Wee Heavy - Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd.

flagmantho

Washington

4.22/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 500mL bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: rich, medium brown with a little haze and a finger of compact foam head. I quite like it.

Smell: aroma has a nice toastiness with a subtle complement of plums and even a little chocolate. Very nice.

Taste: toasty malt with a little nuttiness and a little chocolate. There are almost-musty fruit flavors of plum, grape and raisin. Bitterness is on the low side. I can't single out one characteristic of this beer that makes it so tasty to me, but I will say that its several flavors are exceedingly well balanced. This is quite delicious indeed.

Mouthfeel: body is on the heavy side of medium and carbonation is well-integrated, leaving a very nice creamy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: this beer is exceedingly drinkable to me. It is smooth, richly flavored but with restraint and provides a very pleasing overall drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2010 02:38:09 | More by flagmantho

DbbC

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.5%

06-19-2013 01:18:04 | More by DbbC

bgkeeley

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +17%

06-18-2013 20:13:03 | More by bgkeeley

backphish

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-10-2013 02:46:07 | More by backphish

Pecan

California

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

06-08-2013 03:28:26 | More by Pecan

retry4z

California

4/5  rDev -1.5%

06-05-2013 08:56:49 | More by retry4z

enelson

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-05-2013 03:12:54 | More by enelson

stoppertb18

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

06-02-2013 23:13:09 | More by stoppertb18

MaddDogg84

Texas

5/5  rDev +23.2%

05-31-2013 02:33:31 | More by MaddDogg84

clarknova

Germany

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-29-2013 20:50:02 | More by clarknova

Steamer

Missouri

4.6/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

appearance: a reddish amber color with a light beige, one fingered head with decent staying power. Smell: Not much aroma, a hint of barley. Taste: Outstanding balance! A The barley malts dominate but there is a mild sweet and sour tartness that is nt unlike a lambic. Not at all what I was expecting. Makes you want to gulp it down immediately. Mouthfeel: Medium with light carbonation. Overall: Probably the best Scottish ale I've ever had; so well blended you have to force yourself to just sit back, sip and enjoy. Even though I rated the smell relatively low, I have to give this one high marks overall. A must try!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2013 01:51:41 | More by Steamer

JohnnieNepal

Michigan

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-27-2013 10:23:29 | More by JohnnieNepal

linnymtu

Michigan

3/5  rDev -26.1%

05-27-2013 01:18:13 | More by linnymtu

KStark

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-24-2013 14:13:11 | More by KStark

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-22-2013 16:38:50 | More by InspectorBob

pin

Australia

3/5  rDev -26.1%

05-21-2013 22:32:45 | More by pin

JackRB

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-19-2013 02:21:59 | More by JackRB

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-16-2013 11:30:05 | More by Slatetank

BenLikesBeer

California

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Well, color me shocked, really - this beer is wonderful. And that surprise is of course, I admit, due to ignorance; after attempting to study a collection of British Isle beers and being consistently underwhelmed, I dismissed this one in the same line. It'd be harmless, but vaguely metallic, light bodied, and somewhat boring.

But man was I wrong (sorry Belhaven!)

When the first word you utter is a surprised "Wow!" (paired with the stereotypical holding of the glass away from you as you look on in disbelief) you know you have a keeper. Like an English Barley wine stripped of much of its alcohol and hop bite, Wee Heavy is deceptively friendly and, pardon the vernacular, tasty.

The color - a ruby amber - is truly gorgeous, with perfect clarity and a bubbly creamy head that unfortunately dissipated a bit quicker than I would have liked (the glass was clean I swear!)

The aroma is delightfully unique, with a great caramelly-biscuit thing going on, while something truly unique hides in the background. Cola, maybe? Ice tea? It kept me guessing. It's a fun thing to experience.

There's almost no hops here, and only the faintest touch of bitterness in its finish. Medium-to-heavy body with a nearly syrup-like quality, the beer is deceptively light - "clocking in" at a mere 6.5%, when I would have readily accepted something a few percentages higher. But it's genuinely delicious, a pleasing beer that doesn't try to do anything extraordinary or gimmicky and rises as one of the greats because of it. Do not relegate it to something second tier or boring; this must be experienced.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 22:18:16 | More by BenLikesBeer

Knuckles_Nuclear

Missouri

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-13-2013 13:31:44 | More by Knuckles_Nuclear

Eaglefan344

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-03-2013 04:18:57 | More by Eaglefan344

Duff27

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.5%

04-28-2013 00:16:33 | More by Duff27

kjkinsey

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

04-26-2013 18:25:35 | More by kjkinsey

abex44

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

04-24-2013 05:13:18 | More by abex44

J_Dub

Texas

2/5  rDev -50.7%

04-23-2013 14:52:07 | More by J_Dub