Most of the Midwest just got what (we hope) is the last snow of the season. Not that we had that many to begin with. Before the storm, I went to my local grocery in search of something dark and delicious, and ended up bringing Mt. Carmel’s Springtime Ale instead. That’s not to say that it wasn’t delicious; however, this was the darkest beer I could find, so I was severely let down by my grocer’s selection.

Coming from a long line of Scots, the label’s tartan background caught my eye first while I was pacing up and down the aisle, scanning for words like “porter,” “brown,” or “stout.” When I read that it had a “rich malty flavor,” I couldn’t pass it up.

Springtime Ale had some light, floral notes that gradually started tasting more and more woodsy and kind of reminded me of Mt. Carmel’s Nut Brown Ale. A Scottish Ale, it definitely had the malty richness, underscored by the light notes of the heather it’s brewed with. At only 4.5%, it also wasn’t boozy tasting, and I could see having a few of these in a row.

All in all, a good discovery to make on a Friday night in. I’ll look forward to drinking it again, on a porch, when it’s actually springtime.