Brewery: Harviestoun (Caledonian), Alva, Scotland

Brew Style: English IPA/Golden Ale, 4.2% ABV

Recommended Glassware: English pint, Shaker

Brewery Description: Bottled with approximately 1/3rd less Carbon Dioxide than most beers. This results in a fresher more natural tasting beer. Combines Hallertau Hersbrücker with Challenger. Late hopped with Styrian Goldings, which gives a sharpness like the twist of a lemon.

The Ugly Truth: I found this beer to be neither bitter nor twisted, but it did taste good. So Bitter and Twisted didn’t live up to its name, but this was a pretty good IPA or Golden Ale (I love how two sites will have two entirely different brew styles listed for a beer) that was enjoyable. The initial pour was a deep gold color, a bit cloudy at the start but settled quickly and presented a decent foam head that left rings as you drank it. The taste was smooth with just a hint of bitterness at the end but nothing substantial. One thing I did notice was that it tasted foamy somehow, maybe a by-product of the lower carbon dioxide. As I got about half way through, the bitterness finally started to come through, like it had to build up on my taste buds before it made itself known. So that was sort of strange to me. All in all, a good beer, but it wasn’t anything overly exciting. I would drink it again, but not if I was looking for something bitter.

Verdict: Ya know, I’m actually frankly at a loss for any kind of witty comment on this beer so I’ll just give it a 6 out of 10 bottlecaps and be on my way.