Tasting notes: Colonsay lager - a taste of the sea

Heresy: my first blog on proper beers is on a lager. But not just any old lager - no siree. When I was in Peckhams on Glassford Street in Glasgow the other day looking for a few bottles of something interesting for a pre-Xmas party at the weekend, the young guy behind the counter nodded approvingly at the bottle of Colonsay Lager in my basket, as young men behind counters in Peckhams are wont to do. I'm not normally a lager fan, though I'm not a frothing-at-the-mouth lager hater either. It's just that there's not normally enough going on in a glass of lager to get excited about. But I grabbed the Colonsay because, well, I'd never seen it before and I fancied a nosy. I got to the counter before I noticed the £3.09 price tag.
"They age it in barrels next to the sea and you can taste it in the beer," said the Peckhams guy. Sounds like Laphroaig. Turns out Colonsay Brewery is quite a new enterprise, set up just a few years ago by four of the residents of the tiny Inner Hebridean island (pop.120). Legend has it the 4 of them came up with the idea over a pint in the island's only pub, if an article in The Scotsman is to be believed [http://www.scotsman.com/drink/Taste-of-enterprise.3773955.jp]. Thanks to a lot of energy and enthusiasm and a brewing consultant happy to make the arduous boat journey on a regular basis, Colonsay Brewery was born. The core range includes an IPA, an 80/- and this lager.

TASTING NOTES, AFTER A FASHION:
Colonsay Lager, Colonsay Brewery, 4.4% abv, £3.09, Peckhams
Pop the cap and get the stuff into a glass and you basically get smacked full in the face with a Colonsay beach. Nice rich gold and absolutely reeks of saltwater and seaweed and that unmistakable smell you only get on west coast Scottish beaches. In the mouth there's loads of saltwater and seaweed upfront - though not in an unpleasant, overpowering way, or is it? - but there's a wee bit of honey sweetness, fading to a drier, salt-tinged finish. Only subtly hoppy but dry enough to be thirst quenching. Biggest decision is whether the seaside effect is either just too much or absolutely spot-on. Couldn't quite make up my mind but think I love it, though it would have to be in small doses. Especially at £3.09 a pop.
Score: 4/5

http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/index.htm