Following on from our recent visit to The Steamboat Inn where we explored its warm hospitality, hearty food, and beautiful coastal setting. Honestly, we couldn’t resist and had to indulge into The Steamboat Inn Tasting Flight whilst enjoying some quality, fresh and amazing food.
Whether you’re a beer enthusiast, a tourist exploring the area, or simply looking to elevate your next meal with a pairing adventure, this beer tasting flight offers a unique way to appreciate the flavours that define this charming coastal gem.
Brief History of Tasting Flights
Tasting flights are a fantastic way of getting your friends or family together. You can enjoy tasting flights in many ways, such as a private tasting, pairing them with food, or sampling them in the comfort of your own home.
Tasting flights allow consumers to explore how brewers craft the beer, experience the style, and determine the flavour profile of each sample.
Normally, tasting flights let consumers try three to six different beers, each poured in half- or third-pint servings. Plus, many publicans or brewers, will usually serve a tasting flight on a tasting palette or paddle.
Tasting Flight Beer 1: Cask Lager 3.4% ABV – Born Brewery
The Steamboat Inn offers the beer tasting flight, which costs £6.50 per person. An amazing value for money if you want to enjoy some quality real ale.
First up on the tasting flight was a unique sample. Truthfully, there’s a small minority of cask lagers being brewed around the UK, but there is an upward trend. Our Beer Connoisseur Luke, had the pleasure of being able to try a cask lager for the first time.
Cask Lager 3.4% ABV is proudly brewed by Born Brewery which is located in Jedburgh, Scotland.
Instantly, you’ll notice the appearance of Cask Lager is a bright, straw coloured beer.
Also, we discovered a slight haze that was noticeable, especially when we held the glass up to a light. A haze doesn’t often mean the beer is bad, sometimes a beer can be classified as hazy. On other occasions, racking the beer at the brewery can create a chill haze as the cask sits in the cellar. The one good thing is, it’s all completely normal.
The head retention could have been improved, but this could be down to the characteristics of the beer itself.
Now, if citrus is your go to, then Cask Lager is certainly the one for you. The aroma delivered intensive amounts of citrus, strawberries and tropical fruits.
The taste, interestingly from our eyes, seemed to go through a conversion phase. Intriguingly, all the tropical fruits that sprung around on the nose, upturns and the ending becomes tangy and sour.
However, before worrying about whether you should even try this beer, the sourness is completely sweet. Unlike some sour beers that are sharp, Cask Lager is balanced throughout, leading to a mouthwatering finish.
Tasting Flight Beer 2: Belhaven Best 3.2% ABV – Belhaven Brewery
Next, on the tasting flight is understandably the king of the beers from Scotland. Belhaven Best 3.2% ABV, brewed by Scotland’s oldest brewery, Belhaven Brewery which is located in Dunbar.
Belhaven Best differs from the Cask Lager because brewers keg it. Unlike cask ales, which bartenders pour through handpulls, Belhaven Best is a keg ale and contains more carbonation from Carbon Dioxide.
We agreed Belhaven Best poured a deep amber colour with a creamy, frothy head that retained marvellously throughout the sample. The malty scent that spiralled out the top of the glass, reminds you of the mashing process that takes place at the start of The Brewing Process.
The taste embarks your palette on a journey to the sweet treat shop, Thorntons. There are huge amounts of caramel and toffee that makes Belhaven Best so sweet and moreish.
One thing that does make your brain think is that the beer is so sessionable at 3.2% ABV, when we tried this at The Steamboat Inn, we honestly thought that this beer should be marked at 4.5% ABV.
We can certainly see why Belhaven Brewery created this flagship beer, as people across Scotland enjoy it and often want another once they’ve had one.
Tasting 3 Flight Beer 3: Old Speckled Hen 4.5% ABV – Greene King Brewery
The final sample of the Tasting Flight was a familiar drink to The Cask Connoisseur. Old Speckled Hen 4.5% ABV brewed by one of UK’s popular pub brands, Greene King Brewery.
Old Speckled Hen, is one of the beers that is so well rounded and balanced from aroma to taste. This deep amber beer in our eyes, is certainly a crowd pleaser, due to it being one of Greene King’s flagship ales.
The taste delivers toffee and fruits, it almost reminds you of a Christmas Pudding, a hint of spice that lingers on the palette is so subtle. Plus, Old Speckled Hen, is one of those beers that is enjoyed at the end of the meal. Dessert or no dessert this beer is certainly a finishing touch and brings out such huge character.
Our conclusion of the Tasting Flight
If you are wanting a small laidback beer tasting then, we certainly recommend the beer tasting flight at The Steamboat Inn, especially for the price which is an absolute bargain!
There are a couple of pointers to take into consideration before you participate in a tasting.
- Have a designated driver, who is not drinking.
- Saviour every sip and don’t rush the beer as this can cause your palette and stomach to be upset.
- Start with the weakest ABV beer first before proceeding onto the higher ABV, you’ll enjoy the tasting more.
- Drink water between each tasting to clear the palette, this is to avoid having existing flavours from another sample when you’re about to try the next drink.
- Finally, be sure to have food prior to tasting or in this instance we eat whilst taking part in the beer flight tasting.
On our final note, this was an amazing tasting, the only thing that we would change and it’s just a small touch. We wish that all the beers were Scottish and to avoid using a popular beer that most people know. Other than that, we couldn’t ask for better beer along with fantastic food at The Steamboat Inn.
Cheers
