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“Fraoch is Scotland's native ale. Fraoch is Gaelic for Heather. Heather ale has been brewed in Scotland for four thousand years and is the oldest style of ale still made in the world. The Picts who ruled Scotland until the 9th century were known to brew the legendary heather ale, these people of the designs were the creators of the artistic style of our label.

The ale is produced to a 16th Century Scots – Gaelic recipe from malted barley bree, sweet gale and heather flowers, The hot ale is infused in heather flowers before being fermented in copper tuns. Fraoch has a floral, peaty aroma, full malt body, a spicy hearbal flavour and a dry wine finish.”

Tastes slightly like a sweet kind of flower, not bitter. Contains barley malt.

Williams Bros Brewing Co., Alloa, Scotland. 5% alcohol.

“…brewed using a blend of Maris Otter pale malt and torrefied wheat, with four varieties of hop (Fuggle, Progress, Styrian Gold and Mount Hood)…”

Very sweet (it contains No3 Inverted Block Sugar and High-Maltose Syrup), very strong, tastes very slightly of flowers (violet?), otherwise boring. Contains malted barley and torrefied wheat.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 8.2% alcohol.

“Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie and Sir William Douglas, Knight of Liddesdale were great military leaders and both men had been brothers in arms in numerous campaigns sharing many victories and accolades. They were outstanding in a brilliant array of valiant knights that thronged the court of King David of Scotland in the 14th Century. Like these great leaders Champion Double Ale is a blend of two strong characters. A strong ale brewed in the Scottish tradition, strong, warming and malty, combined with a Porter style ale with rich roasted malt characters on a background of good hop flavour and aroma.

The two beers are brewed and fermented separately in their unique ways then blended together in a warm conditioning vessel to allow the two to mature.”

Quite strong, with a strong malty taste, maybe with a hint of chocolate (maybe). Made of malted barley.

Broughton Ales limited, Broughton Biggar, Scotland. 5.5% alcohol.

“The world's original pale beers were born in London over 200 years ago. … American and English hops…”

Flowery smell, quite bitter. Contains barley malt.

Meantime Brewing, London, England. 4.3% alcohol.

“soft and golden season ale.”

Quite bitter, but maybe not as much as other beers from the same brewery. Contains malted barley.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“Craft brewed with organically grown ingredients, using Target and Goldings hops to provide a zesty aroma and fruity flavour.”

Strong hop falvour, slightly bitter and fruity. Contains barley malt.

Brakspear Brewing Co., Oxfordshire, England. 4.6% alcohol.

“a traditional hop flavour to balance the sweet malty caramel finish”

Smells a bit like beef stock. Quite bitter, slightly flowery. Made of barley malt and wheat.

Carlow Brewing Company, Carlow, Ireland. 4.3% alcohol.

“It is every golfers dream to play The Old Course… Created entirely by the forces of nature, the historic links of St. Andrews are believed to be where the first ever game was played.”

Just another ale, slightly fruity maybe. Contains malted barley.

The Belhaven Brewery, Dunbar, Scotland. 4.6% alcohol.

“Local folklore tells of a fox that lived in and around the old Hightgate and Walsall Brewery. Althought frequent sightings of the fox were recorded no one ever caught more than a glimpse of the animal's head as he darted amongst the barrels. The old English word for head is Nob and this beer is named after that elusive fox.”

Quite bitter with a distinct nutty flavour, especially of bitter almond. Contains malted barley.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“Stouts and porters were the beers that made London the brewing capital of the world. When pale ales displaced porters the style lived on in Ireland in its own distinct form. Meantine London Stout reverts to the original malt only recipe to recapture the full complexity of this great London beer.”

Just another stout, but a quite good one. Made with barley and wheat.

Meantime Brewing, London, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“Ossian, Son of Fingal, was a legendary 3rd century Scottish warrior. Sir Walter Scott wrote:

In this still glen, remote from men,
Sleeps Ossian, in the narrow glen.

… smooth, with distinct nutty tones and fruitiness. First Gold, Perle and Cascade hops create our unique spicy orange zesty aroma.”

Quite bitter, otherwise just another pale ale. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

That's the 100th beer I have tasted and reported.

The Inverlamond Brewery Limited, Perth, Scotland. 4.1% alcohol.

