Looking forward to baron rating Black Isle ales

Black Isle are a very interesting brewery,organic brewing in the Scottish highlands and run by head brewer Colin Stronge. Colin used to be a major part of the superb Marble brewery in Manchester and so I was very excited earlier in the year when I bought a couple of bottles of Black Isle ale online.

When I sat down to baron rate them I thought they were nice but noticed that they were lacking a certain wow factor that I'd always experienced with Colin's beers in the past. Reading the tasting notes on the back of the bottle settled the issue - I couldn't taste what was described on the back and so got in touch with Black Isle.

Colin suggested that the bottles I had bought may had not been that fresh and so he would correct this by replacing them with some 'fresh from the brewery' bottles instead. A box arrived for me today that didn't just contain the two beers that I'd tried but a whole nine bottle selection of their line-up - that is what I call customer service!

A wonderful box of lovely beery goodness :)

Black Isle Brewery

• Blonde - 4.5% premium quality blonde beer with a light biscuit palete and a fresh, grassy aroma
• Export Scotch Ale - 7.9% big brother to the regular scotch ale (see below). The finest organic malt brings a big hit of cinder toffee, figs and liquorice whilst the increased hop charges match the strength providing berry fruit and wood.  This beer tastes fantastic young and even better aged a year or two
• Goldeneye Pale Ale - 5.6% delicious golden beer packed with floral hops. It is fresh and unpasteurised for exceptional flavour

• Hibernator Oatmeal Stout - 7% and loaded with roasted chocolate malts giving rise to hedgerow fruit, espresso & liquorice
• Jocktoberfest - 6.2% ruby coloured and full bodied, medium strength, traditional Oktoberfest style beer
• Porter - 4.6% dark roasted malts produce this medium dry, full bodied ruby-black beer

• Red Kite Ale - 4.2% with crystal malt and the finest whole flower hops produce this distinctive amber ale
• Scotch Ale - 6.2% strong, full bodied ruby ale with a bitter sweet character of candied peel and fruit cake
• Yellowhammer - 4% refreshing straw coloured ale brewed with cascade hops adding a flinty, grapefruit aroma

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these Black Isle Brewery beers soon, and a big thank you to Colin Stronge, head brewer at @BlackIsleBeer for sending them through to me!

Buy Black Isle ales direct