The Bard’s Beer
The 25th of January is Scotland’s unofficial second National Day – and is probably celebrated far more widely than St Andrew’s Day itself. On that date in 1759 Robert Burns was born in a small cottage in the South Ayrshire town of Alloway. He went from humble farmer’s son to become the national poet of Scotland, and today is renowned throughout the world, and on this day in particular. In fact, he’s nothing short of a cultural icon here, having penned Auld Lang Syne which is always the endpoint of Scotland’s other national holiday – Hogmanay.
As you’d expect, there are plenty of tie-ins and Burns-related goings on that magically appear during the last week in January. On the night of the 25th, Burns Suppers are held that feature haggis, escorted into the room to the sound of the bagpipes. Burns’s Address to a Haggis is read out by the host, and the supper begins. Whisky is consumed in large quantities at these evenings – but should the ale lover require something a bit more to their tastes, the good brewers of Belhaven in Dunbar have supplied just such an alternative.
According to their website, Robert Burns Scottish Ale (4.2%) is ‘poetry in a glass’, being “dark, sweet and almost toffee-like, and a real taste of Scotland”. Unlike a fair proportion of ‘Scottish ales’, thankfully this one falls into the drinkable part of the sweetness spectrum. It pours a lovely dark caramel colour with a seriously generous head – but there isn’t any sicklyness to the taste. It’s dark but without the molasses aftertaste that befuddle so many of it’s type. Burns was fond of ‘reaming swats’ (see Tam o’ Shanter), and I think he would approve of this one.
