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Scratch Beer 102 - 2013 (Scottish-Style Ale)
Tröegs Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
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- From:
- Tröegs Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV:
- 8.2%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.63 | pDev: 7.99%
- Reviews:
- 5
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 18, 2014
- Added:
- Jun 26, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
Another debut in our Scratch Beer series, this hearty brew takes its inspiration from the strong, malty ales originally produced in Scotland. In the early 19th century, Scotch whiskey drinkers were well aware of the quality of malt produced in Scotland, and the burgeoning whiskey market presented an abundance of barley. In turn, brewers decided to brew ales with very high malt bills, thus yielding the strong, malty, and sweet flavors that have become hallmarks of the style. By the mid-19th century, Edinburgh was acknowledged as one of the foremost brewing cities in the world, a fact that any Scotsman would be honored to flaunt. Just ask anyone of Scottish descent, and they’ll proudly tell you this: “If it’s not Scottish, it’s CRAP!”
45 IBU
45 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Steve_Oldrati:
None found.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas
3.85/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Served on tap in a pint glass
Appearance – The beer is served a lightly hazed mahogany-brown color with a huge cream colored fizzy head. The head has a decent level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave some lighter streaky lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell –The aroma is big and fruity with tons of cherry, plum, and raisin. Along with the big dark fruit showing is a good deal of caramel sweetness and some brown bread. Rounding out these aromas are a decently strong note of an alcohol booziness as well as some more woody and smoky aromas.
Taste – The taste begins with a good deal of sweet caramel and toffee as well as lots of the darker fruits that were detected in the nose. These flavors mix with a bit of a more brown bread flavor to create a base for the brew. As the flavor advances, a light nut like flavor comes to the tongue as well as more sweet flavors of molasses and brown sugar. Toward the end a little bit of smoke and an alcohol taste comes to the tongue leaving a sweet, warming, fruity, and sugary taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the creamier and chewier side with a carbonation level that is on the average side. The nice creamy body and moderate to lower carbonation really help with the big sweet flavors of the brew, and in conjunction with the alcohol, end up making a nice slower sipper as a wee heavy should be.
Overall – A rather tasty brew with lots of fruity and sugary sweetness. A rather tasty sipper.
Sep 04, 2013Appearance – The beer is served a lightly hazed mahogany-brown color with a huge cream colored fizzy head. The head has a decent level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave some lighter streaky lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell –The aroma is big and fruity with tons of cherry, plum, and raisin. Along with the big dark fruit showing is a good deal of caramel sweetness and some brown bread. Rounding out these aromas are a decently strong note of an alcohol booziness as well as some more woody and smoky aromas.
Taste – The taste begins with a good deal of sweet caramel and toffee as well as lots of the darker fruits that were detected in the nose. These flavors mix with a bit of a more brown bread flavor to create a base for the brew. As the flavor advances, a light nut like flavor comes to the tongue as well as more sweet flavors of molasses and brown sugar. Toward the end a little bit of smoke and an alcohol taste comes to the tongue leaving a sweet, warming, fruity, and sugary taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the creamier and chewier side with a carbonation level that is on the average side. The nice creamy body and moderate to lower carbonation really help with the big sweet flavors of the brew, and in conjunction with the alcohol, end up making a nice slower sipper as a wee heavy should be.
Overall – A rather tasty brew with lots of fruity and sugary sweetness. A rather tasty sipper.
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania
3.41/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75
3.41/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75
Draft offering at Troegs served in a tulip. The brew appears mahogany in color with a finger of tan cap. It displays solid retention that slowly fades leaving a wall of patchy lace on the glass.
The aroma is quite fruity like raisins, plums, dates, dark burnt brown sugar, molasses and a hint of minerals/carbonic character. Overall not bad but the sweetness of this brew's aroma is almost candy-like and somewhat distracting.
The flavor is mineral-filled and carbonic before switching to burnt sugary notes like brown sugar, molasses, toffee, caramel and dates. There is a bit of fruity alcohol ester also present providing plenty of warmth across the back with the swallow.
This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Overall interesting and not that bad but not something id go out of my way for either. It had the feel of a partially fermented troegenator which as I type that seems more fitting than I originally thought.
Jul 16, 2013The aroma is quite fruity like raisins, plums, dates, dark burnt brown sugar, molasses and a hint of minerals/carbonic character. Overall not bad but the sweetness of this brew's aroma is almost candy-like and somewhat distracting.
The flavor is mineral-filled and carbonic before switching to burnt sugary notes like brown sugar, molasses, toffee, caramel and dates. There is a bit of fruity alcohol ester also present providing plenty of warmth across the back with the swallow.
This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Overall interesting and not that bad but not something id go out of my way for either. It had the feel of a partially fermented troegenator which as I type that seems more fitting than I originally thought.
Reviewed by Slatetank from Pennsylvania
3.84/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.84/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
I had this on tap at the Brewery tasting room served in the standard pub pint.
