REVIEW 81: INNIS & GUNN ORIGINAL

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Scotland

BREWERY:  Innis & Gunn

STYLE:  Scottish Ale

ABV:  6.6%

PURCHASE:  22.3-oz. bottle (gift)

SERVING:  Said bottle, poured into Guinness-branded imperial pint glass. Very heady upon dispensation with a standard pour; about four inches of suds sponged the top 2/3 of the glass! Good retention, too. Second pour--a partial one, due to the fact that there were only a few ounces left--yielded maybe an inch. 

APPEARANCE:  Transparent body. Caramel-copper color with a seeming touch of ruby. Light bubble action. Very bright white head. No lacing.

BOUQUET:  Mild, malty aroma. Subtle notes of spice--namely cloves and cinnamon--and caramel.

PALATE:  Noticeable but contained carbonation. Smooth, easygoing body. Comes off like a mild ale initially--think Trooper or Yards Brawler--but then seems to morph a bit, taking on bock-like qualities with a slightly zesty finish. That's where a kiss of hops and yeast emerge, leading to an clove-cinnamon aftertaste. (My nose was right.) Make no mistake, though: This is malt's show. Interesting in that the overall palate is not roasty or toasty, but sort of . . . caramelized. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  This is a Scottish ale, a style known for richness. This one didn't really have that. But what it did have was a simply satisfying taste. That's not as exciting as . . . the blare of bagpipes. 

It's subtler, like a flute. But sometimes a flute can rock. Ian Anderson rocked a flute. He's the guy from Jethro Tull. And he's also from Scotland.

I don't know where I'm going with that analogy. I'll close by just saying it's a solid beer and I rank it accordingly.




GRADE:  B