Wee Heavy Scotch Ale
O'Fallon Brewery

Wee Heavy Scotch AleWee Heavy Scotch Ale
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From:
O'Fallon Brewery
 
Missouri, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
10.4%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 8.22%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 30, 2014
Added:
Jun 02, 2010
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by fryman:
Photo of fryman
Reviewed by fryman from Illinois

3.81/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3
A-Pours a slightly hazy reddish copper color. No head at all.

S-Alcohol smell is quite apparent but not offensive. Sweet malt is in the nose with a woody oaky note and faint notes of ripe fruit. There is also a faint smokiness.

T- Alcohol burn is welcome and sits on the pallate like a nice scotch. Complex malt profile with some nuttiness and very mild date kind of flavor. Earthy graininess comes at the end. There's some woody flavor too.

M-This brew is nice and heavy and coats the mouth. Very mild carbonation that suits it nicely.

D-Another would be tasty but being heavy and at 10.4% ABV, definitely not a session beer. More of a sipper.
Oct 04, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of barczar
Reviewed by barczar from Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Fairly peaty in both flavor and aroma, but a bit too sweet. Seems somewhat underattenuated, almost cloying. Wouldn't know it had such a high abv, as the harsh alcohols are hidden nicely in the sweetness.
Aug 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by KAF from Iowa

Aug 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Eaglefan344 from Missouri

Aug 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Troy_P from Maine

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Benvarine from Missouri

Mar 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by schoon from Iowa

Jan 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ajs4bd from Missouri

Aug 20, 2012
Photo of htomsirveaux
Reviewed by htomsirveaux from Texas

3.47/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz. bottle tried 28 Oct 2010. Served in the ~0.3 L Beer Passion snifter.

Small light brown head. Medium carbonation. Clear dark rust in color. Aroma is syrupy and fruity, dates and prunes. Taste is similar. Syrupy with dark dried fruit, dates and prunes. Medium body, somewhat warming ethanol. Becomes a bit smoky at the end.

Ethanol lingers and builds.
Feb 03, 2012
Photo of abrand
Reviewed by abrand from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce bottle poured into pint glass.

Pours a deep mahogany/copper color with a thin quick fading head. Smell is sweet with malts and lots of alcohol. Some raisins and dark fruits are also present. Taste is heavy with alcohol. Cherries and plums are on the palate as well as plenty of malts. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and boozy. Overall a decent Scotch ale. The alcohol needs to settle to make this really enjoyable.
Sep 14, 2011
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

4.07/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks goes out to my boy Lunch for sending me this one in a past trade as an extra! Served from bottle into a Surly Darkness snifter. Poured a murky red-orange with a minimal off-white head that subsided to none quickly. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, peat, and sweet alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, subtle wood, peat, and subtle sweet alcohol. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. I will be the first to admit that Wee Heavy/Scotch Ales is not my favorite style out there. However, this one was really quite nice. All of the flavors on this one were very well balanced with one another and none seemed to be very palate invasive. A pretty well rounded brew that I would suggest to just about anyone.
Aug 30, 2011
Photo of Mississipping
Reviewed by Mississipping from Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
A: Pours an extremely hazy amber-brown. Very small head that disappears quickly, leaving not even a thin ring behind, nor any lacing. A good bit of sediment floating around.

S: Very malty, baked bread, dark fruits, caramel, and something that resembles cat food. Just a hint of earthiness and smoke in the background as well. Complex, but just a little off, in my opinion.

T: Starts off slightly sweet, with hints of cherry and caramel. Transitions to a bready and slightly funky middle, with a bit of an off taste. Finishes with a rather pleasant roasted cocoa and a bit of a spiciness.

M: Fuller side of medium-bodied with moderate carbonation that tickles the tongue and throat. This aspect of the beer is really nice. Slightly drying at the finish.

D: Despite the overall positive review, there is an off flavor that throws this out of balance and really hinders the drinkability. Alcohol is slightly detectable at the finish as well. Not sure I would drink another one, but I'm glad I got a chance to try it.
Aug 14, 2011
Photo of HaysAmerica
Reviewed by HaysAmerica from Kansas

3.17/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a tulip glass. Bottle does not have a bottling date nor a best by date. Pours a muddy/ruby/garnet like color. Has very little carbonation, no head at all really & no lacing to speak of.

