Covering University of Colorado sports, mostly basketball, since 2010

Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday Beer Post: Bellhaven Scottish ale at Murphy's

One of my numerous (and belligerent) roommates works at Murphy's grill in South Boulder.  The rest of the house and I had been putting off visiting him at his job for months; that ended last night.  We popped into SoBo to try some of Murphy's finest eats, and I came away very impressed.  What impressed me the most, however, was their keg of Bellhaven's Scottish ale on nitro tap.

I'm not the world's biggest advocate of nitro tapped beers; essentially I feel it's an over-hyped fad and that CO2 is integral to the creation of "beer."  However, with a well-crafted beer, it can enhance the flavor in delicious ways.  I found the Bellhaven to be excellent; a nice apple flavor and aroma danced around a strong malty backbone, with a hint of hops and a rich creamy-ness from the nitro.  I can't suggest trying it enough if you find it somewhere.
The beer in question in it alternative can form.

My roommate says that what had been a limited engagement with the scottish ale has turned into a month's long fling.  Pint after pint is flowing out, so they keep ordering more.  My tastebuds certainly won't argue.  If you get a chance, I suggest you hop on down to Murphy's and try one or two; and if you see Dillon while you're there, say hi for me.

Happy Friday!

1 comment:

Rico said...

Nitro infused beers were originally introduced to mimic the mouthfeel one would experience when getting a tasty brew off of a beer engine from a cask-conditioned beer.

I'm with you though; I prefer an actual cask beer rather than nitro. Except for Left Hand Milk Stout, that beer is effing brilliant on nitro.