Bitter & Twisted - Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.

jonb5

United Kingdom (England)

3.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From the cask at the Rake. Pint, 3.8% abv. Golden colour, cloudy, small head, some lacing retained. Aroma was hoppy citrus, Cascade? Tasted quite bitter, slightly fruity, notes of cooking apples, wheaty finish. Smooth texture, low carbonation, body slightly thick. Overall good character for the low strength even if it was slightly watery, very good summer session ale.

Serving type: cask

09-04-2012 14:43:18 | More by jonb5

stercomm

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a cask in the Prince of Wales Pub in downtown Aberdeen, Scotland into a classic UK pint glass.

A - Golden/light honey in color with just a bit of haze. Very slight white head, good lacing.

S - Citrusy hops, with some slight floral notes

T - Mild hops profile, get some grapefruit and on the finish some lemon, very refreshing beer.

M - Mild bodied, slight carbonation.

O - A rather refreshing beer after a long day of work, good crisp finish

Serving type: cask

02-26-2012 15:50:20 | More by stercomm

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Light fluffy lacy head.
Light gold colour.
A round and satisfying bitterness makes this a bit of a clinger. Grapefruit without the intense sweetness but a grown up sweetness. Fairly long coating of dusty chalkiness.
Stands and delivers without the extremities of other loud attention seeking beers.
Quality.

Serving type: cask

08-28-2011 18:56:55 | More by Zimbo

rinhaak

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On cask at the King's Head in Huddersfield, England.

Pours a pale piss yellow with a full, thick head. Not a very rich color.

The nose is uninteresting with only a subtle hop aroma.

The taste is pleasant enough with flavors of lemon, banana peel, citric acid, and hops. Nothing overwhelming, as each of the flavors are rather modest.

Overall a very drinkable, simple, (and not terribly interesting) session ale.

Serving type: cask

08-13-2011 08:21:03 | More by rinhaak

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.68/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On Cask at Town Hall Tap in Minneapolis. This beer arrives a bright golden-yellow color. The head is one inch of bright white foam that never recedes, and leaves rings of lacing down the glass until the beer is gone. The aroma is of lemons and limes with a hint of pale malt. The taste is similar to the aroma. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a silky texture, and appropriately low carbonation. Overall, this is a great beer that I could drink all day long without growing tired of it. This is the kind of beer that I wish more American breweries would produce.

Serving type: cask

07-08-2011 18:08:52 | More by KarlHungus

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Handpump half-pint at the Green Man.

A: Clear pale amber body; thin, persistent white head. Good lacing, too. Nice.

S: Strongly herbal, vegetal, fruity hops: cannabis, gooseberry, bell pepper, and pine. Almost no malt. Crazy, and great.

T: Follows the nose: lots of bittersweet, herbal, vegetal hop notes. It tastes as much like a dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc as a beer. Biscuity malt does show up on the tail end to close things out with a bit of graininess, but this is all about the wildly herbal hops. Fun.

M: Light body, plenty of soft carbonation. Pleasant.

O: As strange as this beer was, I absolutely loved the fact that a 4.2% real ale was able to blow my mind with its bizarre hoppiness. Terrific.

Cheers!

Serving type: cask

06-17-2011 23:50:24 | More by woosterbill

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cask at the Brick Store.

Pours a slightly hazy dark golden color with a two-finger white head. The head recedes into a rocky layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of slightly grainy pale malts with large amounts of earthy hops. Also present are lighter amounts of light citrus.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Grainy pale malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by hints of breadiness. Joining in shortly thereafter are earthy and slightly grassy hops. Near the end of the sip faint hints of lemon and orange peel work their way into things, fading out into a mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I had no problems finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I enjoyed this beer, as I have most of the beers the Brick Store has put on the beer engine recently. Better with cask conditioning than on tap in my opinion, it's very easy-drinking and well worth a shot.

Serving type: cask

04-05-2011 00:54:02 | More by glid02

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tried this from a Cask at Tap & Table in Emmaus PA the first time I was there. I wouldn't have said that this beer was an IPA when I first had it. I thought it was along the lines of an English Bitter with the twist of lemon added to it. After seeing that it's an IPA I suppose the citrus quality it has isn't such a drastic jump from one stlye to another for the beer. The color was a light copper with a nice smooth looking head that left lacing down the glass. The beer was ultra smooth going down. I'm not sure if I really liked the flavor of this so much. The lemon was a little overwhelming for me personally. This beer would be ideal for summer time drinking.

Serving type: cask

04-04-2011 04:39:55 | More by Knapp85

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On cask at Tap and Table in Emmaus. It's always a pleasure to find a lovely cask ale and this didn't disappoint. Sure I've had better, but it was a fine session beer at 4.2%. There was mellow toast malt flavor with spicy lemon and grapefruit hops. It's mild and drinkable, but still quite satisfying.

Serving type: cask

03-19-2011 02:26:05 | More by tempest

smakawhat

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the cask into a small snifter at Church Key DC.

