Cairngorm - Wildcat & Round Up.

The last in my series of the Cairngorm Breweries range...So some thoughts and a round up below.

Wildcat pours clear dark coppery amber with a medium creamy off-white head. Lots of roasted and smoked malt, caramel and licorice on the intake and finishes dry, mildly bitter and slightly sweet . Hops linger in the aftertaste.

A stunning looking beer which I enjoyed drinking. Very easy to drink and would have no problem buying another. If I had any gripe it would be it feels a bit over carbonated.

This scored 6.5/10 on my lazy sunday, just had an afternoon nap beerometer.

Alc : 5.1%
Where to buy CPH : Try Abigails shop in town.

Round up

I've enjoyed going through this Cairngorm range. There has been some very decent, some above average and some very mediocre. Thankfully, none I would class as a drainpour.

If I was going to buy any three again it would be Trade Winds, Black Gold and Wildcat...in that order. This of course is my own personal view as in my mind all taste is subjective. Your own taste might and probably will be very different to my own.

I got asked why I did not mention the nose more on this beer blog ? I can only answer that I find it quite pointless as it might be the best smelling brew ever but taste totally crap, I'd just rather skip the starter and get onto the main course.

If there is a good waft of aromas coming off the beer then I will mention it but you will never find me with my nose up close to uncapped bottles or a poured beer sniffing away !

Cairngorm - Trade Winds

On the descent now with this batch of Cairngorms. I'm pretty sure I've seen this on draught in town before in Charlies Bar a good while back though I passed on it, will I regret it ?...

Trade Winds is a blond ale. A nice hoppy floral aroma wafts out when uncapped. Pours a clear gold with a creamy medium white head.

A lot of citrus fruit, hops and a little malt in the background on the intake with a mild dry bitter finish. The aftertaste is dominated by elderflower and a small touch of honey.

There is nothing that complex over this beer but it certainly put a smile on my face. What an idiot for passing on the draught ! Very fresh tasting summer beer and I'd have no second thoughts if the opportunity arose to get a few more bottles in.

All the conditions were right when drinking this, maybe need to revisit when it's lashing down and miserable.

This scored 7/10 on my 'saving the best to second last ?' beerometer.

Alc : 4.3%
Where to buy CPH : Abigails british food shop in town has a selection of Cairngorms in that are not listed in the web shop though I can't remember if this was among them.

Cairngorm - White Lady

Scrapping the Cairngorm alphabetical order, it's too hot today for Trade Winds and Wildcat to finish the range...A bonus beer as I was in Abigails British food shop in town during the week and they had a good few of the Cairngorm range in.

Finally ! Remember my small annoyances with brewers writing 'continental style beer' on the blurb on their labels, this brewer included twice ? Well here on this one they have their act together and actually bothered to put where and what the brew is inspired and styled after. 'Bavarian Wheat Beer' Thank you, no guessing what it is required though there is a catch here...

White Lady pours a clear dark orange to bronze colour with a medium white head. I do get the orange peel and coriander mentioned on the label blurb along with wheat and roasted malts on the intake while it finishes slightly bitter with coriander and lemon lingering in the aftertaste.

If blindfolded I would never guess this was styled as a german weiss. It comes off as some kind of hybrid between a wheat beer and I don't know what. I quite enjoyed it all the same and would no have no problems having to drink another. This scored 4/10 on my 'what the hell is it ?' beerometer.

Alc : 4.7%
Where to buy CPH : Abigails have it in their shop in town.

Cairngorm - Stag

If you have been following yesterdays posts then you will remember I wrote it was Distortion today in my street and part of town.Well the hipsters have taken over the street, not on my steps *teehee* but enough to annoy me anyway. Anyone for techno electronic jazz ?

It's a call to arms and I've enlisted my son to help me with Call Of DutyFree 5 - Hipster Helles.

Dad I've finished practice, hipsters you say ?

To Arms ! 'We have a bb gun, 2000 rounds, a watermelon, a coconut and a 300 bag of pg tips. We're in this for the long haul son !'

Everything needed for this mission

Hang on a minute, before we go I've a beer to get on with before that fat jazz singer pipes up....

Pours a clear deep amber with a thick creamy off-white head. Roasted malt, mild hops and nutty on the intake with a very mild bitter finish. Very short bitter aftertaste of caramel and hops. It feels pretty creamy in the mouth. I over-chilled this one and it got a lot better as it warmed a bit. I quite enjoyed this as it was better than I thought it would be. Easy drinking, tad above average without any wow factor. My only gripe would be it could be a lot better with a bit more depth too it, though you can say that with heaps of other beer.


This scored  5/10 on my ' Of course I am only joking, everyone needs a hipster friend sometime' beerometer.

Alc : 4.1%
Where to buy : Abigails  have it in their shop in town along with most of the Cairngorm range.

Cairngorm - Sheepshaggers Gold

My wife, good lady that she is, came home all happy and told me she brought home a new beer for me. Well, what is it ? 'Ehhmmmm... Pabst Blue Ribbon, you want it now as it's cold ?' Sure, as I'd just finished Nessie's Monster Mash.  Ok, so I drank it and the wife could see a totally blank expression on my noggin. 'not good ?' Well a bit of malt and a real funked up aftertaste. Which brings me to a point...

