Brewery: An Teallach
Location: Dundonell, Scotland
ABV: see text
Versions: 500ml bottles
Source: Gapwines

Taking their name from a local mountain, An Teallach is a small 5-barrel croft-based brewery in operation since 2003, located in the Highlands of Scotland. Considering the small scale of the operation it’s no surprise I hadn’t heard of the brewery before seeing bottles of the three beers I’m covering here, and there’s seems to be very little presence from them on the web too.

An Teallach Ale is 4.2%, dark reddish brown in colour and with a light malty chocolate aroma. Taste is very much malt based, with chocolate and caramel leading to a dry, slightly nutty, finish. While not outstanding, it’s perfectably acceptable and inoffensive, just not very memorable.

Beinn Dearg, meaning Red Mountain, is 3.8%, copper coloured and gives off a light and fresh malty aroma. Taste is again on the malty side of things with some caramel and bready character. I picked up on some fruit notes hiding in the background, pear, apricot and apple. Quite subtle, but not bland, the flavour is just a little too restrained but it does make the beer easy drinking. Some hops push through with the caramel on the finish, which also has that dry, slightly nutty, element of the An Teallach.

Crofter’s Pale Ale is 4.2%, coloured mid gold, and with another mainly malty aroma, which to be honest seemed a bit stale and so didn’t bode well for the tasting. Smells can be deceptive though, as it tasted fine. At the start I got malt, biscuit, bread and peanuts, with some caramel in the second half. There’s also some very random fruit notes, not always apparent in every sup. For me this is the best of three. It’s not a great beer, far from it, but it has a degree of charm.

I’ve read a few comments on the beers from An Teallach being stale and undrinkable, possibly down to poor storage or bottling. I have to say I got none of that so maybe the brewery have improved things in that department. Three beers, one alright, two not bad, that I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to source but if you happen to see them it might be worth picking up a bottle for sampling.