Islay Ales

Microbrewery in Bridgend, Argyll and Bute, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Associated Venue: Islay Ales

Established in 2004

Contact
Islay House Square, Bridgend, PA44 7NZ, Scotland
Description
Islay Ales was founded by Paul Hathaway, Paul Capper and Walter Schobert in 2004. The brewery has a 4 barrel brewing plant that produces all their ales in cask and bottle-conditioned format; therefore, the beers are never pasteurised or filtered.

In July 2018 Donald MacKenzie and Mackay Smith - ''The Islay Boys'' - took over the brewery with one goal in mind: to reconquer the hearts and minds - and tastebuds! - of the good people of Islay, and of course the many visitors to the island, by brewing straightforward, taste-upfront beers. We rely on experience, taste and aroma to guide our brewing process.

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7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Can from the Oban Beer Seller. Pours clear yellow gold with a thin white head. Aromas of light tropical fruit and biscuit. Taste is light melon, light lime, more biscuit. Light bitter finish.

Tried on 16 Mar 2026 at 12:11


6.1
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Can from the Oban Beer Seller. Pours clear yellow gold with a short-lived thin white head. Aromas of malt and faint green beans. Taste is honeyed malt sweet, faint herbal hops. Light sweet finish.

Tried on 15 Mar 2026 at 16:53


6.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Fass 1 pt (0,568l) @Jura Hotel - Bar/Pub, Craighouse: Helles Gold, deutliche Trübung, mäßig stabiler mittelporiger Schaum; frische + fruchtige Nase, leichte fruchtige Süße, florale/grasige Hopfenaromen, kräftige Zitrusnoten, grüne Früchte, Limetten, Malz, Hefearomen, fruchtig-malzige Bitterkeit; frischer + fruchtiger Körper, kräftige florale/grasige Hopfenaromen, Zitrusnoten, Limetten, Grapefruit, Malz, Getreide, cremig, deutliche Kohlensäure, Hefearomen; fruchtig-malziger Nachgang

Tried from Draft on 12 Sep 2025 at 07:07


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Old rating - 500ml bottle, pours pale golden with a white head. Aromas & tastes of orange, lemon, cereal, toast, earth & hops. Moderate body. Light bitter finish

Tried from Bottle on 31 Jan 2025 at 09:34


6.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

Bottle pint at North End Pub, Leiden: Amber coloured ale with an slightly citrus taste and well balanced bitter finish. From this Hebridian brewery.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2024 at 11:41


6.2

Tried on 09 Aug 2023 at 20:19


4.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

500mL bottle, pours a clear pale golden blonde with a medium. Nose is full of diacetyl, English hops, and butterscotch. Flavour is full of butterscotch, diacetyl, and subdued bready malt. The diacetyl and butterscotch character ruins this for me. Not good.

Tried from Bottle on 20 Aug 2022 at 14:17


6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Adding in my 300 Beers To Try ticks because I want to see how they impact my stats and some of them I will never see again. Will however re-rate them when practical. Ordered on-line from Scotland. Hit the spot for whatever reason.

Tried on 06 Aug 2020 at 11:17


3.9
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

Bottle at home, 17th November 19. Pours light black. Aroma is tart and malty. Taste is vinous and acidic, tart, infected drain pour of a beer, I hope this wasn’t intentional. Very poor excuse of a stout.

Tried from Bottle on 17 Nov 2019 at 21:54


5.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Bottle at Craig's. Pours clear golden, nose is butterscotch, toffee, lemon, taste is sweet toffee, lemon, grassy. --- Beer merged from original tick of Big Strand on 30 Aug 2019 at 16:05 - Score: 5

Tried from Bottle on 18 Aug 2019 at 11:32

gave a cheers!