Just another ale, with a slight metallic taste. Contains malted barley.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“A blend of chocolate and three dark roasted malts”

Tastes of dark, bitter chocolate, with maybe a hint of fruits. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Daleside Brewery Limited, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“named after the famous hills of the Isle of Skye”

Just another ale, slightly bitter, with a kind of sour, none-ripe fruit aftertaste. Contains malted barley.

The Isle of Skye Brewing Company (Leann an Eilien), Isle of Skye, Scotland. 4.2% alcohol.

“… one of Scotland's oldest surviving breweries, dating back to 1719 … brewed using Scottish malted barley…”

Very sweet, with a slightly fruity taste, maybe red fruits. The smell reminds me a bit of St Peter's Honey Porter. Made of malted barley.

Belhaven Brewery Company, Dunbar, Scotland. 4.1% alcohol.

“Lia Fail is Gaelic for Stone of Destiny, which for centuries was the coronation stone of the Kings of the Scots. Taken from its Perthshire home at Scone in 1296 by Edward I, it was finally returned to Edinburgh Castle in 1996. … A dark beer with a well balanced sweetness, malt anc chocolate tones. Challenger, Fuggles and Cascade hops produce a rich and spicy aroma with a balanced bitterness and full-bodied flavour.”

Quite sweet, only slightly bitter. Tastes of some kind of dried fruits, maybe, otherwise just another dark ale. Contains malted barley and malted wheat.

The Inverlamond Brewery Limited, Perth, Scotland. 4.7% alcohol.              

“English Target hops give this beer a remarkable aroma. Late copper hopping with Goldings & fermentation by the Brakspear yeast creates the subtle bitter palate. Bottle Conditioning preserves the fruity, zesty aroma… Organic beer”

Strong taste of tropical fruits (ananas, maybe passion fruit). Contains malted barley.

Brakspear Brewing Co., Oxfordshire, England. 4.6% alcohol.

“English Goldings, American Cascade and Cluster hops provide the bitterness, whilst our unique dry hopping technique with bucketfuls of Cascade and Willamette hops gives it a tantalising aroma.”

Very flowery smell, quite bitter and not-very-flowery taste. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Meantime Brewing, London, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“Organic Pale ale”

Strong taste of yeast (or is it hops?), slightly bitter. Contains barley malt.

Wychwood Brewery Co. Witney, Oxfordshire, England. 4.7% alcohol.

“Aile is the Manx Celtic word for Fire and this crafted Okells Beer has delicate smokey aromas derived from the careful addition of peated malt. This malt is made from selected barley that uses burning peat during th malting process.”

Smells like Marmite® or Vegemite®, or maybe some kind of vegetable broth. The taste is slightly bitter, but the smokey aromas are very delicate… Made of malted barly.

Okell's Ltd, Kewaigue, Douglas, Isle of Man. 4.7% alcohol.

“lightly hopped… with a hint of fruit”

I can't really say what it tastes like… It's not bitter and has maybe a slight aftertaste of peach/apricot. But it doesn't have this heavy hop (or yeast?) taste that many pale ales have. Made of malt and wheat.

Carlow Brewing Company, Carlow, Ireland. 4.3% alcohol.

“…brewed with porridge oats”

Just another ale, but a bit different from the usual ones. Made of malted barley and oats.

The Isle of Skye Brewing Company (Leann an Eilien), Isle of Skye, Scotland. 4.3% alcohol.

“Black Cuillin, named after the world-reknowned mountains of Skye, is a unique dark ale brewed with roast barley and heather honey, which rounds the almost stout-like flavours of the roasted malt.”

Sweet and quite bitter. Tastes a bit like burnt caramel. Contains malted barley.

The Isle of Skye Brewing Company (Leann an Eilien), Uig, Scotland. 4.5% alcohol.

“Spring hop ale. Shepherd Neame uses a blend of Kentish Early Bird hops together with natural well-drawn water to produce this finely bittered seasonal ale.”

Flowery and slightly bitter, but not as much as other beers from the same brand. Contains barley malt.

Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent, England. 4.5% alcohol.

“Distinctively hoppy… Blue is the first bottle conditioned ale brewed deliberately to taste great chilled. Try serving shared in two stemmed glasses. For drinking cold (but it's not compulsory :-)”

Very flowery smell, not bitter. Made of barley.

Ridgeway Brewing, South Stoke, Oxfordshire, England. 5.0% alcohol.

“Bad King John is black… bitter… intense… Like the ruthless man it honours, do not come here looking for subtlety!”

