Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.

We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.

Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale

Contribute your own beer reviews and ratings of beers that are made or available in Ontario.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

midlife crisis
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2009
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:00 pm
Location: Toronto

Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale

Post by midlife crisis »

The recent mention, on the news page, of this beer now being in cans inspired me to buy a few, going back to it for the first time in years. It is really good! This may not be news to anyone else, but if you haven't had it for a while I commend the canned version as a nice, balanced but flavourful British-style ale.

I for one really like the trend of Ontario micros being available in single serving 473 ml cans.

User avatar
Derek
Beer Superstar
Posts: 3192
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 2:11 pm
Location: Kelowna, BC
Contact:

Post by Derek »

With some nice flavour & modest alcohol, this was one of my sessional beers at the UWO grad club. Definitely the go-to beer for a long night.

I really miss having that 'local'. I drank plenty of Creemore (before Molson 'improved' the filtering) and Wellington County as well... with some summer & winter beers to mix it up. Ahhh... good memories...

User avatar
Belgian
Bar Towel Legend
Posts: 10033
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: Earth

Post by Belgian »

Mos def a great session ale, the Scottish ale. A perfect little gem I quite enjoy.
In Beerum Veritas

User avatar
Belgian
Bar Towel Legend
Posts: 10033
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: Earth

Post by Belgian »

Okay... just opened a chilled a can of this. Great open malt profile and complex alefruits. Nice bloom of hoppy bitterness and tart fruit. Everything the bottled rendition offers, just great. I love the 'pure' fresh taste of NS ales & lagers.
In Beerum Veritas

User avatar
pootz
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2022
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:36 pm

Post by pootz »

Andy has retooled this one a number of times and had it perfected to where he wanted it just before they bought the canner.

10W30 has also been retooled recently to put the hop bite in the front with a lush caramel-nut maltiness trailing to the finish where some bittering appears again to turn lightly metalic in the after taste.

I just sampled a fresh can of this and it's much improved profile will stay brighter and last longer in the cans.

It may have been the effect of this being the first canned beer I've had since Xmas...but it still tasted improved as well as very very quenching :D
Aventinus rules!

User avatar
pootz
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2022
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:36 pm

Post by pootz »

Speaking of Neustadt did anyone get a chance to sample Andy's special northern bitter he brewed for the anniversary?
Aventinus rules!

User avatar
JerCraigs
Beer Superstar
Posts: 3053
Joined: Sun May 25, 2003 8:00 pm
Location: Toronto

Post by JerCraigs »

pootz wrote:Speaking of Neustadt did anyone get a chance to sample Andy's special northern bitter he brewed for the anniversary?
Nope. Did it make it to the GTA? I tried and enjoyed the one they did for Cest Whats Anniversary.

User avatar
pootz
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2022
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:36 pm

Post by pootz »

JerCraigs wrote:
pootz wrote:Speaking of Neustadt did anyone get a chance to sample Andy's special northern bitter he brewed for the anniversary?
Nope. Did it make it to the GTA? I tried and enjoyed the one they did for Cest Whats Anniversary.
I assume he made a few kegs for the usual places...I've been whacked out for a month so I had no way to het back to try it.

Apparently he still has some at the brewery so I'll be going there to gets some now I'm back.
Aventinus rules!

Illuminatus
Posts: 229
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 3:33 am
Location: Kitchener-Waterloo, ON

Post by Illuminatus »

I was actually a little disappointed by this - I felt it was thin and not malty enough for the hops. Not up to the standard of the Neustadt Lager or the 10W30.

User avatar
JesseM
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1307
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:46 am

Post by JesseM »

I actually love this one. It can be hit or miss from can to can, but in my experience it depends on the freshness level. When fresh, I really love this stuff.

Personally, I don't like the canned Neustadt Lager, or the 10w30. I loved the lager when it was bottled, but the one can I had of it seemed overly hoppy, too unbalanced, and generally undrinkable by my palate. The 10w30 was better, but still nothing I really was nuts about.

Here's my tip, buy a bottle of scotch. Illuminatus, I'd be willing to go 50/50 with you on a decent bottle of single malt at some point, but any scotch will due. Take a shot of the scotch, and chase it with Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale. It sounds stupid, and like something only I would do to impress people at parties (which is does for some reason), but it leaves this delicious butterscotch aftertaste that lingers for a really nice long time!

Maybe I'm just weird. :lol:

User avatar
Belgian
Bar Towel Legend
Posts: 10033
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: Earth

Post by Belgian »

JesseM wrote:Personally, I don't like the canned Neustadt Lager, or the 10w30. I loved the lager when it was bottled, but the one can I had of it seemed overly hoppy, too unbalanced, and generally undrinkable by my palate. The 10w30 was better, but still nothing I really was nuts about.
That's funny because next last Scottish I bought seemed 'older' than the recent brilliant one - also not as good as the great Lager I bought at the same time. Maybe we both need a fresher can of these Jess?

This is the slight trade-off we get with 100% authentic natural products that aren't designed for 'bullet-proof' shelf life:

www.neustadtsprings.com/page3.html

Says right here Neustadt beers "HAVE to be refrigerated." Sounds like unpasteurized beer to me! I will have to make a run to Cooper St. to get perfect samples of all three because they will be very fresh (they still were okay 'old' but hey let's not be su
In Beerum Veritas

User avatar
JesseM
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1307
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:46 am

Post by JesseM »

Belgian wrote:
This is the slight trade-off we get with 100% authentic natural products that aren't designed for 'bullet-proof' shelf life:
I think you hit the nail on the head right there Belgian.

Also, the 'M' part of JesseM stands for MacLeod, my last name, which is probably the single most Scottish name in existence, so I guess maybe I'm inherently supposed to enjoy Scottish Ales? :P

User avatar
Belgian
Bar Towel Legend
Posts: 10033
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: Earth

Post by Belgian »

Hey MacLeod, a Pringle here myself. Maybe we're not Clansmen, but I guess that's because long before we Pringles were Scots we were Norman Vikings... invading places all over Europe including (of course) Normandy and Sicily...

Like beer all people must come from somewhere it seems (to link back to topic.)
In Beerum Veritas

Cagiva650
Posts: 175
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 7:42 am
Location: Torbay Newfoundland

Post by Cagiva650 »

I'm enjoying my first Neustadt Scottish Pale Ale. Lovely beer. Some nice flavours coming through in this one. I bought this from Andy at the brewery one week ago. The cans are a great convienience for me, having to carry them home to Newfoundland in my suitcase.

Scots names? Ya can't get a more Scottish name than McDonald! :)

matt7215
Beer Superstar
Posts: 3047
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:18 am

Post by matt7215 »

one of the most under-rated ontario brewers, the 10w30 is alway a good buy and the lager is a quality brew. the scottish ale didnt really do much for me but it wasnt bad in any way. i guess this here Macdonald just doesnt enjoy a good scottish ale :wink:

Post Reply