Kelpie Seaweed Ale - Williams Brothers Brewing Company

hdofu

Maryland

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

All around a good beer, drank this first in a sampler of different scottish ales that was put out by williams brothers... I assumed it would probably not taste very good and would be a novelty ale, I was quite pleasant. It appeared dark, had a sort of smokey taste to it with a hint of spice. The barley flavor was the most noticeable element of this brew. It had a very full flavor too, and was not watery at all like some beers in this category. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a fave, but I wouldn't pass it up if offered one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 00:28:46 | More by hdofu

Hultkrantz

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

06-16-2013 08:38:54 | More by Hultkrantz

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

06-15-2013 18:18:06 | More by Sunnanek

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.9%

05-25-2013 13:08:29 | More by Slatetank

magnusdave

New York

3.75/5  rDev +3%

05-20-2013 03:04:57 | More by magnusdave

seinfeldette

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-16-2013 20:19:23 | More by seinfeldette

Murrhey

Montana

2.4/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

Poured from a standard pressure-cap 500ml bottle into a conic pint glass in high elevation Libby, Mont. Reviewed live.

A- Half-finger off-white head with low retention. Limited spotty lacing. Dark chocolate color, very little light permeates.

S- Caramel, toffee, funky-earthy smell. Slight salinity in the nose, along with a very distinct fun that must be the seaweed. Very hard to describe.

T- Earthy, slightly watery, funky. Caramel, toasted malts, some vegetation.

M- Very watery. Not a very nice feel.

O- Swing and a miss.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 02:18:15 | More by Murrhey

lenbert

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

05-05-2013 01:08:27 | More by lenbert

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

04-30-2013 20:00:30 | More by blknikon

TheRevMatt

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +3%

04-28-2013 16:27:41 | More by TheRevMatt

BDeibs

Colorado

2/5  rDev -45.1%

04-27-2013 00:48:59 | More by BDeibs

weaselchew

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

04-25-2013 03:48:33 | More by weaselchew

schoolboy

Ohio

3.76/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Alright, here is something very out of the ordinary for me. And unique works for me most of the time - this not being an exception.

It looks great in the glass with a firm head. The aroma is a typical English malty with a hint of freshness from herbs (seaweed?).

The flavor is lightly roasty, slightly bitter, a little bit herbal, all nicely balanced into a very palatable beverage. This was a cool treat.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 20:54:08 | More by schoolboy

SadMachine

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +3%

03-22-2013 04:39:33 | More by SadMachine

spycow

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

03-11-2013 04:21:51 | More by spycow

Arborescence

Finland

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark, but not pitch black. Pours a nice, fairly creamy and persistent one finger head.

Aroma: Malty, but with some fresh & salty sea aromas. Somewhat mild aroma.

Taste: A little sharp at first, with a citrus-like bitterness. Quickly settles to a nice malty flavour though, with a salty aftertaste, probably due to the seaweed.

Mouthfeel: Quite thick and smooth, medium to heavy body.

Overall: This is an old acquaintance, one of the Scottish druid / ancient recipe ales that I quite like. For me, they deserve points for originality (even if the recipes are ancient!). Many contemporary attempts at herbed or spiced ales don't produce similar results.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 16:55:07 | More by Arborescence

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

02-16-2013 14:05:46 | More by Beerstorian

DmanGTR

New York

3.75/5  rDev +3%

02-10-2013 16:16:18 | More by DmanGTR

Nachos4two

Illinois

2/5  rDev -45.1%

02-07-2013 21:31:36 | More by Nachos4two

matjack85

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

02-02-2013 06:47:51 | More by matjack85

JackRB

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -24.5%

01-31-2013 02:17:38 | More by JackRB

wonothesane42

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

01-25-2013 00:01:48 | More by wonothesane42

Thorivan

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

01-24-2013 05:38:19 | More by Thorivan

Casterbridge

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +3%

01-04-2013 21:18:59 | More by Casterbridge

seymourbottoms

2.1/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Ok, here it goes. Long-time crafty drinker, first-time reviewer.

Pours very dark and quite uneventful. Even with a heavy pour, there is minimal head and little more than a dense and dark looking brew here. Carbonation looks to be somewhat minimal, however will be addressed later.

Smell is not surprising with this style, so neither a disappointment or a surprise, just merely, and mostly, non-existent.

On to the taste. We have a beer that uses seaweed as its primary highlight and it shows here. This is definitely the saltiest beer that I have had, and the salt is well balanced. However, I get very minimal accompanying flavors. If you are into very straightforward taste in your beer, then this could pique your interest.

On to the only surprise that i had with this beer. While I saw very minimal head, and little signs of carbonation with this beer, it does have quite a bit of soda-like carbonation on the tongue while drinking. Still a relatively light feel, and somehow it reminded me of drinking a coke if i took all of the sugars out and replaced it with a bit of salt.

There it is... my personal breakdown of this somewhat mediocre beer. At least in this advocate's eyes.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 02:26:17 | More by seymourbottoms