Today's beer is out of left field. I tried to go out of my comfort zone a bit in my latest trip to Jungle Jim's. I got a bunch of wheat beers, which aren't usually my favorite, and also decided to try a handful of foreign beers. I want to mix things up. I can't review Imperial IPAs every day. In the spirit of trying new things I bring you today's beer. Scotland's own Williams Bros. Brewing Company's Kelpie Seaweed Ale. Now I'll be honest with you. I have never had a seaweed ale. I don't even know what a seaweed ale is! I know nothing of this beer other than the fact that the name intrigued me and it has a cool label. I don't know what the hell I'm getting myself into here, folks. To the beer!
Kelpie Seaweed Ale pours a deep silky brown that lightens toward the edges to a brilliant, clear, well filtered red. It's capped by a good layer of tan head. This is my first surprise. I was expecting much more of a pale ale look. I didn't expect a seaweed ale to look this inviting.
The aromas on this beer are incredible. Notes of baked bread, semisweet baker's chocolate, almost chocolate cake like, all with a nice sweetness. There are some coffee notes folded in there underneath as well. One of the more complex, nuanced noses I've seen. Really really nice.
This beer continues to surprise. The appearance and the aroma led me to believe that this would be a big hearty beer. Quite the contrary! It's actually pretty light and has a great smoothness. Now while the body is pretty light the flavor is anything but. Creamy roasty malt notes mingle with bready chocolatey notes backed by a little bit of that coffee returning. The flavors are distinct but also pretty subtle. There's not much in the way of hops going on but it doesn't really bother me. It's just enough to give the beer balance and a bit of crispness. I'm not really sure what flavors are being contributed by the seaweed, but whatever they are, they're working. All of the flavors work very well in concert. Very well put together. The 4.4% ABV, in addition to the lighter body, keeps this beer extremely drinkable.
It's hard to pin down a style here. Perhaps a complex brown ale, or a light bodied porter? I had to look it up on Beer Advocate to figure out that it's actually a style called a Scottish gruit which is an ancient style of Scottish ale that was often brewed with seaweed, yarrow, wild rosemary, and other spices, herbs, and berries. Very interesting.
I took a flyer on this beer. I saw a beer on the shelf with a weird name and a cool label and I gave it a shot. I couldn't be happier that I did. Kelpie Seaweed is a very complex, incredibly tasty beer and one of the most pleasant surprises I've ever had drinking beer. Seek this one out.
HD
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