“A traditional Highland recipe, popular in Northern Scotland until the end of the 19th Century. This “triple” style ale is spiced with sprigs of spruce and pine, harvested in the spring and brewed with only a small token handful of hops . Break out the goblets and pour with abandon. Rich, tawny and best enjoyed at Room temperature”.
We tried this pine ale a few years ago and absolutely loved it, we have been trying to track it down ever since. Absolutely stoked we found it. Served in a shaker glass the slightly hazy amber pour shows off charming copper red hues and a thin film of a head that maintains well. Fine lacing is being strewn down the glass. What is differing from the first time we tried this is the big sweet malt character and this certain Belgian insinuation. We’re also detecting an estery mix of toffee apple, malt sweetness, honey, raisins, sugar, pine and alcohol. In the mouth it’s quite thin but silky smooth with medium carbonation and body. From the outset the tongue is met with a rich and complex palate of candy sugars & Belgian-style yeast. The mid offers up some dark fruits and a touch of ripe cherry with a mild and shortly lived hop bitterness to finish. The 7.5% ABV is a little surprising as it’s very well hidden. A decent little quaffer. Try one just to bask in its complexity. Good, but not as good as we remember it to be.