Beer Pick of the Week - Kelpie Seaweed Ale

It sounds like something you might find at the Salty Spittoon in Bikini Bottom, but there is nothing fishy or slimy about Kelpie Ale. Bladder rack, a kind of seaweed from the Argyll coast of Scotland, is added during the mash to replicate the taste of local beers that were once made from malts fertilized with seaweed and served in coastal alehouses. Maybe it was the power of suggestion, but I thought I did detect a brace of briny sea breeze in what is in fact a quite tasty stout-like ale. Burnt malts, chocolate and coffee flavors blend nicely, without too much chest-beating; a modest bitterness offsets a tinge of molasses sweetness; and a dry, smoky finish will transport you to the peat bogs of the Highlands. Not as odd as it sounds, and definitely worth a try.

Heather Ale Ltd., New Alloa Brewery, Kelliebank, Alloa, Scotland, U.K., 4.4 percent ABV.