Seems a slightly cloudy body with a pale amber to gold color. Super soapy looking bubbles out of the cask but they don't seem to go away what little ones there are.

First whiff on the nose is a pleasant aromatic soap but more like shampoo, it is mild I must say and comforting. It almost puts me at ease. There is a sense of some sort of garden floral grassyness with this one.

Out of the cask she has that butter dense feeling but also a chewy wet hop sensation. Great combination of bread and bitterness with a tolerable hop presence. Extremely teeth coating and chewy, but a small bitter hop feel on the swallow. It's mouthfeel is a little borderline wet however.

Still this is a great mild packed with flavor and aroma right out of the cask.

Serving type: cask

03-18-2011 02:42:19 | More by smakawhat

kojevergas

California

2.1/5  rDev -44%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Reviewed from notes taken during a January 2011 trip to Glasgow, Scotland. Served from a cask in the Bon Accord pub.

A: Pours a clear hold with a thick head of fair retention. Appealing.

Sm: Malt and barley; pretty standard.

T: Clean open, balanced body, crisp finish. Nothing remarkable.

Mf: Coarse where it needs to be. Grand.

Dr: It's nice enough, but pricey. Won't have it again.

Serving type: cask

03-08-2011 01:05:58 | More by kojevergas

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a pint glass.

A: Creamy head (about half a finger). Hazy gold, but pale and transparent.

S: Sour beeriness. Not very strong, not very impressive.

T: Mm, more flavour than I expected! The bitterness present has the taste of citrus peel. The label reads "Spicy. Aromatic. Zesty." Well, even though it's not aromatic at all, it is somewhat spicy, and "zesty" is the perfect adjective for this beer. Otherwise smooth and unassuming.

M: Mostly wishy-washy, but with a little something -- this would be the spice -- to keep things interesting.

D: Good, light, and indefinitely drinkable at 3.8%. Recommended above most other British beers; it has more character.

Serving type: cask

10-05-2010 15:45:50 | More by AgentMunky

champ103

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a clear straw yellow color. A one finger white head forms, but recedes to almost nothing. Lots of sticky, spiderweb looking lace is left behind though.
S: Floral, grassy, and spicy hops up front. Plenty of biscuit malts for balance.
T: Follows the nose. Lots of hop flavor without the bitterness. Floral, grassy, citrus, and spicy hops. A bread and biscuit malt flavor balances everything out nicely. Really good.
M/D: A light to medium body with crisp carbonation. Cleand and refereshing. Very dry as well. Really easy to drink. I can drink this all day.

Now I get this beer. I have had this several times in bottle form. I have never really enjoyed it. Though on cask this is great. If you see this on cask, it is something I highly recommend.

Serving type: cask

06-17-2010 18:52:19 | More by champ103

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint served by handpump in the Cafe Royal in Edinburgh

A- Hazy blonde body with a 2 finger creamy head tha produces good lacing.

S- Very faint citrussy floral notes. not much else

T- Floral citrus sweet grapefruits up front fade to a biscuity malt undertone.

M- Light, refreshing and creamy.

D- A flavoursome refreshing pale ale. Interesting enough for a session and easy enough and refreshing to drink that you dont have to think too much about enjoying it!

Serving type: cask

02-06-2009 13:33:58 | More by seanyfo

mkabull

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On getting my glass beer is light golden in color , no head evident par for serving style .
The aroma is full of grapefruit (my favorite).The taste is great like grapefruit juice but no extreme pithe bitterness , hop bitterness does linger but not for long . The mouthfeel is light and refreshing . Drinkability is off the charts for me grapefruit light beer no extreme pithe bitterness loved this beer .

Serving type: cask

11-14-2008 04:01:21 | More by mkabull

jwc215

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cask-conditioned at The Ginger Man in NYC.

Poured light golden yellow with a thin head that was well-retained and left some lacing on glass.

The smell was of earthy, floral hops that with a touch of wood.

The taste was of bitter, earthy, leafy hops. Sweet malt balanced it out, almost too much so. Herbal finish. It had a soft, pleasant taste, but was too balanced and low on alcohol to really be a true IPA. Tasty, nevertheless.

The body was creamy and smooth. Some of the bitterness hung on to give it a drying, yet refreshing feel.

Very easily drinkable. A nice "session" IPA, though not a great example of the style.

Serving type: cask

12-31-2006 03:57:18 | More by jwc215

John

New York

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had B&T cask conditioned at The Old Toad in Rochester. One of several special cask beers to be offered in the coming weeks. Cheers to Joe at the Toad.

Drawn from the hand pump, Bitter and Twisted is a fairly light golden honey color. The bubbles rise and form a thick dense head, about 3/4 inch. The aroma is surprising, dominated by citrusy grapefruit rinds. There's also an ever so slight damp hay note. Flavor is sharply hoppy, another surprise, rounded out by lightly toasted grains akin to saltines. A light sweetness fills the middle followed by a lingering bitter finish, living up to it's name. Also abundant is crisp hop flavor and aroma, leading me to believe the cask must be dry hopped. Body is light, carbonation on the money. This is quite a flavorful little drinker.

