Highland Scotch

I'd seen Gordon's Finest Scotch Ale round and about for years. In fact, about ten years ago I was in an off-licence in Bristol, Corks of Cotham (I hope it's still there) with some mates and found it in the Belgian section. We asked the very helpful chap in the shop what is was doing there, and he told us that it was a marketing tactic. Just like here in Britain, we get sold 'real Australian lager' and 'India's finest' blah blah, what we really get is the type of mass produced lager that millions of Brits guzzle weekend after weekend, i.e. they've made a beer specifically for the market but given it an international appeal. He supposed that Belgians love that quaint Highland, tartan appeal so quite fancy drinking a bottle with a tartan label.

Now, I reckon that he's probably right about Scotland's quaint, historic appeal, but Scotch Ale is in itself a 'type' of beer. Now, without getting too much into beer types, because in my opinion there are far too many of which there's little to discern between, Scotch ale was typically very strong (around 8%) and malty, and we know the Scots know what they're doing with that stuff!

So, class, can anyone think of a 8%, dark and malty beer? Abbey-style Dubbel springs to my mind! So, it seems that it would make perfect sense to make beer in Belgium and whack a tartan sticker on it and the Belgian's would lap it up. (Or maybe they'd prefer the branded thistle-shaped glass!).

So, what's it like? Well, having pretty much answered my question already, you could convince me that this was a standard Abbey Dubbel. There's not heaps of hops on the nose and just a hint of sourness behind the sweet malt. In fact, it's that sourness which gives it the character that is necessary from stopping it being a very average, if not perfectly drinkable, dark, strong beer. That and the fact that it's a Scottish beer in a Belgian glass.

It struck me as almost identical to a beer I'd drunk a month or so ago, called Ename Dubbel, which left me struggling to come up with more than 50 words to say about it. Gordon's has only made its appearance here because if its odd identity. That reminds me, I'll soon make a round up of all other beers that have either failed to inspire me or I've failed to finish recently so as to truly have as comprehensive record of everything I've drunk along with my baseless opinion.

Uninspiring as Gordon's beer was, it's ironically inspired me to go and search out some original Scotch Ale to see if it's anything like this one, or indeed Gordon's have Belgianified the drink and the bloke at 'Corks' was indeed right.

Gordon's Highland Scotch - 7.5
http://www.anthonymartin.be/en/our-beers/gordon-finest-beers/gordon-finest-scotch.aspx