The nose is of sweet malt, smoked malt, caramelized sugars, & a faint cinnamon smell. Very sweet indeed. The alcohol is noticeable in the nose too.

The first sip is of toffee, chocolate (oddly enough), & molasses No hop presence here. Has a butterscotch tone too. Not much though, just slightly there. Is quite sweet. The middle of the beast has some burnt sugar as noticed in the nose. A bit boozy & warm on the back end of this from the alcohol. Has a good finish that lingers. This one is just a bit too sweet for me. Seems like there are too many unfermented sugars present.

The body is medium to high. This has a HUGE malt profile that is actually a bit sweeter than I was expecting. For me the drinkability of this is medium to low. It's just too much for me fresh. Good thing I bought a 4-pack to see how this drinks in a year or two after cellaring. You really have to be careful w/ this beer due to this alcohol content. Prosit!
May 29, 2011
Photo of TheSarge
Reviewed by TheSarge from Virginia

3.69/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a sniffer, and makes little head presentation, which is light tan in color, but vanishes really quickly to nothing. Copper colored body, and mildly hazy.

Aroma is slightly cherry in character, a little sourness possibly imparted from rye. Hints of boozy bourbon, earthy, and a bit woody. Good complexity altogether for the sake of aroma.

Prune dominates the taste upfront, with a hint of graham cracker and cherry together in the middle, and an herbal finish.

Lightly carbonated and a bit full in body. Not too oily and actually leaves the palate moist except in the end the booze cuts through and dries the palate a bit.

I like this brew, but needs a bit more carbonation.
Feb 13, 2011
Photo of compass40204
Reviewed by compass40204 from Kentucky

3.35/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours flat, with a scant film of bubbles on top. Kinda hazy (apparently this is an unfiltered beer) with a rich, almost glowing, shade of amber. Smells strongly of sweet malt and some kettle caramelization, nothing else. Hops are probably in there, but in Scotch Ales they're supposed to be hard to find. No lacing at all. I take a swig and it seems to leave my mouth sticky. It feels a bit light bodied for a beer this strong. It's a decent Scotch Ale, but it could use some bite, or something to give it another dimension. The info card says "Seven different grains along with malt extract (really? extract?) and brown sugar... malty sweetness... small amount of hops... balance the malt sweetness... velvety, caramel sweetness..." I dig Scotch Ales, and I guess I had fair warning, but I expect more than just unrestrained, unmitigated sweetness.
Jan 05, 2011
Photo of soju6
Reviewed by soju6 from Missouri

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A: Pours a deep copper color with no real head.

S: Primary aroma is of Alcohol with a hint of dark fruit and malt. A nice clean smell, not overpowering.

T: Has a mild sweet malt taste with a nice smooth whiskey flavor and has a clean finish.

F: Fairly full body, creamy, smooth. Nice touch of warming alcohol.

D: Very enjoyable, a nice sipper on a winter night. I let this "age" for about 6 months to make sure there were no rough edges. Too bad this was a one time batch. I hope they reconsider and make another batch at some future date.
Dec 31, 2010
Photo of BedetheVenerable
Reviewed by BedetheVenerable from Missouri

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Presentation: 12oz brown screw cap, no date; O'Fallon's labels are very hit or miss w/me, but this one's pretty nice.

Appearance: A heavy pour into my Duvel tulip produces a nice burnt sienna beer with pretty good clarity. A very attractive antique ivory cap rests atop this beer and sticks around for a bit before fading to a thick ring and patchy film. Not too surprising, I suppose, as this is way at the high end of the abv. range for this style and is pretty big in general.

Smell: Starts out rich and caramelly, dark, sweet, and slightly burnt caramel notes predominate. As this warms up a bit, I'm starting to get some definite smoke, first more of a slightly meaty (German-style) smokiness, but soon peat-smoke notes really begin to come out. The smoke is really pretty prominent; I just looked this up and it says there is some cherrywood-smoked malt in here. This is fairly balanced between burnt caramel/toffee and smoke, at least until you give it a good swirl, and then the smoke pretty much takes over. Even if it isn't traditional, strictly speaking, this is pretty pleasant overall. Very little sign of the booze.

