Seaweed Ale. I eat seaweed in the form of dulse for chewing, nori for sushi rolls, irish moss in my ice cream and tooth paste and no doubt in a a bunch other forms. I have had four other beers by this brewer in the Historic Ales of Scotland four pack that the LCBO has most Christmas times and shops in the USA have anytime but I have never had the seaweed ale. The ale pours a nice dark mahogany with maybe a ruby glint under creamy fine tan head. Here is what the brewer says about this ale:

At least four hundred years ago, the coastal & Island farmers of Scotland used seaweed beds to grow their cereal crops. This barley produced very interesting flavours in the ale and whiskey they produced. Including bladderwrack seaweed in the mash tun along with organic barley gives this wholesome dark ale a distinctive flavour. Rich chocolate ale with an aroma of sea breeze, a distinctive roast flavour and a crisp salty finish. Perfect with seafood and breads.

My first thought is that this is simply an excellent brown ale. It is soft and lucious before all things. Then you notice the chocolate, not dry cocoa as in the recently reviewed and excellent Acme brown ale - milky and rich. Like unsweetened sweet stout in a way, if that makes any sense. Jersey milk bar chocolate. Then there is mineralliness. Is this the sea and the weed? Perhaps. It is very subdued if it is. No great graininess and not a basket of nuts. Just luscious framed by some restrained hopping. The BAers approve as do I. A nice note of iodine and salt in the very last of the finish.