Serving type: cask

12-06-2004 17:46:54 | More by John

cracker

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was not what I was expecting for a Scottish beer as typically this grapefruit hoppy profile is more in keeping with American pale ales from the northwest. Delightfully refreshing I must say.

Appearance: Golden orange hue.
Smell: citrusy
Taste: Even more citrusy
Mouthfeel: Smooth, somewhat creamy, little carbonation (cask-conditioned).
Drinkablity: Absolutely easy to go down. Too bad it isn't readily available.

I was a bit suprised to find these features in a beer from Scotland

Serving type: cask

12-04-2004 20:08:48 | More by cracker

helloloser12345

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving: Cask at a local pub

Pour: Small head with little retention and slight lacing.

Appearance: Light honey colour

Smell: Citrus fruits, slight smell of grapefruit and also hay

Flavour: Sharp citrus flavours which buzz on the tongue. Very refreshing and full of flavour.

Had a few pints of this the other day and was very impressed so i have updated my review scores.

Overall: A very refreshing beer, ideal for a hot day

Serving type: cask

12-01-2004 21:00:07 | More by helloloser12345

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Tried this on cask at the Romsey Beer Festival in the New Forest in Hampshire UK.

Pours a pale gold color with a moderate head and good lacing. The aroma is of lemony hops and some malts. The taste is very interesting, a very hoppy mix of fresh mown hay and pronounced lemon. This beer is brewed with both German and English hops, that might have something to do with the unique hop profile. The finish is very bitter and citrusy. An Excellent and very unique beer.

Serving type: cask

08-22-2004 04:59:09 | More by CAMRAhardliner

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Really nice session ale. Nice fresh citrusy hop aroma. Lightly caramelly, with a nicely bitter hop (Citrus again) finish. Apparently this was the champion beer at the GBBF 2003, perhaps not worthy of that accolade, but still a nice beer all the same. (Cask- GBBF 03')

Serving type: cask

09-29-2003 01:54:32 | More by rastaman

Jdiddy

Rhode Island

4.5/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at the 2003 Nerax. What a treat! Nice orangish-brown color. Great hop punch with a nice malty/hop scent. Extremely smooth beer and bitter but not overly bitter. I can't wait to try the bottled version now. Nice sweet malt taste to coincide with the hop flavor.

Serving type: cask

05-11-2003 06:44:39 | More by Jdiddy

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A real treat to find this at the NERAX 2003! Bright golden in color with medium-sized bubbles and a fast fading head. The lace is thin, but a little sticky. The hoppy aroma is slightly mellowed by hints of lightly roasted malt. Sharp, citrusy bitterness with an edgy aggressiveness. Mellows, sweetens and balances out toward the end of the glass. Very gulpable!

Serving type: cask

05-02-2003 19:22:59 | More by BeerResearcher

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a nonic pint glass on 5/8/13

Clear, golden straw color with clinging bubbles and one finger of white foam. Thinner, soapy retention. Only a few specks of lace.

The aroma is bristly with orange peel, pine and lemon zest. Biscuit notes as well. It smells a bit skunky at first but I think that's just the hop profile. The flavor is that of herbal hops with a floral hint. There are modest notions of orange rind and other such pith. Grassy overtones and toasted cracker and biscuit. The feel is a little watery but pretty decent. Carbonation is moderate and not over reaching the body. Herbal and bitter twinge on the finish.

I don't reckon this is too bad; a decent sipper that I'm in no hurry to get again any time soon.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 23:33:10 | More by Ryan011235

smiga

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Presentation: Half-Litre (1 Pt 0.9 fl.oz) brown glass bottle poured into a .5l cylinder glass. It's more of a Golden Bitter Ale than an IPA.

Appearance: Nice color, golden clear body, well carbonated on pour, but head dissipates quickly. Good lacing. Low carbonation after the pour.

Nose: more flowers, grass and fruit than any other IPA I have tried. Very original. What I love about a great burgundy wine, I find here, grass, earth, spring. It's fresh and zingy, hops evident, citric zest and lemon acidity, cut grass, hay.

Taste: Exotic. Bitter fruit. Herbs and Hay. Lovely fresh citric hops dominate, w/ lightly toasted malts. dry bitter finish. Great finish on the tongue. Great appetizer and food beer.

Mouthfeel: soft carbonation, light body. tingly and mellow. nice clean finish. Good year round, good in summer and warmer month. Nice to have a less alcoholic IPA. Nice to have a fruity, grassy beer to play around with different foods and to surprise friends with.

Drinkability: Scottish Session beer. Summer games and outdoors. Amen.

Overall: winner of several CAMRA Awards. If you can find it, try it, totally worth it!

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 22:43:46 | More by smiga