Arran Blonde

Atlas Brewery Nimibus Blonde
78A smooth and mouthfilling beer in the continental blonde style rather than following the trend for golden ales with a citrus accent. The diacetyl note (butterscotch, as it is technically known) will n...

Belhaven Belhaven Best
53An amber-coloured, widget beer in a can, thin, dull and lifeless. I wish I could be more positive but there's really not much to commend.

Belhaven Fruit Beer
73Not the subtlest of fruit beers, but it will appeal to a certain constituency.

Black Isle Organic Wheat Beer
68A Scottish take on this Belgian beer style. Over carbonation suggests that the sample was not quite as it should be.

BrewDog Hardcore IPA
75An intriguing and powerful golden beer echoing the American style where strength and hops both aspire to new levels. The excessive alcohol tends to spoil the balance for me but, as the label says: ‘...

BrewDog How to Disappear Completely
78A brave attempt to pack the extravagant hop character found in strong American beers into a session bitter. It's an interesting idea, and certainly showcases the wonders of hops, but without the alcoh...

BrewDog Paradox

BrewDog Paradox Isle of Arran
85A dark-ruby-coloured imperial stout matured in Isle of Arran whisky casks. It's very well balanced, too, so the oak and the whisky do not dominate other flavours. Carbonation just a little low on this...

BrewDog Paradox Smokehead
83A dark ruby imperial stout aged in Islay whisky casks. Once you get over the rather uninviting aroma, the taste is notably sweet and the beer becomes very suppable. You really do have to like peat, th...

BrewDog Punk IPA
75Very tasty, aggressive beer from a funky Scottish microbrewery that models itself on the US craft brewing movement. But it's so flavoursome that it may prove too demanding for some drinkers.

BrewDog Rip Tide
80A big, solid, clean and uncompromising imperial stout, packed with flavour.

BrewDog The Physics
Fruity, clean, dry, citrus, pink grapefruit. Good hop nose, clean bitterness. Sulphitic notes. Balanced full palate, dry and slightly bitter aftertaste. Astringent.

BrewDog Trashy Blonde
78The bitterness in the finish is a just a little harsh but otherwise this is an impressive, golden beer with plenty of body and, as you'd expect from Brew Dog, no shortage of taste.

BrewDog Zeitgeist
78A black lager that drinks like a crisp, clean stout and is likely to be of more appeal to stout drinkers than lager buyers.

Bridge of Allan Bramble
73A pleasant but sweet drink based around fresh blackberries but with a good mix of complementary flavours.

Bridge of Allan Red Mist
68The key ingredient (somewhat obvious) is Scottish raspberries, but it's just too bitter.

Broughton Ales Scottish Oatmeal Stout
65A somewhat thin ruby beer, not as smooth as it could be.

Caledonian Golden Promise
75One of the first organic ales, although the strain of barley that gives the beer its name is no longer used in the brew. After a full malty aroma and taste, the finish is refreshingly delicate.

Caledonian Golden Promise
78A ground breaker: Britain's first ever organic beer and still on good form. A little thick in the finish, perhaps, but there's plenty of character here.

Caledonian Great Scot

Fyne Ales Avalanche

Fyne Ales Vital Spark

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted
Light in colour for a pale ale. Hoppy nose. Lemon. Sweet, fresh grapefruit aroma with honey. Fresh hops dominate the palate. Astringent dry finish that fades gradually. Clean bitterness and well balan...

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted
80A remarkably tasty, bright yellow beer that can be comfortably chilled right down for hot days. Worth trying with a fruity salad like pear and stilton.

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 Years Old
82Dark malt flavours are prominent in this first of three versions of Ola Dubh (‘black oil').

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 16 Year Old
86Smoother, creamier and more subtle than the 12. Complex and fascinating.

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 30 Years Old
86This is the one of the three Ola Dubhs that shows its heritage most. A high quality beer with a lovely lightness of touch.

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 40 Years Old
83The dark ale and whisky features combine really well, with both aspects discernible but complementary. More complex than the Ola Dubh 18.

Harviestoun Old Dubh 18
81Another great offering from the Ola Dubh range. Harviestoun's Old Engine Oil has been aged this time in 18-year-old whisky casks.

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Harviestoun Schiehallion

Harviestoun Try'd & Tested
78Beer with balls', launched for the Rugby World Cup. As is typical of Harviestoun beers, hops dominate this amber-red ale from kick off to final whistle.

Innis & Gunn Blonde
74An exceptionally smooth, well-rounded beer with oak kept nicely in check after dominating the aroma. Not too heavy or cloying, which makes it very quaffable.

Innis & Gunn Canadian Cask

Innis & Gunn Cask Strength
80Beautifully presented, unusual beer, aged for 77 days. Not as chewy as might be feared.

Innis & Gunn Island Cask
65This variation on the Innis & Gunn theme is all about tangy oak, with not too much else in the mix. Pleasant though.

Innis & Gunn Limited Edition 2005
85Slightly darker than the Cask Strength version (featured below), this beer is aged for 154 days and only 50,000 bottles have been produced. Fascinating, as always, from oak-agers Innis & Gunn.

