Belhaven

Commercial Brewery in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Owned by Greene King
Associated with 6 Venues

Established in 1719

Contact
Brewery Lane, Dunbar, EH42 1PE, Scotland
Description
Established in 1719, Belhaven is Scotland’s oldest working brewery. With abundant local barley, fine water from the brewery well and access to markets up and down the coast, Belhaven was the perfect place for a brewery back then, and it still is today. In 1719, Dunbar market gardener John Johnstone erected a brewery close to Belhaven Bay and founded a brewing dynasty which was to last for 250 years and a brewery which would last much longer. The brewery and maltings persevered through the wars and upheavals of the early 20th Century and was eventually sold by John Johnstone’s descendants in 1972. In 2005 is was taken over by Greene King who kept the Brewery open in Scotland.

     Show


6.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 7
Amber/brown bee and a white head. Mostly nutty and malty aromas, with a creamy, smooth malt flavour, although a little thin.
Tried on 04 Nov 2004 at 10:32

7/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Dark reddish ale with a thin white head. Berry and funky aroma, almost cheesy, with very woody notes, sweet caramel taste and alcohol finish. Decently hopped. Thick and rich body.
Tried on 30 Oct 2004 at 15:02

7.6/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
This WEe heavy pours a dark red colour with a nice creamy tan head. The scent s include a slight fruity notes almost like apple cider. Yeast and grassy notes with a small amount of brown sugar? First sip was strong tasting with flavour of smoke and burnt malt. Nice amount of bitterness with the hops. The finish is bitter with the smoky burnt malts carrying through to the palate. Very flavourfull beer.
Tried on 10 Oct 2004 at 19:36

6.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle: Poured a medium brown colored beer with a small head with little retention. Aroma is comprised of strong malts and it seems like you can almost smell the bitterness in this one. Taste is unsurprisingly bitter with a touch of roasted malt. This tasted not so unlike Fullers 1845, which is no bad thing.
Tried from Bottle on 04 Oct 2004 at 13:06

5.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5
Schmeckt sehr malzig und auch etwas süßlich. Nicht wirklich der Bringer Test vom 11.9.2004, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 8,7,9,9,9,8 - 8,20
Tried from Bottle on 10 Sep 2004 at 22:00

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
(500 ml bottle, now available in Norway). Colour is yellowish brown, good head. Aroma has first some fruity hops, then dusty malts. Flavour is malty with hints of caramel and dust. Too much carbonation for my taste. OKish, but not remarkable.
Tried from Bottle on 10 Sep 2004 at 11:07

6.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
2004 bottle. Pours a dark mahogany brown, somewhat clear, with plenty of tan head. Smells of sharp nuttiness, hints of treacle and dark maple syrup. Hints of alcohol laced caramel malt with a touch of scotch. Though for all of that, it’s quite tame. Flavor is very sweet, lots of brown sugar, caramel and honey. With the creamy consistency, it gets pretty heavy and sweet. Hints of smoke adding a bacon like sort of flavor, very subtle. No bitterness, no hops apparency. Finishes creamy, sweet and with a touch of scotch-like bitterness. Quite good, but gets too sweet and could definitely add more peat smoked malt without going overboard.
Tried from Bottle on 28 Aug 2004 at 18:52

7.1/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Can (BB 11/2004)
Amber color with whipped cream tan head. Aroma of whiskey and toffee. Medium-bodied, smooth mouthfeel. Roasted, coffee flavor with notes of caramel. Light sweetish aftertaste.
Tried from Can on 25 Aug 2004 at 09:36

6.5/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
Can (BB 03/2005)
Dark copper brown with steady creamy brown head. Mild dry and a bit roasted aroma. Light-bodied, creamy, smooth and watery. Chocolaty and roasted flavor. Some hops come up in finish.
Tried from Can on 22 Aug 2004 at 15:34

6.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Clear orange color, medium creamy head. Aroma of toffee, caramel. Smooth bitter taste. Lingering toffee palate.
Tried on 19 Aug 2004 at 09:57