Who in their right mind would buy this slop in Denmark for 10kr a bottle over a whole load of better beers for the same or lesser price ? I just don't get it.

On to the beer which is obviously aimed for the Welsh market :)

Awww no, not again...

Pure dead Continental man !

This Continental Style Blond Ale pours golden with a fluffy white head. I get a light sweet malt and caramel on the intake while in the aftertaste a weird funky sour tasting lemon, and not a particular nice lemon at that. Low bitterness. I'm not impressed at all with this so it's only 3.5/10 on the maybe pabst ain't so bad after all beerometer.

Alc : 4.5%
Where to buy : Unknown

Cairngorm - Nessie's Monster Mash

A bit of trepidation before opening this and wondering who it's aimed at. Either it is just a fun fun fun named beer or just some distinctly average brew aimed at the shortbread tin image tourist market to pick up before heading home. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh but it was the first thing that came into my skeptical warped mind when seeing the blurb...

Clearing the blurb from my head and getting on to the beer itself. Pours dark amber with a creamy off-white head with good lacing in the glass all the way down. Lots of roasted malts and floral hops on the intake while finishing dry and bitter. Lingering toffee in the aftertaste.

Better than I was expecting with my only real gripes being it being a bit watery and over carbonated. Still, a bit above average bitter ale and very easy to drink. This scored 6/10 on my 'what's this tourist pish?' beerometer.

Alc : 4.4%
Where to buy : Unknown.

Cairngorm - Cairngorm Gold

Heading to halfway down this range trail I come to..sorry I can't help myself.

A small annoyance, why do some, this one included as it's on the blurb the bottle, write and it normally means a lager/pils etc 'continental styled beer' ? To me, that could mean anything,  I'd ask which continent for one then which style ?

You would not go into a shop and reply if asked what you were looking for 'ohh I'm right in the mood for a continental styled beer'. What an utter nonsense it is ! Just tell me on the bottle what the beer style is and if it's a German, Belgian, American, Scottish, Danish, English or Timbuktuan inspired brew then let people know.

On to this Blond Ale, if someone said this was a lager I would not even argue...Pours golden with a medium white creamy head. Light malts with a discreet fruity background. Next to no bitterness and hardly any aftertaste to make you think about it. Not a whole lot going on with this, it's easy to drink and a bit too watery. A bit of a duffer, very average and only reached a limp 4/10 on the beerometer.

Alc : 4.5%
Where to buy : Unknown at time of writing.

Cairngorm - Blessed Thistle

Carrying on with the Cairngorm range, range...get it ?

As it happens I used to go a lot of camping up in the Aviemore area when I was a young lad. Great memories of hiking for miles a day where it could pour down with rain, shelter from a full scale gale, get a brief snow shower and still end up sunburnt at the end of the day..in June.

Blessed Thistle is a reddish brown ale according to the label.

This pours as the label says, reddish brown with a creamy beige head. Looks stunning when poured.  I get sweet malt, caramel and some herbs on the intake while it finishes dry, mildly bitter and with a ginger spice.

I quite like this one though it's not one that gave any wow factor. It's a decent above average bitter that I'd have no problems sitting drinking a few. It climbed to 6/10 on my pre scottish cup final beerometer.

Alc : 4.5%
Where to buy : Trying to track the supplier down.

Cairngorm - Black Gold

The Copenhagen beer festival started today though I'm going on saturday..or meant to be as my sweet talking brother convinced me that the annual Irish Day up the at horse racing track was a better idea.

Hmmm get to sample a lot of good different beers or probably lose a crapload of money, drink crap guinness and get soaked just to top it off. Well, I reasoned with myself I can get good beer anytime so I chose the latter option..Begorrah.

Carrying on, Black Gold is a stout. Pours black with ruby red tints and a thin tan head once settled that leaves lacing all the way down. Slightly sweet with roasted malt and brown sugar on the intake while finishing dry in the mouth with hints of milk chocolate.

I quite like this one and would have no problem drinking or buying another if I could find it though for a Scottish Stout in its price class it would be up against the easy to find Belhaven Scottish Stout which I rate highly and will no doubt blog about sometime. Black Gold climbed to 7/10 on my beerometer.

Alc : 4.4%
Where to buy : See the Autumn Nuts post.

Cairngorm - Autumn Nuts

See that lovely beer banner above ? I took that pic after my lovely-caring-hardworking-understanding wife bought all them beers for me at Roskilde Kræmmermarked (Fleamarket) from a stall run by a guy connected to the YNWA, yep as the Scouse song and pub/beershop in Kolding, which is a reservation many many miles from Danish civilization, that far out they don't have a website I can give you.

Anyway, as you can see there is nine brews from the Cairngorm Brewery and four from Heather Ales otherwise known as Williams Bros. Where to start ? Easy, A !

Starting off with Autumn Nuts which according to the blurb this a red ale. Pours russet red with a tight creamy off-white head. Taste is dominated by malt and nuts on the intake while a citrus bitterness is left in the aftertaste.

Easy drinking beer though I'm not sure I like it enough to buy another. Above average bitter ale that reached 6/10 on the beerometer.

Alc : 4.8%
Where to buy : Well some Liverpool supporting bloke from Kolding that has stalls in all the big Fleamarkets, otherwise I've not seen it in any of the CPH beer shops.