Broken Dial
Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴
Amber / Red Ale Regular|
Score
6.59
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This gloriously amber-coloured ale is made with what is often considered to be the finest hop on earth, Simcoe. The result is a fantastically fruity finish with distinctly malty undertones.
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7/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Old rating from 17-05-15 - 330ml bottle, pours dark amber with a white foamy head. Aromas & tastes of caramel, honey, biscuit, hay & flora. Medium body. Medium bitter finish. Very enjoyable
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Jun 2025
at 12:32
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Cask-conditioned at the Commercial Rooms (JDW), Bristol October 2023. Amber in colour, with a slight, off-white, head. Floral hops, some tangerine fruit character, light spiciness, fruity malts, leading to a pleasantly bitter finish. Good.
Tried
from Cask
on 03 Feb 2024
at 14:50
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 6
Cask at Square Peg, Birmingham. Pours golden yellow with a small white head and good lacing. The aroma has floral hops and some malty hints. Malts more to the fore in the mouth at the start alongside oranges and some hints of cocoa. Pretty soon though floral hops come to dominate plus traces of mango, spices and herbs – leading to a slightly spicy finish. It’s reasonable - I would call it a Best Bitter though, not a Red Ale.
Tried
from Cask
on 19 Oct 2023
at 21:52
6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled. Deep amber colour with a mediumsized white foamy head, which leaves some slight lace. Aroma is sweet malts, caramel, floral, fruity and wooden tones with a wee bit of spiciness too. Flavour is sweet malts, mild bitter floral and fruity tones with wooden and toast. Warming up it gets a wee bit messier than when close to fridge cold. (score given as to when close to fridge cold).
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2023
at 17:23
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle at home, picked up from Squires Garden Centre for £1.00, 27th October 19. Pours clear, it’s filtered. Aroma is malty, citrus. Taste is malty, citrus, quite bitter, a little pith and a long bitter finish. Not bad
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Oct 2019
at 20:46
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Sweet malty, not so exciting. Ale like. Would prefer something a little spicier.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Sep 2019
at 16:02
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Light copper colour with thin head. Aroma and flavour have prominent malty notes. Finish has very floral hops. I don't get the fresh citrus associated with Simcoe but it's a decent Bitter.
Tried
on 09 Oct 2018
at 21:02
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Pours clear light amber color with a one finger tall white head. Nose: hop-dominated, floral and spicy. Additional caramel and biscuit. Light plus body. Taste: dryish, rather hoppy than malty. Grassy, spicy. Light to medium bitterness. Malts are as well present though. Decent ale
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Aug 2018
at 20:26
5/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jun 2018
at 23:08
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 5
Bottle at home from the Wine Society. A burnished copper colour in the glass and a reasonable head. The taste was all about the malt, rich and slightly sweet and this resulted in a fantastic mouthfeel. I paired it with one of my bizarre bean and chorizo stove top stews and it worked quite well. The taste of the malt lingered on in the mouth after the last sip. All in all this was a perfectly pleasant beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 May 2018
at 07:57