MacAndrew's Stock Ale
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

MacAndrew's Stock AleMacAndrew's Stock Ale
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From:
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Scottish Ale
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.08 | pDev: 11.03%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
16
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 12, 2020
Added:
Dec 03, 2002
Wants:
  12
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of crazyspicychef
Rated by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
A favorite beer from long ago.
Nov 12, 2020
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.28/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Man I haven't seen this beer in around a decade I would guess. Samuel Smith often makes traditional, almost gateway beers at this point, but back in the 90s, they were often my first foray into different styles (imperial stout, ipa, winter warmer etc. . . )

This has that brown appearance but without viscosity, 1/3" off white to light beige head. Some red around the edges. Caramel and booziness comes off in the aroma.

The taste seemed more like a hodgepodge of ingredients and mashup of styles. Seemed hoppier than average for style. Therefore, so is the bitterness. Still has a nice brown malt and peat contingent going for it.

Format and pricing leaves a little bit to be desired.
Dec 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by Mojoman8561 from Pennsylvania

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.43 by Dfunston from Iowa

Nov 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Sellen from Connecticut

Jul 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Georgiabeer from Georgia

Feb 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Dweedlebug from Pennsylvania

Mar 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by acurtis from New Jersey

Jan 30, 2012
Photo of Beerandraiderfan
Reviewed by Beerandraiderfan from Nevada

3.43/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
One of the more accessible scotch ales. Brown to auburn color, minimal ruby aspect to it. Good Sammy Smith lace as always. Aroma was of snifter alcohol (scotch, brandy, whiskey), with some caramel.

Taste, less challenging that expected. A little hoppier, more tart and bitter, similar to a powerful esb. Good amount of malt must be what mellows this out. Price is like all Sammy beers, not great, not out of this world.
Jul 17, 2010
Photo of xymyl
Reviewed by xymyl from Arizona

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Color: Reddish brown and hazy with a small light tan head.

Aroma: Fruity sugars and light fragrant spices.

Taste: Dark sugars and fruits from prunes to apricots, starts sweet, rich and toasty, ends light,dry and slightly bitter. There is really a lot going on here.

Body: A very light bodied stock ale but has all the richness of flavor you could possibly need.

I could drink this more often if I could find it more often.
Jul 01, 2006
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

4.52/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
A wine-like, hoppy with molasses aroma and other spices. Rum colour with nice lace. Full mouthfeel, nice by itself, particularly during winter. More malty than sugary sweet. Satisfying.
A surprising find, at Chester's in Hamilton, thanks to Doug Shoemaker.
Dec 24, 2004
Photo of GCBrewingCo
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

3.97/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer poured hazy dark amber brown with a persistent but small head (due to careful pouring). The aroma is dark caramel, alcohol, and sweet malt. Also a toffee aroma is present. The flavor is malty, but not overly sweet. There is a dark caramel flavor, not to the point of burnt, but close. The beer has a smoky almost roasty finish to the flavor and it lingers into dryness. Good complexity as a result. The mouthfeel is med-full. The drinkability is good as the majority of the alcohol is in the nose and the warming later into the finish.

18.9 ounce bottle.
Dec 19, 2003
Photo of UnionMade
Reviewed by UnionMade from New York

3.68/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I found two bottles of this on a clearance shelf in Luke's Liquors, on Cape Cod. At $2 a piece, I just bought them both.
The beer poured a rich burnt umber color, with a thick almond colored head.
Aroma is malty and rich, with notes of caramel, date, and a suggestion of peatiness. No detectable hops. A little bit of oxidization, but not too bad.
Flavor is malty, with a thick chewy mouthfeel. Smooth, yet robust. Caramel flavor is mild, with little detectable fruitiness. Mild breadiness, with some cardboardy oldness in the finish. I'm a little disappointed I couldn't try this at it's peak, because it feels like it could be quite a beer.
Aug 17, 2003
Photo of tavernjef
Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

4.16/5  rDev +2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Color is a deep amber/copper with a nice frothy, creamy head that goes absolutely nowhere. Then there's the lace, very nice sheeting effect that clinges forever. In most sips, the lace stacked up on top of lace already there like layers of paint.
Smell is faintly sweet malt close to a toffee but more caramelness then anything, very soft and warm.
Taste is sweet caramel malt, slightly bitter, and a balanced in hop that hints nicely over the top giving a fruity/citrus note thats very subtle and super interesting lending the feel with a long lasting bitter drying effect that smacks of warming alcohol. Not overpowering though, its a sneaker with its nice welcoming malt and then earns your respect as it goes complex in its subtle ending. One heck of a keeper. I always pick up two or three singles of these when ever I see em, which is sporactic at best.
I also just love the label, it's a classy Scottish green with a yellow banner sporting the name and a Black Scottish Terrier with a innocent look on its face saying "please drink me, I'm oh so good."
Apr 14, 2003
Photo of oberon
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina

4.12/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
At the time I drank this I didnt even know Samual Smith's made this,nice coppery color with fluffy head that left some lace.The smell was great toffeish and sweet very appetizing,great balanced taste the hopsmack is there but the maltiness is more dominant to be expected.One of the first beers I had as it turned out from the great brewery.
Mar 26, 2003
Photo of Gusler
Reviewed by Gusler from Arizona

4.32/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Ah the site of a deep burnished copper Ale sitting in my glass, the head prodigious in size, the texture frothy, and the lace in large clinging sheets that obscure the glass. The nose has a bit of 5 star brandy aroma, caramel, and malt, robust and pleasing to me. Begins malt and slightly sweet, the top thick-bodied, the finish tersely acidic, the hops prominent, also somewhat tart with the 6.5% ABV appearing in the aftertaste that is modestly alcohol bitter and quite long lasting.
Dec 03, 2002
MacAndrew's Stock Ale from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 16 ratings