240. Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA

This is our first beer from Belhaven Brewery Company, located in Dunbar, Scotland. We had this on the nitro tap at South Park Tavern, which was just about the perfect mix of creamy and hoppy. Twisted Thistle is a clear gold color with a creamy thick white head that laces the crap out of the glass—the head is thick enough that it pretty much blocks out most of the aroma of the beer. Flavor starts with cracker and biscuit malt, and moves into bitterness with some low levels of toffee along with more cracker flavors. Twisted Thistle finishes clean with light lager-esque flavors and bitterness—it’s clean, but also simultaneously a bit musty. The body is medium to light with a dry, creamy mouthfeel along with medium carbonation that helps round the beer on the palate. There are some slight fruity notes in the middle on the tongue as it warms, and some slight sourness at the end that comes across as a bit of a tang on the palate. Good beer overall; clean and fresh tasting. Some of the potential sweetness is stripped out by the nitro, but as a bonuse the creaminess does reciprocally get enhanced. Win win are far as we are concerned.

From the Belhaven website: “A stunning India Pale Ale (IPA), don’t think that Belhaven’s Twisted Thistle has anything jaggy, spikey, prickly or otherwise pain-inflicting in its nature. Quite the opposite. Your taste buds will tingle with pleasure after a sip or two of this golden nectar. A real treat from our master brewers in Dunbar.”

ABV: 5.3%

(2/25/2010)