Strathaven Ales
Microbrewery in Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, Scotland 🏴
Established in 2005
Closed in 2022
Contact
Sandford Road, Craigmill Strathaven ML10 6PB, Strathaven, Scotland
Description
Strathaven Ales is the pinnacle of traditional real ale brewing with our stone clad brewing kettle and well used brew-house based in an old mill dating back to the early 1800s. The mill originally manufactured crushed barley for the brewery trade and flour for the local artisan bakers and it sits next to the river Avon near the market town of Strathaven.
We consider our beers to be very traditional, our brewing, unlike modern facilities is a hands-on labour intensive process crafted by three generations of the same family.
Manufacturing in an old building brings its challenges and we have retained many of the original mill features and a large part of the original gearing. Although this often gets in the way we feel it is part of what ensures the beer has a character not achieved in modern production units.
We consider our beers to be very traditional, our brewing, unlike modern facilities is a hands-on labour intensive process crafted by three generations of the same family.
Manufacturing in an old building brings its challenges and we have retained many of the original mill features and a large part of the original gearing. Although this often gets in the way we feel it is part of what ensures the beer has a character not achieved in modern production units.
6.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
500 ml bottle, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 3.8%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Moderate but nice aroma of butterscotch and toffee. Refreshing flavour, some malts, nutty and toffee notes, hints of butterscotch, very moderate hops in the finish, not too sweet. Certainly not an IPA by any stretch of the mind, but definitely drinkable.,
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2012
at 12:39
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
500 ml bottle, as Strathaven / Craigmill Aleberry Fruit Beer, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.6%. Damsons are not specifically mentioned on the label, only "Clyde Valley berries". Golden colour with a faint peachy hue, moderate head, slightly off-white. Fairly strong aroma of over-ripe fruits / berries, also strong notes of toffee and grain. The flavour has distinct fruity / berry notes, but is fortunately not sweet and sugary, nor sour. Hints of toffee, distinct hops in the finish and aftertaste. Fairly decent beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2012
at 11:28
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
500 ml bottle, as Strathaven / Craigmill Lord Kelvin Centennial, from Vaaland, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Deep copper coloured beer, moderate head, slightly off-white. Pleasant aroma of caramel and ripe red fruits. The flavour has notes of caramel, brown bread baked with dark syrup, and lightly toasted malts, balanced by a moderate fruitiness and decent hops in the finish. Just the slightest touch of ginger and chocolate. A very enjoyable brew. Even though Lord Kelvin himself miscalculated the age of the earth by some billion years, he probably still deserves a toast in his honour.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Feb 2012
at 19:26
8/10
Tried
on 24 Dec 2011
at 19:16
7.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
50cl bottle. Pours a chestnut brown with a red hue and a nice head. The nose has toffee and biscuits. The taste is nutty, creamy and then some coffee. The palate is medium bodied, with a lovely creamy mid-palate texture and then a nice dry finish. Overall, a really good beer!
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Dec 2011
at 13:55
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Re-rate - nice ginger biscuit thing going on. Much better on cask apparently. Score is slightlybiased towards this rating nut taking into account the originalone. Previous rating 09/12/11 = 2.8 50cl bottle. Pours a light, golden with steady bubbles and a nice head. The nose has biscuits and ginger. The taste is light and citrussy and then a biscuit finish. The palate is light bodied and thin textured with a dry finish. Overall, a bit then on the palate after a promising start.
Tried
from Cask
on 09 Dec 2011
at 13:52
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Re-rating at the Guildford Arms. Lovely big liquorice notes this time and nice creamy backdrop. A lovely pint. Previous rating on 04/12/11 = 6+4+6+3+11 = 3 50cl bottle. Pours opaque black with a generous, creamy head. The nose is of chocolate digestives. The taste has a smokey element and some coffee.The palate is light bodied with a medium-sized creamy texture and an easy finish. Overall, a decent mild!
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Dec 2011
at 11:52
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
50cl bottle. Pours amber with a nice sized, attractive head. The nose has pine and biscuits. The taste is of creamy pine, then caramel and biscuits. The palate is light to medium bodied and textured with a lovely clean finish. Overall, a really tasty session ale.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Dec 2011
at 11:49
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
cask in standing order ... golden ... thin white head ... light lemon peel nose ... soft zezty fruits ... mellow fruits ... light berry tartness in finish ... lightest sulphur ... ok
Tried
from Cask
on 02 Dec 2011
at 09:04
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
cask in standing order ... copper thin white head ... cinamon spice ... light toffee malt nose ... juicy soft mellow malts ... clear but mellow cinamon back ground all told quite nice ...
Tried
from Cask
on 02 Dec 2011
at 09:01