The Caledonian Brewery, known locally as The Caley, began in 1869 in Edinburgh. They were purchased by Vaux in 1919 and were eventually saved from closure in 1985, by a management buy-out. The Caley still has three open coppers in its Victorian Brewhouse (which gives their beer a rather distinct ... Read review
Advantages: Tasty, refreshing and good for a long session! Disadvantages: Let down by a couple of average pints.
The Caledonian Brewery, known locally as The Caley, began in 1869 in Edinburgh. They were purchased by Vaux in 1919 and were eventually saved from closure in 1985, by a management buy-out. The Caley still has three open coppers in its Victorian Brewhouse (which gives their beer a rather distinct and unique flavour) and produces a variety of cask beers which it supplies to free trade outlets ~ they don’t own any pubs of their own.
... ...19th Century.
Caledonian Brewery produce a range of seasonal and regular ales, including Flying Scotsman (4.6%ABV), 80/- (4.1%ABV) and Golden Promise (4.4%ABV). They are recognized and respected throughout the UK ~ this culminated in their flagship brew, Deuchars IPA, winning the Champion Beer of Britain Award at the Great British Beer Festival (at Olympia) in 2002.
For a while I had been doing Deuchars a disservice! ... more
The Caledonian Brewery, known locally as The Caley, began in 1869 in Edinburgh. They were purchased by Vaux in 1919 and were eventually saved from closure in 1985, by a management buy-out. The Caley still has three open coppers in its Victorian Brewhouse (which gives their beer a rather distinct and unique flavour) and produces a variety of cask beers which it supplies to free trade outlets ~ they don’t own any pubs of their own.
Their beers are produced using water from what is known as Edinburgh's Charmed Circle of Brewery Wells ~ the water and other ingredients are all found locally and techniques are virtually unchanged from the 19th Century.
Caledonian Brewery produce a range of seasonal and regular ales, including Flying Scotsman (4.6%ABV), 80/- (4.1%ABV) and Golden Promise (4.4%ABV). They are recognized and respected throughout the UK ~ this culminated in their flagship brew, Deuchars IPA, winning the Champion Beer of Britain Award at the Great British Beer Festival (at Olympia) in 2002.
For a while I had been doing Deuchars a disservice! I had been judging it on one very dodgy, and two distinctly average pints I had tried…I couldn’t work out what all the fuss had been about. It had all these awards and everyone was raving about it but I was as unimpressed as Simon Cowell at a Pop Idol audition! Then I went out to a CAMRA branch meeting and one of the other members bought me a pint of Deuchars as Deuchars should be served ~ and it was lovely!
Deuchars IPA weighs in at 3.3% ABV when sold as a Cask Ale and 4.4% ABV when found in 500ml bottles (you can buy it in lots of pubs throughout the UK, in bottles from usual stockists and via the brewery web site). It is made using Pipkin, Crystal and Wheat malt, along with Fuggles and Goldings hops. At this low alcohol content it makes an ideal “session ale” ~ you can drink it during an afternoon or evening and still be able to negotiate the way home ok!
Looks wise, it is a very pale golden IPA that is clear, crisp and light ~ almost the colour of light amber (hopefully without a dead insect imbedded in it! LOL). There is very little by way of a head, but what there is is thin, lacey and pretty short lived. The aroma is quite hoppy, but balanced with a soft maltiness, a hint of fruit and a lemony scent. Deuchars is quite thin in body, but is rather silky in the mouth…making it a pleasure to drink (when kept correctly of course).
Taste wise, Deuchars is refreshing and light. The flavours mirror the aroma nicely ~ there is a good balance between the malt and the hops, there’s an element of fruit and the same citrus notes too. This leads into a slightly syrupy sweetness and a faint flowery taste.
There’s a lot going on in Deuchars ~ more than you would expect in a beer of this low alcohol content. The finish is dominated by the flavour of the hops, but this leads to a long lasting aftertaste that is bitter yet extremely refreshing.
I had my average pint of Deuchars IPA at the Rutland Arms in Chesterfield ~ their beers are generally very good so I can only assume it was the end of a barrel or that the beer wasn’t stored correctly. My awful pint of Deuchars was served in a pub in London whose name I instantly erased from my memory ~ but I think they could have managed to ruin water if they served it through a hand pump!
My excellent pint came from The Victoria at Brampton (just outside the centre of Chesterfield), a good pub that seems to sell some really good Real ales. We paid £1.90 a pint and it was worth it to have my opinion of Deuchars IPA changed for the better.
I will recommend Deuchars IPA to you, but I have reservations. If you find a good pint then it is a truly excellent beer, well deserving of the praise it has received, but if you are unfortunate enough to try a pint in a pub where it isn’t kept correctly then you WILL be disappointed. So…an excellent beer, but let down sometimes by inconsistency!
Advantages: Refreshing, Lots Of Different Flavours Disadvantages: Not Widely Available Everywhere
...Edinburgh based Brewery called the Caledonian Brewing Company who have been brewing Beers since 1869. In fact of over 40 different Brewers that operated within Edinburgh during the 1800's the Caledonian is the only one that still survives today.
