Royal Standard
Clown Shoes

Royal StandardRoyal Standard
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From:
Clown Shoes
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Ranked #80
ABV:
8%
Score:
88
Ranked #15,027
Avg:
3.91 | pDev: 8.7%
Reviews:
74
Ratings:
303
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 03, 2024
Added:
Apr 29, 2014
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  47
Malty, creamy, and moderately sweet, we brewed this Wee Heavy with Scottish Golden Promise barley malt to add a deep fullness and a hint herbal/floral tenderness.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by lordofthewiens:
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Rated by lordofthewiens from New Mexico

3.79/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Dec 28, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.38 by Dave2234 from Minnesota

Feb 03, 2024
Photo of buschbeer
Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12 FL. OZ. can
Served in a pokal glass

This beer pours a deep amber hue with burnt orange highlights. It is topped with an inch of tan head that leaves spotty lacing.

The smell is caramelized sugar and toast,

Malty flavor. I get caramel, toffee, and toast. It has a little earthiness as well.

Light bodied with a thin mouthfeel

Ok beer. Kinda weak from what I prefer in a wee heavy.
Jan 07, 2024
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Clown Shoes Beer "Royal Standard"
12 fl. oz. can coded "Best By 01/31/25 256 12:31" and sampled on 01/06/24
$21.99 / 12 Beers Of Christmas variety case @ COSTCO, Christiana, DE

Notes via stream of consciousness: A Scottish "Wee Heavy" can be difficult to pull off because the balance needs to be right. A rough pour has brought up four fingers worth of off-white foam atop a very hazy deep-amber/copper colored body. Normally a wee heavy would be clear. The head has settled quite quickly and now I'm looking at just a thin collar beneath some spots and splashes of lace. The aroma is clean, sweetish, grainy, and caramelish. The flavor follows with a light touch of apple and raisin-like fruitiness and a pinch of alcohol, both of which are to be expected. It's also a touch nutty, and very subtly grassy. The alcohol is actually pretty well cloaked given that it's 8% ABV. It finishes medium-dry with some malt and fruitiness lingering nicely. In the mouth it's medium-full in body and smooth with a moderate carbonation. While it's certainly not the richest or most complex wee heavy out there it does fit the style for the most part and it's quite enjoyable. The main fault here is in the appearance as it's hazy and lacks head retention and lacing.
Review #8,906
Jan 06, 2024
Photo of maddogruss
Reviewed by maddogruss from New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: pours a reddish body with an off-white head with nice retention and lacing.
S: dry, honey malt notes with a subtle, dry, crisp apple finish.
T: sweet, dry malt notes with a subtle, dry tartness.
M: crisp and refreshing.
O: nice feel and taste combo; nice wee heavy.
Dec 28, 2023
Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

3.89/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12 oz can from a Xmas variety pack into a Becher glass.
L: SRM 5 Pours 97% clear light caramel with a fast receding off white head that goes down to edge foam, good steady light carbonation, light lacing with a few wavy thin banding lines.
S: A hint of brown bread, very light caramel, a hint of dried fruits.
T: Melon, lemon, raisins, caramelized malts, honey, a hint of peat, hoppy cedar, distant citrus zest, toasted grains, malts are sweet, pale tea, a hint of wild grapes, background brown bread, a mix of dark over ripe fruits. It is lightly tangy.
F: Gently brisk medium bodied feel with a medium fast middle and a jet dry finish that is lightly parching and a dry linger.
O: This beer really hits the tongue on all buds. Bittersweet, zesty, and dry. Lovely fruit and malt tastes. Both are slightly amped up and are well balanced. Flows easily and is very good in its style.
Dec 18, 2023
Photo of ramseye4
Reviewed by ramseye4 from Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
A- kind of light for the style, copper, good head

S- rich malt with some molasses sweetness, candied fruit, apple

T-Rich malt that pops, molasses sweetness, rich fruit. Brought down by unfortunate metallic note

M- thick and pleasant

O- this has a lot of potential but is brought down significantly by a metallic note I’ve gotten in a lot of Clown Shoes beer
Dec 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.79 by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

Dec 17, 2023
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
First impression is that for a wee heavy ale, it's very light in color. Not that it's lacking in color. Its color is dark amber, with a copper tint, but without the brownish shade of most in this style. Also, the head is foamy, with an almost stark white color. The traditional Scottish Ales are darker and much less foamy, check out Old Chub as an example. This doesn't hit with the malty sweetness expected from this style, to the nose. It smells like almost any malty IPA. The taste is much more in line with the style. It is on the malty sweet side and the hops add a modest flavor layer, without a bite. It is just a little less malty, just a little less robust, just a little less smooth and just a little less flavorful than the best in this category. But, this is a tough style to compete in. On the positive side, there's great stratified glass lacing, its light body makes for easy drinking, the head endures throughout the finish and the ABV is mostly disguised. This gets almost everything right, except for its limited amount of barley malt inclusion, which could have completed the richness in flavor and full and suppleness of its body. It does manage to hide a significant AVB very well. Overall, it's not a bad representation of the style, but it's well short of being a good one.
Nov 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.6 by smb71481 from Vermont

Nov 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.13 by lic217 from Connecticut

Nov 14, 2023
Photo of KomodoDragon
Reviewed by KomodoDragon from Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Light ruby brew, only modestly cloudy, but tons of activity from the carbonation, which is significant, and helps form a light tan head that completely disappeared over time.

boozy smell, coupled with caramel, a bit of woodiness, almost like a barrel aged brew.

Taste follows sight and smell. Malty, boozy. Light sweetness - honey and some white pepper spice. Carbination and fizz is present, and middle gets sweet without sufficient heft to balance. Aftertaste is sugar, almost like a brown sugar dessert.

Not exactly in line with my expectation for style, and any deviation was not exactly welcomed. Decent, not great
Nov 13, 2023
Photo of Mitchster
Reviewed by Mitchster from Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -32.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Part of the mixed Xmas 12 pack from about 9 months ago but has been kept in cold storage since. 8% ABV. Pours out to a hazy copper, forming a modest off white head with average retention and lacing. Moderate carbonation. The nose smells of caramel, cereal grain and a bit of wet cardboard. Mouthfeel is full bodied, lightly syrupy, malty finish. Taste of caramel, toast, medium firm bitterness, then more wet cardboard/newspaper which usually is from oxidation or I also get this in alot of English yeast strains. Light fusels in the finish.

Not a fan. I wouldn't buy this again nor can I recommend it. The newspaper/cardboard thing totally ruins this beer for me.
Sep 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.79 by mrovelli from Massachusetts

Mar 08, 2023
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Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Clearish, reddish-copper hued with a short-lived, whitish head.

Smell: Light brown sugar, bready/toasty with a subtle spice presence. Overripe fruit skins given a thorough spritz of booze.

Taste: It has a taste of breadcrusts, brown sugar, though it really doesn't show particularly much depth. Its candyish sweetness is tempered by a tobacco-tinged spiciness and flashes of solventy alcohol. Apple-leaning fruitiness swings back to an almost phenolic like spiciness which lasts beyond the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Very slight stickiness.

Overall: A somewhat clunky iteration.
Mar 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.9 by Mcb99d from Massachusetts

Feb 22, 2023
 
Rated: 3.84 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Feb 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.02 by Zylod from West Virginia

Feb 10, 2023
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Rated by iluvbeer69 from Texas

3.79/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Solid beer, very malty. Easy to drink.
Jan 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Fettpopps from Massachusetts

Dec 28, 2022
Royal Standard from Clown Shoes
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 303 ratings