Moulin Ale of Atholl

Beer sellers: Scottish Real Ale Shop

ABV: 4.5%
Origin: Pitlochry, Perth & Kinross, Scotland
Website: www.moulininn.co.uk

Moulin Brewery Real Ales Special Brews

From one of Scotland’s (and the UK’s) smallest and most scenically situtated breweries comes this bottle conditioned rarity in an intriguingly screen printed bottle. It’s from the village of Moulin, actually the historic centre of an ancient parish that includes nearby Pitlochry, the latter now bigger and better known since its days as a Victorian tourist resort.

In 1995 the owners of the Moulin Inn, a pub at least three centuries old, opened a brewery in the old stables and coachhouse opposite, with most of the production sold through the pub both as draught cask and carry out bottles. Occasionally the beer does venture further afield, as evidenced by this example which popped up at the Scottish Real Ale Shop, though the cask beer is usually limited to nearby outlets.

Ale of Atholl, a pun on the name of nearby geographical feature the Vale of Atholl, was the first regular brew. Pleasingly, though the pub owners’ background was in brewpub management in England, they opted for a beer more in tune with local tastes, adopting the slightly sweeter, darker, maltier profile of a traditional Scottish ale.

This is a dark ruby beer with a thick and creamy beige head. The aroma is slightly cakey with mineral malt and a hint of dark fruit, setting up a date-tinged palate with a big bite of biscuity cakey malt enlivened by fruity esters and a definite, but not too troubling, acidic note — I woudn’t advise storing the beer for too long before drinking. The finish is complex and chewy with tart fruit and nutty malt notes. The bitter balance is more thanks to roast than hops, and there’s a slightly powdery, pursing character at the end.

Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: www.ratebeer.com/beer/moulin-ale-of-atholl/16040/