The color is a dark walnut shade with light beige cream and tight bead with bronze tinge at the base of the glass. The smell is very nutty -like amaretto, dark toffee and vanilla with the almond and light brown sugar scent high with a woody essence. The feel is full and malty with a deep sweet texture and moderately high carbonation which gives the beer an impression of levity yet there is residual sweetness in the back end.
The flavor profile of this Wee Heavy is both fruity-raisin and dark sugar w/ dry toasted malt accenting with a subtle toffee-like dark caramel maltiness with malt syrup taste which coats the mouth with sweetness and has a deep molasses aspect too. Overall a pretty full flavored example of the style with lots of the toffee and pretty clean yeast - a strong ale but it doesn't set itself apart from most other strong Scotch ales IMO.
Jul 11, 2013The color is a dark walnut shade with light beige cream and tight bead with bronze tinge at the base of the glass. The smell is very nutty -like amaretto, dark toffee and vanilla with the almond and light brown sugar scent high with a woody essence. The feel is full and malty with a deep sweet texture and moderately high carbonation which gives the beer an impression of levity yet there is residual sweetness in the back end.
The flavor profile of this Wee Heavy is both fruity-raisin and dark sugar w/ dry toasted malt accenting with a subtle toffee-like dark caramel maltiness with malt syrup taste which coats the mouth with sweetness and has a deep molasses aspect too. Overall a pretty full flavored example of the style with lots of the toffee and pretty clean yeast - a strong ale but it doesn't set itself apart from most other strong Scotch ales IMO.
Reviewed by 1sophrosyne1 from Minnesota
3.6/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Warm chocolate brown with a hint of crimson. Long lasting carbonation bubbles through a poorly retained simple head.
Smells medicinal with menthol alongside black cherries. Caramel is evident. Also hints of bubble gum and soot. Fairly complex, but not exactly wonderful.
Warm boozy cherries over a hint of mocha are on the front, with the chocolate lingering longer. Grassy and grainy backbone supports the fruit and spice. More of a winter brew than midsummer when I had it, certainly.
Carbonation and dark fruit acids pierce through a transiently smooth start. The fruit and toffee that linger on the tongue are nice.
This beer is missing the smoke and darkness that Scotsmen expect. The missing elements interfere with drinkability. It's not a bad offering, but might better replace a glass of port in cooler times than stand up as a beer.
Jul 02, 2013Smells medicinal with menthol alongside black cherries. Caramel is evident. Also hints of bubble gum and soot. Fairly complex, but not exactly wonderful.
Warm boozy cherries over a hint of mocha are on the front, with the chocolate lingering longer. Grassy and grainy backbone supports the fruit and spice. More of a winter brew than midsummer when I had it, certainly.
Carbonation and dark fruit acids pierce through a transiently smooth start. The fruit and toffee that linger on the tongue are nice.
This beer is missing the smoke and darkness that Scotsmen expect. The missing elements interfere with drinkability. It's not a bad offering, but might better replace a glass of port in cooler times than stand up as a beer.
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania
3.87/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.87/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served on-tap at the brewery.
A - Pours deep dark brown with a one finger tall tan head, dissipating down to next to nothing at all, leaving spotty trails of lace down the glass. Looks pretty dead after only a short period of time.
S - Smells of dark chocolate, cherries, toffee, raisins, caramel, dark roasted malt and a bit of booze. This one has a lot going on, every time I smell it I get something new.
T - Starts off with some cherry tartness quickly giving way to the darker side of things. Hints of dark chocolate, toffee, dark roasted malt and some raisins round things out. Finish is kinda sweet with some mild heat, lingering long after the finish.
M - Heavy body with moderate carbonation. Sweet, slick feel with a bit of booze burn at the end of each sip, leaving the palate dried for quite awhile.
O - I enjoyed this one. You don't see this style every day so I am happy to give it a try. It packs a ton of flavor into a moderately sized package. Definitely worth a shot if you are into this type of beer.
Jun 26, 2013A - Pours deep dark brown with a one finger tall tan head, dissipating down to next to nothing at all, leaving spotty trails of lace down the glass. Looks pretty dead after only a short period of time.
S - Smells of dark chocolate, cherries, toffee, raisins, caramel, dark roasted malt and a bit of booze. This one has a lot going on, every time I smell it I get something new.
T - Starts off with some cherry tartness quickly giving way to the darker side of things. Hints of dark chocolate, toffee, dark roasted malt and some raisins round things out. Finish is kinda sweet with some mild heat, lingering long after the finish.
M - Heavy body with moderate carbonation. Sweet, slick feel with a bit of booze burn at the end of each sip, leaving the palate dried for quite awhile.
O - I enjoyed this one. You don't see this style every day so I am happy to give it a try. It packs a ton of flavor into a moderately sized package. Definitely worth a shot if you are into this type of beer.
Scratch Beer 102 - 2013 (Scottish-Style Ale) from Tröegs Brewing Company
Beer rating:
84 out of
100 with
14 ratings
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