Nessie's Scottish Ale: Review

The days waiting for this one are over! A while back, I made the Scottish Ale from Brewer's Best, who have been a good ally in the learning process of brewing and its pit falls. Since this was a lighter ABV than some other Scottish Ales, the fermentation didn't take long, but I still wanted to give it an extra week of sitting before bottling it, just in case. It came in at roughly 4%, but I'd have to get another reading on the finished product to know for sure.

I also didn't follow the instructions exactly, because I wanted a bit more head on my final product, so I boiled the hops for an extra 10 minutes on both the bittering and aromatic varieties.

The beer itself is what you would expect for any product that is prepackaged and planned: pretty good, but little wow factor. I will say this for the beer, which is being dubbed Nessie's Scottish Ale by the marketing staff here (wink): the malty notes come through very nicely, with a hint of sweetness from the leftover starches. The extra hopping did pay off, allowing for a nice strong head with good retention, although there is almost no hop notes or taste to discern whatsoever. There is also a wonderful body to this beer, as a result of the speciality grains and the extra boiling, but it is a welcome component to say the least.

In the end, I would have to rate this beer a 7.0/10, because it does meet the expectations that were set out for it with the ingredients available, but it does nothing to create the OMG response, which is what I am always trying to find in a beer, especially any I make. That is not to say this wasn't a good beer, because it was quite drinkable, and great for those cold nights you might need something with a bit more heft.

Nonetheless, I am hoping the lessons of this beer were translated well in the Flint Hill Scotch Ale, which is currently in the secondary vessal and is slowly maturing. Only another 17 days of aging there and then it is at least 2 weeks of maturing in the bottles. Be still my beating heart!

If you want to see the recipe for this brew, head on over to http://www.brewersbestkits.com/recipes.html .
As always, drink well and be merry. Slante!