Taste: Less burnt caramel than in the aromas, though there's definitely (very) sweet caramel here. The smokiness is what this beer's about though. In the flavor, this does definitely seem more like a German character than a typical peat smokiness. Still a little bit of hot alcohol here (though at this abv. it's pretty well disguised), and some mild dark fruity notes.

Mouthfeel: Not huge, but smooth, fairly silky, and pretty rich

Drinkability: This is one of those "one at a time" brews

Conclusion: Let me first say that I am not opposed to a bit of smoked malt in the Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy style. I know it's not traditional, but these beers have often, due to fermentation processes, had a bit of smoke in the background. If you want to brew a bit differently and add the flavors in a different way, so be it, at least as long as you're not claiming that this is some kind of ultra historically-accurate representation. That being said, the smoke is just a bit much for me here. It seems a bit more like a smoked beer than a Wee Heavy. The smoke is a bit salty, w/just a hint of meaty character, and that's really all you're getting at this point. I bought this four-pack; I'm gonna let the other 3 chill out for 6-8 months in between drinking each of them to see if this changes a bit, and will re-review later if necessary.
Oct 31, 2010
Photo of EgadBananas
Reviewed by EgadBananas from Louisiana

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Hazy mahogany, theres only a sprinkling of a head, and it's gone before I can sit down with it. No lacing, no bubbles. It just sits there being lame, but with the ABV, it's forgiven.

There's some initial spicy booze notes. A tinge of caramel, and booze soaked white grapes. There's also other fruity esters such as plum and raisins. Definitely spicy and astringent.

Taste is rather pleasant, sweet malts, darker fruits, caramel, and a hint of hops maybe that is attributing to a slight sharp taste at the end...seems almost tropical. The finish is also where the warming alcohol comes into play. It's however nicely subtle.

Feel is medium bodied, very little carbonation, and creamy.

Good drinkability, mighty tasty, and a well hidden alcohol. This doesn't have to be a sipper.
Sep 30, 2010
Photo of hwwty4
Reviewed by hwwty4 from Missouri

3.97/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a 12oz bottle into my New Belgium globe glass. This bottle has been sitting in my kegerator since I bought it a couple months ago. This beer pours a dark amber with almost no head. Really kind of surprising. No head whatsoever. Its served at the right temperature, right about 42 degrees. No head, and no lacing. The nose is boozy up front. Quite a bit of alcohol. Right behind the booze comes dark fruit, sweet over ripe apples mixed with raisins. There's definitely what I like to describe as a "fruity pebble" aroma. Its a generic, sweet fruit smell. Also just a hint of toffee. The flavor is big malts. Lots of toffee and caramel. Over ripe dark fruits. Big plums and raisins, over ripe apples. date and plums. Not quite raisin sweet. Very little peat or smoke. The mouthfeel is a little light for my tastes but that's not surprising to me. When I originally had this, I remember having several issues with it, but right now, its about perfect. It's starting to feel like fall in MO, and Wee Heavy's hit the spot.
Sep 28, 2010
Photo of champ103
Reviewed by champ103 from Texas

4.27/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Pours a beautiful dark and nearly opaque garnet red color. At first a two finger beige head forms with good retention considering the alcohol. As the foam recedes, light lace is left behind.
S: A very nice aroma of toasted malt and sweet toffee. Lots of dark fruits come out as well. Chocolate covered raisins, plums and cherries. A smoky and woody aroma lingers which makes for a great amount of depth in the nose.
T: Big toasted malt and grains. A big toffee sweetness that becomes just a bit cloying after a while. Though it does not ruin the beer at all. Some maple syrupy. Dark fruits that follow the nose with some dry woody flavors as well.
M/D: A full body that is low on the carbonation. Though not under carbonated at all. Slightly syrupy. incredibly rich, creamy, and smooth. So easy to sip on. There is some warming alcohol, but just a decadent treat to sip on.

An excellent beer, and a well made Wee Heavy. It comes up just short of being in the top tier for the style. Though that is not something you should hold against this. Wonderful, and highly recommended.
Sep 25, 2010
Wee Heavy Scotch Ale from O'Fallon Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 25 ratings