Scottish Beers 2

My second blog for the Scottish beers I'd been kindly provided with (Scottish Beers 1) includes 5 beers that I appear to have 'scored' pretty much similar, as in I'd drink them again indeed.  First, from Glasgow brewery Drygate (website) Gun-Toting Nano-Penguin (5.2%), a 'Peach Pale Ale' brewed with wheat malt added to the grist, plus peach extract, and Australian Galaxy (hopslist) and British Bramling Cross hops used (hopslist). Peach noted in both aroma and taste, which the Galaxy hops no doubt added to, slightly hazy and with a dry finish, not bad at all.

From Windswept Brewing of Lossiemouth (website), which closed down a few months ago after 12 years of brewing, their 5.2% Weizen. Consequently, not available anymore, I may well have drunk the last bottle of it (it was past its official 'sell by' date). This wheat beer, thus containing wheat malt in the grist, bottle conditioned, only slightly cloudy, although I was very careful pouring it out, and it had ages to settle, but still in fine condition! I've no idea what hops were used but Beer Analytics website suggests a couple that may have produced the banana flavour, together with caramel, the advertised taste. I found both in the aroma and taste, but very subtle (NB the caramel). I was surprised how much I enjoyed drinking it, I found it quite refreshing!

Next, from another Glasgow brewery Brewgooder (website), is their 4.1% New England IPA, surprisingly full-flavoured with some body for the strength. Also, brewed with a couple of my favourite hops used, Citra (hopslist) and Mosaic hops (hopslist), thus producing an authentic 'New England' style IPA, with a big fruity aroma and taste, notably citrus and pineapple. Cloudy and very pale, with a lovely dry finish, actually quite light and refreshing, not bad!

The next beer was from Black Isle Brewing (website), from Munlochy, up in the North East of Scotland, I had to look it up 😁 but they're on the Moray Firth a wee bit further north east than Inverness. Another cloudy beer with both lager and wheat malt added to the grist, but the brewers appear proud to advertise their 'organic and unfiltered' beers, 'suitable for vegans.' Brewed with an amazing cocktail of delicious hops, including Cascade (hopslist), Simcoe (hopslist), Citra (hopslist) and Nelson Sauvin (hopslist). This had a big fruity aroma and taste, not particularly bitter, but with a dry finish, quite easy to drink, and I coped with the cloudiness.

Finally, from Glasgow brewery West (website), a slightly different beer indeed, their German Pale Ale (GPA). Brewed "in accordance with the German Purity Law of 1516" and using the German hop  Hallertau Mittelfruher (hopslist) and US Chinook hops (hopslist), and wheat malt in the grist. Another slightly cloudy IPA style, very pale with a hint of spice, a slight biscuit flavour from the malt, and fresh citrus aroma and taste from the Chinook hops, again, not bad at all.

I wouldn't turn away a glass of any of these beers listed today, but my overall favourite of the 9 beers I was gifted was the 71 Brewing Funky Drummer noted in my first Scottish beers blog maybe the 7.5% strength influenced me a tad, but more likely the hops used, cheers! 🍻