On tap @ Sunninghill Hotel, Elgin. Pours dark copper with a nice head. The nose is biscuity with just a hint of malt bitterness. The taste is dry malt with just some biscuit notes. The palate is medium in body and texture but with a dry astringent finish. Overall, disappointing compared to the bottled version.

50 cl bottle @ home. Rated on 02.02.2011
Aroma is slightly sweet with hops, toffee and some floral notes. Flavour is somewhat sweet with toffee, hops, some fruits and floral notes. Rather nice ESB, especially when looking at the ABV.

My local Wetherspoons (like most) was having a ‘Scottish Week’ around the ‘Burns Night’ date and on 26th Jan 2012 I popped in and had a couple of pints: the second one being this fine beer. First had Red MacGregor at a CAMRA festival (GBBF) many years ago: not had one since joining this site though. Hand-pulled pint into a UK sleeve, the beer is a clear ruby red colour: on top a full head of foam, cream-coloured. Good lacing hung to the glass side as the beer level sank, the beer was in a good condition and you could tell. The nose is a real mixed bag: malts and hops vying for attention, each coming to the fore and reducing again as the beer goes through the warming process in the glass. The taste is also a fine blend of flavours: sweet malts and fruit/citric hop notes joined at the hip by a mini yeast presence that gives the beer that fresh and natural feel to it. Easy drinking beer, the alcohol just about apparent although the mouth feel and body carry it nicely.

Total Wine & More, Fairfax 500ml: Pours a light amber colour with a nice creamy head. Aroma is surprisingly powerful, with a lot of piny hop hitting you right off the bat. Taste is actually bitter throughout, which is much more than I can say for many ESBs. Very mild sweetness. Very light body. Nice aftertaste. Has a hefty amount of flavour for the low ABV. Up there with some of the better ESBs I have tried.

Cask at Archibald Simpson, Aberdeen. It pours deep amber, with a thick, dense beige head. The nose is tangerine, kumquat, wood and leaf. The taste is wood, leather, polish and citrus pith, with a bitter-dry finish. Medium body, soft carbonation and good balance. A really good example of the style.

50cl bottle @ the Dunstane House Hotel. Pours dark amber with a red hue. Aroma of pine and herbs. Taste of ginger biscuits, toffee, herbs. Palate is medium body and has a medium thick creamy texture with a fresh finish. Overall, a good bitter or red ale.

Cask @ Kimberly Arms, Findhorn
Dark brown.....medium frothy head...good lacing...Aroma of caramel malts and some spicy hops....Taste of caramel malts..bit of roasted malt...bitter...light spicy hops...some fruit......Palate - soft carb...thin to medium body. Finish - quite bitter and peppery....burnt....over lingering..hangs around too long..doesn’t clean
Overall - Flavoursome hoppy bitter for the abv but that finish is too lingering

0.5l bottle from Centra Colosseum, shared with RuneStumo in a random Oslo park. Pours a near clear light nutty-brown body with a nice creamy and bubbly beige head. Aroma has nice american hop-tones, some sweetish fruits and caramel. Average carbonation with a thin oily almost watery mouthfeel. Flavors are light roasted, some caramel, chocolatepaper and a light sweet finish. Good stuff, with a dry aftertaste.

Bottle. Mahogany with a short lasting head. Fruit and slightly hardy aroma. Flavour is strong bitter with a very dry finish. Smokey notes on the palste