Goldy lochs

Before I opened the bottle, Lomond Gold did strange things to my complex of prejudices. It's a Scottish craft beer, which is normally good; but it's also a golden ale, a style I'm getting seriously bored with; and it's organic, which in my experience means it will be lacking full-on aley flavours.

Two against one beats, as it turns out. Lomond Gold is quite a dull and difficult affair. It has a very heavy mouthfeel: thick, sugary and cloying. This is allied with a sharp gassiness to make it hard going to drink. The rewards for this effort aren't great. There is very little by way of flavour here. Hunting around, there's a hint of honey that goes with the sugary thickness, and there's a very slight citrus zest in the aftertaste, but really I may just be imagining it.

There are more Scottish beers than ever before in my local off licences these days. I'm really looking forward to trying them all out. But I'll be disappointed if many of them turn out like this one.