Innis & Gunn Original

Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged
80This is the beer that set the Innis & Gunn ball rolling and at the same time rekindled an interest in wood-aged beers. Clean, interesting, mellow and tasty.

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask
66An attractive, red-amber ale matured in rum casks, but it doesn't quite deliver for its strength.

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer
80The latest variation on the Innis & Gunn oak-ageing theme, this time using old rum casks. The sweetness marks it out as an ideal pudding beer. Only 84,000 bottles have been produced.

Innis & Gunn Triple Matured
72One of the best Innis & Gunn offerings, even if the finish lacks some intensity.

Islay Ales Single Malt Ale
78A full-value, chunky beer loaded with tangy hops – a terrific partner for a ripe stilton or an extra mature cheddar.

Stewart Brewing Hollyrood

Traditional Scottish Ales Albannach Scottish Blonde Beer
73A bright golden, tasty, organic beer, brewed like the other Albannach beers featured here by Traditional Scottish Ales in Stirling.

Traditional Scottish Ales Albannach Whisky Beer
80A rich orange-amber beer, aged in whisky casks. The finish is surprisingly dry.

Traditional Scottish Ales Ben Nevis 80/-Ale
78A full-flavoured 80/- that does the business. Traditional Scottish Ales is an amalgamation of three Scottish microbreweries: City of Stirling, Trossachs Craft and Bridge of Allan.

Traditional Scottish Ales Glencoe Wild Oat Stout
75The label says full bodied, but it drinks quite light for such a dark, malty beer. Very tasty though.

Traditional Scottish Ales Lade Inn Ladeout
78An attractive red ale, with good, full flavours, all nicely balanced, but slightly too gassy perhaps?

Traditional Scottish Ales Lade Inn Waylade
78A very agreeable, substantial, golden session beer. Just a touch overcarbonated. All three of the Lade Inn beers featured in this issue are brewed at Traditional Scottish Ales.

Traditional Scottish Ales Lomond Gold
78An attractive, shiny-golden beer in a strikingly labelled bottle. Perhaps the alcohol shows through a little too obviously, but it's a good beer, substantial and enjoyable.

Traditional Scottish Ales Tullibardine 1488
86A quaffable beer for the strength with oak successfully playing second fiddle.

Traditional Scottish Ales William Wallace
78It's unusual to find such a malty beer that's so refreshing. A beer worthy of the name of arguably Scotland's greatest freedom fighter.

Tryst Brockville Dark
75CAMRA's Champion Bottle Conditioned Beer of Scotland last year: a nicely balanced, fruity, ruby-coloured mild, with the only downside the slight astringency that puckers the mouth. Otherwise, good fre...

Tullibardine Blackford 1488
78A beer matured in whisky casks and likely to appeal to lovers of a dram or two. The complex finish is the best feature.

West St. Mungo
80A really impressive golden, Scottish lager. Naturally carbonated and packed with flavour.

Williams Brothers 80/-
79A well-rounded, ruby ale, a welcomingly autumnal beer in both colour and taste.

Williams Brothers Alba Scots Pine Ale
78A fine, fresh-tasting, interesting creation (described as a ‘triple' on the label).

Williams Brothers Birds & Bees
80A tasty deviation from the citrus golden ale theme: this one is honeyed and moreish, even though elderflowers and lemon zest are added.

Williams Brothers Ceilidh
80Tasty, if rather nutty, straw-coloured Scottish lager, thankfully resisting the urge to go citrus.

Williams Brothers Ebulum
78A very successful strong ruby ale that is complex but well balanced.

Williams Brothers Fraoch Heather Ale
78A well-balanced, intriguing, dark golden beer based on a 16th century recipe. The hot wort is infused with heather flowers and bog myrtle, which presumably is responsible for the spicy flavours.

Williams Brothers Good Times
75A tasty, hoppy, light amber bitter augmented by the inclusion of elder flower and meadowsweet (a fragrant herb).

Williams Brothers Grozet
75A well conceived, easy-drinking ‘gooseberry and wheat ale' that also contains the herb bog myrtle.

Williams Brothers Harvest Sun
80A pure and simple, zesty beer that hits the spot for anyone looking for a dry, hoppy and crisp session ale with plenty of body.

Williams Brothers IPA
79A very decent IPA served in a smart, tempting bottle.

Williams Brothers Joker
78A well-balanced, tasty golden ale from Scotland with a full finish. Good summer drinking.

Williams Brothers Kelpie Seaweed Ale
75A deep ruby ale designed to replicate the old Scottish practice of fertilising barley fields with seaweed. This seaweed goes into the mash tun instead.

Williams Brothers Midnight Sun
75A strange porter, laced with root ginger. Don't expect fiery gingery flavours: it's more of a cool, almost minty, effect. For me, it doesn't really work, but this is a Tesco award winner, so I must be...

Williams Brothers Roisin
68A rosé-coloured beer made with tayberries, a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry. Overall, just too bitter, though.