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.

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

Cask @ JDW Montgomery's Tower. Pours dark amber, small off-white head. Malty nose. Straightforward earthy malt bitter in character, bit twiggy. Light caramel glimpse.

Tried from Cask on 25 Feb 2018 at 18:43


6.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

20th Feb 2018. Cask half pint in Montgomery's Tower, Shrewsbury. Deep, dark amber with a smooth white head. Malty lead in both the nose and taste, no Haggis were harmed in the making of this brew (or so I am told). Reminded me of the old 80/- beers from Scotland, maybe a tad lighter in colour and body, but far off.

Tried from Cask on 21 Feb 2018 at 12:24


5.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

Cask at the 35th Luton Beer and Cider Festival. Pours pale amber with a small off white head. Aroma of fruit, veg, hop, caramel and potato. Medium sweetness, moderate bitterness. Moderate body, slight oily texture, average to soft carbonation.

Tried from Cask on 16 Feb 2018 at 16:39


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

Cask @ 35th Luton Beer & Cider Festival. Medium head with medium duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are caramel, fruits, hops and malt. Light bitter finish.

Tried from Cask on 16 Feb 2018 at 16:38


5.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5

Cask @ Luton Beer & Cider Festival. Clear amber with a white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel and light fruity. Flavor is medium sweet and light bitter. Sweet and light bitter finish. Watery. 160218

Tried from Cask on 16 Feb 2018 at 16:27


5.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5

Cask at the Old Manor (JDW), Bracknell. A dark amber pour with a tight cream head; caramel aroma; caramel taste with a malty body and a touch of spice; but lacking finish. An old-fashioned Heavy.

Tried from Cask on 06 Feb 2018 at 19:48


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

Cask at The Standing Order Edinburger. It pours clear brown with a decent beige head. The aroma is sweet, oily, resin, varnish, biscuit, cinder toffee, touch of bubblegum even and some toasted nut. The taste is dry, earthy, woody, bitter - sweet, biscuit malt, grassy, slightly soapy, spice and some toasted nut. Finish is dry and woody. Medium body and soft, massaging carbonation. Fair enough, but perhaps a bit sweet if anything.

Tried from Cask on 25 Jan 2018 at 10:32


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

Cask at the Pump House, Solihull. Poured a clear dark amber with a long-lasting frothy white head. The aroma is dough biscuit malt. The flavour is moderate bitter with a dry malt, medicinal yeast, woody, hop bitter palate. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Rather drinkable but I suspect that the cask was on the way out.

Tried from Cask on 28 Dec 2017 at 13:17


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

0.5 l bottle from 'Britische Biere', bottled in September 2016. Clear, very dark ruby, almost black with a few beige bubbles on top. Sweetish, malty, slightly roasty aroma of lots of chocolate, milk coffee and lactose. Moderately sweet, slightly bitter, quite roasty and a little fruity taste of mainly chocolate, coffee, toasted nuts and traces of dark fruits, followed by a short, moderately bitter, roasty and quite earthy-dry finish. Medium body, slightly effervescent mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Deep flavours, not thin or watery at all, great balance. Extremely good for that abv and the style!

Tried from Bottle on 15 Nov 2017 at 14:53


5.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

330ml bottle from Aldi. Clear and golden with a small white head. Light, sweet aroma, taste is light, malt. Really not picking up the whisky at all. Bit disappointing

Tried from Bottle on 14 Oct 2017 at 14:59