I saw on Facebook last week that Area 23 is celebrating Drink NH November, in which all taps at the bar will be Granite State brews all month long. Being a big fan of pretty much every New Hampshire beer I’ve ever tried, I moseyed on over there last week to see what they had.
One tap handle grabbed my attention immediately – it was an outhouse, the logo of Out.Haus Ales in Northwood. This particular Out.Haus beer was called Scottish 80/- Ale, and I ordered one without bothering to try a sip first – I like to live on the edge.
First off, before we get to the taste of the beer, the name of it has to be commented on. The slash and minus sign are part of the name, but I have no idea why, nor do I understand the significance of the 80 – there’s no explanation on the Out.Haus website. If anyone has any clue about this, please write in and explain.
Anyway, this is a Scottish ale, which has a very mild flavor and aroma. It almost has no smell at all, and the flavor is subtle. It’s malty to the point where you can’t even perceive the hops. It’s also light on the carbonation, which makes it easy to drink.
It is a very accessible beer – it reminded me of Budweiser but with more flavor (no disrespect to Out.Haus Ales). It has 5.4 percent alcohol by volume, but it feels like less than that. At 18 IBUs, it has almost no bite.
All in all, if you like straight-up, no-nonsense beer, you’ll like this one.
