Beer sellers: Scottish Real Ale Shop; Top Tastings 2011
ABV: 4%
Origin: Larbert, Falkirk, Scotland
Website www.trystbrewery.co.uk
Tryst Drovers 80/-
Tryst is a strong candidate for the list of the most underrated breweries in the UK — I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad beer from this micro just outside Falkirk. The wide range of accomplished bottle conditioned beers is particularly rare and noteworthy among Scottish brewers. A good number of the beers are unusual and innovative for Scotland, but brewer John McGarva can also turn his hand to traditional styles, as with this impressive take on an 80/-.
The beer is a rich mid-brown with a creamy beige head and a slightly yeasty and varnishy aroma yielding spice cake, malt and figgy fruit tones. The toasty malt palate has a lightly fruity note with sweetish cinder toffee flavours and a suggestion of sage in a dab of herbal hops, the result of a modest but noticeable late addition to the kettle. A gentle hop burr emerges from a comforting, lightly roasty sweetish malt finish with the slight crack of burnt toast.
There’s some more background to the brewery in my review of Brockville Dark and Carronade IPA.
Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tryst-drovers-80–aka-wheel-ale/71979/
Leave a Reply