Tasting Notes: Blessed Thistle
Brewery: Cairngorm Brewing Company
Location: Aviemore, Scotland
ABV: 4.5%
Version: 500ml bottle
Source: Gapwines, NI
With a much more acceptable name than the previous Cairngorm beer I covered, the idea behind Blessed Thistle was to make a beer which harkens back to the days before hops were available in Britain, when thistles were used in Scotland instead. It's not a truly authentic old recipe as Goldings hops and ginger have been added late in the brewing process to enhance the flavours.
The beer pours a dark amber colour with a reddish tint. There's a fresh fruity aroma wafting off it, with some chocolate malt in the background, but overall it came across a bit like lemonade. As far as flavour goes it's quite gentle and fruity, with the thistle and hops adding some bitterness, and a touch of lemon and lime citrus. It's also quite smooth with a touch of sweetness but this doesn't get in the way of the overall flavour, and there's just enough ginger added to make it noticable but subdued in the mix.
So all-in-all, an interesting concept worth sampling but I didn't find it sufficiently unusual in its taste to make it even an occasional revisit.
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