed with a yeast that came from Scotland... Might history be repeating itself here?

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No such luck.

Here are my tasting notes from a few months ago when I tried this beer:

Appearance: Pours a hazy pale golden color with a modest head that descends to a ringlet and leaves some vague remnants of lacing

Smell: Butterscotch diacetyl (Ringwood yeast, perhaps?) on top of a wheat bread base

Taste: Doughy wheat up front, with hints of diacetyl before the swallow; moderate bitterness of the earthy, grainy variety appears mid-palate; the finish is sweet and buttery

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, slighty slick; low carbonation

Drinkability: Not bad, if you don't mind the diacetyl