Conwy Minera Mountain

 

Minera Mountain is a bottle conditioned ale so it's no surprise that it contains a lot of sediment.  With a very careful pour I managed to get a good amount of it out of the bottle without it turning cloudy.  It has a very traditional looking appearance, being a lovely deep golden colour with a huge, frothy, tight and thick Mr Whippy style cream coloured head.  

The aroma isn't very strong, although I picked up floral hints and some tropical fruit.  I think the aroma is perhaps smothered by the large head as I really had to dig through it to get my first taste.  This is where it lost points for me as the head is very bitter and metallic but it's so thick and robust that all of the beer has to pass through it, which gives it an overly bitter taste.  Once you do get through the head, it has lovely floral notes tinged with honey which is what you'd expect from a heather ale.

It's very well carbonated and a little on the harsh side, but you do get used to it after a while.  It also has a decent medium body.  The head is amazing though, it leaves thick lacing on the glass that needed to be scrubbed off.

It's a bit disappointing for a heather ale; the honey and floral flavour is lovely but it's totally overpowered by the metallic bitterness of the head.  It tastes like I've sucked all of the copper coins in my purse then had a glug of beer.  It's not bad by any means, it just wasn't for me and it's not one Ale Be Seeing again, unfortunately.

Brewed by Conwy Brewery, North Wales
4.3% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Conwy Brewery

BrewDog Santa Paws

 

Way back in 2016, I was delighted to find a deliciously dark ruby tinged ale inside the bottle of Santa Paws, BrewDog's Christmas Scotch ale.  It has a large frothy beige head that is quite loose but does leave a thin foam layer when it disperses.

The aroma has a lovely cinnamon spiciness to it that reminded me of Coca Cola and it's a lovely blend of malt, dark fruit and caramel with a hint of winter spice.  The aroma transfers to the flavour and it's a delicious blend of chocolate, malt and coffee with a treacle or slightly burnt toffee aftertaste, perhaps from the heather honey that is included in the brew.  

Well carbonated, it gives my tongue a good tingling but the body is rather thin.  It's only 4.5% and it feels quite light to drink so it goes down very nicely indeed.

I do like a scotch ale now and again as a lighter alternative to stout or porter, and Santa Paws is a lovely subtle, easy drinking scotch ale.  If it's brewed again, Ale Be Seeing You!

Brewed by BrewDog Brewery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire

4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

Williams Bros Fraoch Heather Ale

A lovely golden ale with a subtle floral aroma as it is opened.  It also smells of hops and malt so I knew I was going to be in for a treat with this one.  It has one of my favourite types of head; one that you think will not fit in the glass and leaves a Mr Whippy style coronet on the top of the pint.  A head that lingers to the very last drop, leaving amazing lacing down the side of the glass.

So I know it looks and smells great, now on to the taste.  My first taste reminded me of a 'proper' beer as the hops and malt were recognised like old friends on my tastebuds.  Then the subtle floral aroma took over bringing a smooth golden sunshine taste to my mouth.  I even found it had a subtle aftertaste of ginger and was surprised to see that ginger was indeed an ingredient in this ale.

It has a complexity of flavours that mean you get a different taste with every mouthful.  It really has to be experienced to be believed.  Fraoch Heather Ale - it's not just for Burns Night and without doubt Ale be Seeing You Again.

I picked this up from Aldi for a bargainous £1.49 as part of their Burns Night promotion so I'll be heading back to stock up as I can't wait another year to try this beauty again.

Brewed by Williams Bros, Alloa

5% ABV

Find out more at William Bros