Bitter, with an after taste of coffee. Otherwise, just another (dark) ale. Made of barley.

Ridgeway Brewing, South Stoke, Oxfordshire, England. 6.0% alcohol.

Slightly bitter, tastes fainlty of chocolate. Contains malted barley, roasted barley, chocolate malt.

Inbev UK Limited, Luton, England. 4.0% alcohol.

“This rich, dark beer is brewed using a blend of pale, crystal and black malts complemented with the purest honey. English grown Fuggle and Progress hops provide the bitterness. […] complex palate of malt, chocolate, citrus fruits and hops…”

Quite sweet, very slightly bitter. I didn't notice any chocolate or citrus fruits, but rather something fruity-ish, maybe cherry-ish, but definitively just “-ish”. Contains malted barley.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 6.5% alcohol.

“A strong rich dark ale. Brewed since 1896 to the original Victorian recipe.”

Very sweet. Just another ale, but a sweet and good one. Contains malted barley.

Highgate Brewery, Walsall, England. 5.1% alcohol.

“A rich, dark and mysterious ale brewed to the ancient recipe held secret at Levens Hall for over 300 years.

The recipe for Morocco Ale is believed to date from Elizabethan times. Every May-time until 1877 the uniqye, dark, spiced Morocco Ale, matured for 21 years, was served at a great feast held in Levens Gardens, Cumbria. The guests were requred to stand on one leg and empty in a draught a tall Constable glass filled with ‘Morocco’

whilst pledging to the ancient house – ‘`Luck to Levens whilst t’Kent flows.” ''

Quite sweet, with a slight metallic smell, and a slightly bitter after taste. The taste reminds me of some kinds of ginger breads, of cinnamon. After a while, I noticed that the smell reminds me a bit of Cola. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Daleside Brewery Ltd, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 5.5% alcohol.

“…the finest Fuggles and Super Styrian hops, floor malted Optic malt and our unique yeast…

Individually packed and numbered, this bottle is one of only one hundred thousand produced.

…will improve with age for many more years.”

Very sweet and very strong, but I can't describe its taste any further. Made of malted barley.

Bottle N° 48712. Fuller, Smith & Turner, London, England. 8.5% alcohol.

“Barleywine-Style Ale”

Very sweet, very strong too, with a strong malt flavour. Otherwise just another ale. Made of barley, wheat, rye and oats.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 10.5% alcohol.

Very flowery smell, but I can't put a name on the flowers. Very sweet and quite bitter. Made of barley, wheat and oats.

Ridgeway Brewing, Oxfordshire, England. 6.0% alcohol.

Just another ale, slightly bitter. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Jennings Castle Brewery, Cockermouth, Cumbria, England. 4.2% alcohol.

“…beans selected and hand roasted by our friends at Union Coffee Roasters… distinct chocolate and vanilla notes. Each serving is equal to one cup of coffee.”

A distinct smell and taste of coffee, quite sweet, and surpisingly good (even though I don't like coffee at all). The taste is slightly salty, which was quite unexpected. Made with barley and wheat.

Meantime Brewing, London, England. 6.0% alcohol.

“… malty taste, biscuity flavours. Liberty hops give a zesty character and fruity bite, whilst Saaz hops add gentle bitterness…”

Flowery smell, but otherwise just another ale. Contains malted barley and wheat.

Fuller Smith & Turner, London, England. 4.2% alcohol.

Smells of flowers and red fruit (maybe strawberry). The taste has a faint hint of chocolate. Contains malted barley.

Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk, England. 4.5% alcohol.

Just another ale, a bit bitter. Contains Marris Otter malted barley, torrefied wheat, crystal malt, English grown hops.

Wooden Hand Brewery, Truro, Cornwall, England. 4.3% alcohol.

“Cock a Hoop was a long established tradition at our brewery on the banks of the River Cocker, where the master brewer revoved the cock from the barrel and rested it on the hoop of the cask prior to tasting.”

Just another ale, not bitter. Made of malted barley and wheat.

Jennings Castle Brewery, Cockermouth, Cumbria, England. 4.6% alcohol.

“cask ale in a bottle … naturally enhanced with a late addition of aromatic Cascasde Hops. Malts: Pale & Caramalt; Hops: First Gold & Cascade.”

Fruity taste, very slightly bitter. The empty glass smells of flowers, maybe violets, and slightly like pee (well…).

O'Hanlon's Brewing Company Ltd, Devon, England. 4.2% alcohol.