1. Broughton Black Douglas
Who made it: Broughton Ales, a Scottish brewery located in the village of Broughton in the Scottish Borders south of Edinburgh. They bottle 11 beers.
What kind of beer is it: Scottish ale. Broughton calls it a “dark ruby coloured ale with a rich full-bodied malt flavour and overtones of roast fruit,” but I’m gonna call it a Scottish ale. If you want me to get all BJCP on you, it comes closest to the Export (or 80 shilling) classification in the Scottish ale category. The beer comes in a 500 ml. bottle and weighs in at 5.2% ABV.
What I thought of the beer: When you buy a beer called Black Douglas, you expect to open the bottle and pour something really dark and robust. The beer’s label tells the story of a badass knight who was a trusted friend of Robert the Bruce and died fighting the Moors in Spain while trying to transport Robert the Bruce’s heart to Jerusalem. Okay, so, that said, this has to be some kind of black-as-night stout, right? Nope, it’s a Scottish ale. And I can’t say I have a shitload of experience drinking Scottish ales, but I do know it’s a malt-forward style. This can sometimes mean too much sweetness and I’m not into that. Fortunately, the Black Douglas has a roasty malt flavor with an almost smoky twang to it. There’s also some sweetness and a little hop bitterness. It’s light- to medium-bodied and a pretty easy drinker.
Rating: **½
If you’re gonna call a beer Black Douglas, you should probably make it darker than a Scottish (Export) ale, like a stout. People may buy it expecting that, and will get pissed off when it’s not. Even the picture on the brewery’s website (above) is misleading. They make it look like a stout and I’m telling you, it was transparent dark amber. Taste-wise, I had no problem finishing the bottle and enjoyed some aspects of it. All the flavors are subdued, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not a beer that’s going to linger in your mind when you’re done. Probably won’t seek it out again unless I’m planning to douche it up with a horizontal tasting of Scottish ales.
