Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5

Probably the most well-know and popular Scottish ale, the group of often misunderstood and today seldomly seen low ABV beers that fall below the much better known Scotch ale or 'wee heavy' category - in fact I recall it took me a long time to find one back in the day when I tried to tick off every single beer style listed by Ratebeer.com. I noticed that there are two entries of the same name on this site, the other being identified as a bitter, but I think the ratings under that other entry belong here, as the brewery clearly - though implicitly - identifies this beer as a Scottish ale. From tap at the hotel in Aberdeen where I paired it with a Balmoral burger. Dense, creamy (nitro-tapped), lacing, medium sized, snow white head, clear pale ochre-blonde robe with odd bronze-ish hue. Aroma of wet toast, lightly toasted peanuts, a smoky effect not of Rauchmalz but rather burnt cardboard or something alike, freeze-dried chervil, tea bags, fried parsnip chips, ferrous spring water, minerals, dry hay. Fairly neutral onset, some dried apple or dried pear perhaps, softly carbonated with slender yet creamy (again: nitro-tapped) mouthfeel; slightly peanutty, thinly toasty and cereally malt core, toasted grains becoming more apparent in the finish, where a pleasantly balancing leafy and tea-ish hop bitterness sets in - but the smoky effect appears as well, again more reminiscent of burnt paper or wood ashes than actual smoke, yet adding to a dry, bitterish, somewhat minerally finish. Herbal, smoky and smooth, but thin and toasty too: took me a while to get used to as it is very different from the much stronger Scotch ale style I know and love, but in the end it did go down easily...

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Old rating - A 500ml bottle my wife found me in Waitrose. Pours amber with a small white foamy head. Aromas & tastes of tangy grapefruit, citrus, flora, pine & spice. Body is light to medium. Strong tangy grapefruit bitter finish. Passable IPA but by not really my cup of tea

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Escura com reflexos rubi. Espuma efémera. Carbono suave. Corpo leve. Textura oleosa. Aroma a caramelo e a molho de ostra. Açúcar queimado,malte, alcaçuz, notas de café . Fácil de beber

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5

Deep dark brown, with a tinge of red, appears near black, with a creamy / frothy tan head and a mellow coffee and dark fruit aroma. Creamy and smooth with dark fruits, some soft roasted malt and a mellow finish.

Willeymoor Lock Tavern, Whitchurch

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 5.5

Draught keg at the Scotia Bar, Glasgow. Very light brown and ckear with a good-sized off-white head and lots of cloudy lacing. Caramel aroma, a little metallic. Sweetctaste, more caramel, a little malt. Not much here. Light joy with medium carbonation. It's as basic a bitter as you'll ever have.

Canned - deepnblack to brown pour that settles. Roasted coffee and malt. I actually like this more than consensus

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Bottled. Poured a brownish tinged dark with a slightly beige, soft and somewhat lasting head. Roasted malts, coffee, chocolate. PRetty good overall. Not overly sweet.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Draught from shoolbreds. Poured a transparent gold. Hops and such but a bit creamy. Good stuff.