Originally published in BEER January 2007
ABV: 3.8 and 4.2 per cent
Origin: Larbert, Falkirk
Buy from: Brewery (tel 01324 554000), specialists
Website www.trystbrewery.co.uk
Tryst Brockville Dark
Hogmanay is imminent as this issue leaves the press, with Burns Night soon to follow, so it’s the time of year for this column to look north of the border.
In previous years I’ve bemoaned the relatively rarity of Real Ale in a Bottle in an otherwise innovative and dynamic Scottish craft brewing scene. That situation now seems to have changed decisively, with several new names appearing in the recent Good Bottled Beer Guide and others expanding existing ranges.
And there’s more to follow: I was particularly excited to hear that Williams Brothers, originators of Fraoch heather ale, plan to bottle condition some lines, though samples weren’t ready by the time of writing.
With its generally rugged geography and low population density, Scotland will always be a challenge for cask ale producers, partly explaining why its brewers once embraced keg even more wholeheartedly than their English counterparts.
So RAIBs surely have a key role to play as a way for pubs and restaurants even in the remotest corners of the Highlands to offer a choice of natural and distinctive regional bottled beers, much as many of them already do with the country’s standout whiskies.
Then there’s the important tourist trade, and an export market fuelled by both the Scottish diaspora and the romantic and distinctive image Scotland enjoys in the eyes of the world’s consumers.
Tryst Brewery, in the small town of Larbert, near Falkirk in the Central Belt, is one of the new RAIB specialists. Owner John McGarva is a former home brewer who went commercial in 2004, and the brewery name, pronounced to rhyme with “spiced”, commemorates Falkirk’s historic cattle market.
John started by brewing cask, but following requests from drinkers he soon invested in a small bottling plant, and found his bottled beers winning acclaim. A varied and interesting selection of five RAIBs are now available, all in elegant bottles bearing distinctive labels featuring Falkirk’s town steeple.
Tryst won Champion Bottle Conditioned Beer of Scotland 2006 for Brockville Dark, an unusual example of a Scottish-brewed mild named after Falkirk FC’s ground at Brockville Park. It’s made from Optic pale, crystal, amber and chocolate malts, roasted barley and Challenger and Goldings hops.
The result is a dark brown beer with a ruby note, an off-white foam head, and a minerally, salty aroma with a whiff of roast grain. The soft malty palate is gently tingly and slightly briny, with herb notes, a touch of chocolate and a sting of drying hops.
The beer turns liquoricey in a long lasting and very satisfying roasty finish with hints of coal tar and frothy chocolate.
Tryst Carronade IPA
The well deserved CBoS win was the second in a row for the brewery: in 2005 the RAIB medal went to Carronade IPA, named after a cannon made by a local ironworks and used at the battle of Trafalgar.
The beer is in the modern Scottish rather than the historic English IPA mould, a hoppy golden session ale that invites comparison with Caledonian’s classic Deuchars IPA, but is more robustly and intensely flavoured.
Its clear golden colour and fine but sparse white head result from pure Optic pale malt. Cascade and Columbus hop varieties from Washington State contribute to a fresh and complex aroma of pollen, ginger, lemon grass and elderflower.
There’s more elderflower on a crisp and very dry palate with a smooth malty backdrop. A citric swallow leads to a biscuity finish with a firm peppery hop bite, pineapple notes and a late hint of grapefruit.
What’s especially remarkable is that Carronade’s 4.2 per cent ABV is currently as strong as Tryst gets – John skilfully packs massive amounts of flavour into modest gravities, and still ensures the beers work well in bottle.
Tryst Brockville Dark was also featured as a mild for May in BEER May 2009. To read the previous review in this piece, see Hoggleys Mill Lane Mild.
Finally, one of my favourite craft-brewed bottled milds comes from north of the border, where the distinct, and now near-extinct, 60/- style originally filled mild’s ecological niche. Tryst Brockville Dark, from Larbert near Falkirk is a well-balanced award-winning interpretation with a gently tingly and slightly briny malty palate and a liquorice and frothy chocolate finish. Smooth and suave perhaps, of manners gentle and affections mild indeed.
Read more about these beers at ratebeer.com:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tryst-brockville-dark/33826/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tryst-carronade-ipa/39477/
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