All of the Beers produced by the Caledonian Brewing Company are produced using water from the local wells and all other ingredients including the Hops are also produced locally too. These are all still hand ... ...is therefore considered to be an ideal session Ale. It is also sold in Bottles at 4.4% ABV. For further details the Brewery details are as below:
Caledonian Brewing Company Ltd
42 Slateford Road
Edinburgh
Scotland
EH11 1PH
Telephone 0131 3371286
Thank you for reading. ...
micksheff 15.03.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Caledonian Deuchars IPA
Advantages: The best beer in Britain Disadvantages: None
...- Deuchars IPA, brewed by Caledonian of Edinburgh, was judged as the best beer in Britain by a panel of brewers, beer writers and journalists. This is the first time that a Scottish beer has ever won the title of Champion Beer of Britain. Roger Protz, one of the finalist judges and Editor of the Good Beer Guide said, "I think that the victory for Caledonian is well overdue. Deuchars IPA is a fabulous beer. A brilliant blend of malt and hop character ... ..._____________________________________________ CALEDONIAN brewery is the sole survivor from the time when Edinburgh was home to more than 30 independent breweries. The Victorian brewhouse still uses direct-fired open coppers, one of which dates back to 1869. These are thought to be the only ones in Britain still fired by direct heat. The brewery started life back in 1869 as Lorimar & Clark. In 1987, when the brewery was facing closure, Russell Sharp ...
proxam 29.08.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Caledonian Deuchars IPA
Advantages: just beautiful beer Disadvantages: there aren't any
...P A brewed by the Caledonian brewery in Edinburgh is one of these and when you have a pint of it in your hand and you are in the right place, in the right company it truly is the best pint in the world. Even if you are on your own in a grotty boozer(providing the cellarman knows what he's at) it is still one of the best.
In 2002 Deuchar was voted the Best Beer in Britain at the Great British Beer Festival.It has a lot going for it. The taste is ... ...a long aftertaste but it is also quite floral. The very pale colour may also endear itself to the namby-pamby lager drinkers although they would probably be overwhelmed by the flavour!
Once you have tried Deuchar's you will be hooked and you will seek it out wherever you go to drink. It is a Classic.Good value at any price. ...
doctorloz 26.05.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Caledonian Deuchars IPA
Advantages: The best pint in the world Disadvantages: You will want to drink it all
Deuchars has unjustly lived for many years in the shadow of it's stalemate 80/- Export, now it seems the world is ready to agree with me!
First impressions are of something quite different from your usual India Pale Ale (IPA) - first of all, it's very, very pale - in fact it might even be mistaken for lager at a distance - most pale ale is only marginally lighter than stout (I never understood that either!)
- Secondly - it tastes nothing like 'heavy'
... ...it has a head. There the similarity ends (thank goodness)
It's only available in glass bottles, or on draught.
If I were to compare this to more widely known brands, I probably wouldn't measure it against Scottish beers at all! - it's far more like (dare I say it) English Best Bitter.
The beer is produces in the last 'direct fired open copper' brewery - what that means is that it is by any definition a 'traditional' beer. Some would argue it was ...
dobieg 08.04.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Caledonian Deuchars IPA
Advantages: Excellent beer Disadvantages: No arran jumper, beard, or sandals required
My Colleagues and I frequent a pub in Wakefield with a good reputation for it's beer.
Deuchers has been on recently and the choice being such it did take me a while to get around to a pint
Well, a lovely golden colour, an excecellent hoppy taste that makes it hard to believe that it's only 3.8% so most suitable for session drinking.Having been a fan of cask beers for a while now I can understand why Deuchers has won the 2002 Best Beer award but ... ...ignore this and other cask beers to resoulutley order their characterless pints of Boddingtons, Tetleys, Worthingtons etc etc
I'm not a member of CAMRA, I don't have a beard etc etc but like to think I can spot a good beer at 10 paces, this certailnly is one of them. ...
NTRob 12.03.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Caledonian Deuchars IPA
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Caledonian Deuchars IPA"
Advantages: The best beer in Britain Disadvantages: Apparently
up with that wandering eye, picked it up and shoved it in my pocket, then walked into the bar....ouch!
If only I'd put that eye in my socket, rather than my pocket, I might have seen the that one coming. Did you?
Anyway, enough bletheration, let's crack on.
HARVIESTOUN BREWERY is a microbrewery which was established by Ken Brooker in 1984. It lies in the shadow of the Ochil Hills in Clackmannanshire, between the traditional Scottish brewing town of Alloa and the sedate little town of Dollar. Five of their ales are brewed all year round as well as a different seasonal beer monthly.
The cask version of BITTER & TWISTED was declared The Best Beer in Britain 2003. This is the second year in a row that a Scottish beer has won this accolade - Caledonian's DeucharsIPA won in 2002, the first ever Scottish beer to do so. Any bets ...
Advantages: Good and tasty. Smooth and not too strong. Disadvantages: Distinct taste may not please everyone. Not available everywhere.
beers you may come across, either bottled, canned or on draught, include DeucharsIPA (3.8% ABV), Golden Promise (5% ABV) and Edinburgh Strong Ale (6.4% ABV).
Caledonian 80/- weighs in at 4.2 % ABV ~ relatively low on the alcohol scale for something as tasty as this! The aroma of this beer is a little chocolaty; you know, the kind of smell you would get if you were in the habit of sniffing cocoa powder! You can also detect the aroma of the hops (they are quite strong) and a toffee caramel scent, from the roasted malts. There is a nice mellowness throughout this brew, probably down to those open fires used in the production.
Looks wise, 80/- is a gorgeous deep copper hue ~ a really peasant reddish brown almost gold. The head is a white/cream in colour; the head lasted reasonably well throughout the pint, but wasn't frothy or too lively ...
