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Notes on beers brewed by

Inveralmond Brewery Ltd., The
Santa’s Swallie

Santa’s Swallie

500 mL bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour delivers a classic, English Pale Ale appearance with a slightly clouded, light amber hue with a spotty head that produces some nice retention and some sticky lace. All is well with the appearance. Nose offers some lovely malt notes that have depth, plus a pronounced, buttery, toasty aroma. Nice. Tastes reflect the nose and also bring a slight, light-rum character. NOT boozy, but it does have some raisin and bready notes. Short finish which is...

Santa’s Swallie

Lia Fail

Dark amber with an impressive, rocky and deep head and a little lacing. Some mild, yet persistent carbonation. Aroma is simple toasted malts, and the taste is a classic (if somewhat dry) British ESB. Caramel malts with a bigger than expected hop finish. Slight sftertaste of hard water and a definite dry feeling. A decent brew but for me it lacks the smoothness that it should display. In summary, a good brew but frankly it has the potential to be even better. Fell slightly short for me.

Santa’s Swallie

Blackfriar

Very nice looker, with a deep, dense reddish brown body, good fluffy head and some sticky lacing. Aroma and initial taste promise much malt, and you do get some, but not to the extent that I was expecting. Then another surprise - a really hoppy, fairly short, but very, very bitter kick in the finish. I didn't really enjoy that little unexpected moment, and I thought that it served to cause the beer to be slightly unbalanced. Mouthfeel is good, with a little slick, oily feeling, but that...