Scotch Ale
McNeill's Brewery

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From:
McNeill's Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
7.8%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 7.69%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 13, 2008
Added:
Jan 22, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of BeerTruth
Reviewed by BeerTruth from Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz. bomber poured into a nonic.

Pours a murky dark amber with a creamy two finger khaki colored head that dies down to a pillowy layer of bubbles. Stickiness is pretty good, some spotty lacing here and there. Smell is a bit bland. Big spicy wood malt with a tiny bit of caramel and scotch. Pretty one dimensional in terms of aroma, the nose craves more sweet scotch!! Taste begins with sweet caramel and candy sugar followed by oaky molasses. Midway through smoked malt and peat moss find their way on the tongue. Aftertaste is slightly sweet with maple sugar, honey, and some earthy hops. Interesting flavors, but enjoyable none the less. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, not as full as most for the style. Carbonation is pretty steady, as most are from McNeill's. Decent brew overall, I would love to see how different this one is on tap.
May 13, 2008
Photo of rhoadsrage
Reviewed by rhoadsrage from Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(Served in a thistle glass)

A- This beer has a dark warm dense body with no head except for a small swirl of tan foam in the middle and a gentle carbonation of tiny bubbles supporting it.

S- The full aroma of sweet toasted malt had a faint dry smoke note that added a very nice touch. There were some dry chocolate malt notes that came through as it warmed a bit.

T- This beer has a mellow brown malt flavor that has a nice dry crispness to it and some dry pale malt notes underneath. There is a soft wet cardboard note that could have been smoke and some chocolate malt hints at the finish. There was a very faint bitterness that could have been hops that ended the taste, but they were not BIG as the menu described.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a slightly flat texture. There was no alcohol heat noticed.

D- This beer had a nice smell but taste didn't follow. The taste was ok but a bit flat although the flavor did improve a bit as the beer warmed. I
May 02, 2008
Photo of iceball585
Reviewed by iceball585 from New York

3.97/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Dark reddish brown color, non-transparent, very thin head that dissolved to a thin ring around the glass

S- Caramel malts, sweet, woody, fruity, hint of alcohol

T- Dark fruits, scotch, oak, toasted malts, sugar, biscuits, light smokey taste

M- Medium body, little carbonation, full taste but still very smooth

D- Worth buying again

Not the most flavorful scotch, but still worth mentioning. I definatly prefer this brew on tap compaired to in the bottle.
Apr 09, 2008
Photo of Brad007
Reviewed by Brad007 from Vermont

4.26/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Saw this and realized that I've never had it or reviewed it. Last review I notice was back in 4/06. Hmm.

Color: Dark/ruby red color with a one-finger head.

Aroma: Malty with a strong smoked peat aroma. I wonder if they used chocolate malt too as I detect a bit of chocolate in the aroma.

Taste: Rich and malty upfront. Chewy. Strong smoked peat taste. Dry in the mouth. A bit syrupy.

Mouthfeel: Dry at the back of the throat and very chewy.

Verdict: A strong, chewy scotch ale. Carbonation could be better but otherwise, if the ABV was higher, you could age this beer. Still decent.
Feb 01, 2008
Photo of bultrey
Reviewed by bultrey from New York

3.18/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
I find that this beer is like all McNeill's beers -- there's a slightly chalky, sour flavor that just dominates the palate, especially at cold temperatures. This beer certainly looks nice, a clear chestnut with a thin white head. That same slightly sour smell is in the nose, and actually is kind of nice there, along with some sweet fruitiness. Flavor-wise, that sour chalkiness is a turn-off for quite some time, but as the beer starts to warm, it becomes more palatable, and even enjoyable. Excellent creamy mouthfeel. This is not a great Scotch ale example, not enough malty goodness for my taste. Be sure to drink this one just below room temperature.
Apr 03, 2006
Photo of DrJay
Reviewed by DrJay from Texas

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Slightly murky medium brown colour with a reddish orange hue. Cream coloured head poured a little short, but showed decent retention and some spotty lace. Apple and toffee aroma with floral hops and a hint of peat. There's also a bit of alcohol here. Medium bitterness with plenty of malt. Fruity and slightly tart as well. Some caramel and mild hop flavour. Dry finish with a medium to full body and lowish carbonation. Slightly palate coating as well. It was easy to finish off the bomber. The tartness was quite interesting and was integrated well into the flavour profile. Thanks northyorksammy!
Feb 17, 2006
Photo of goodbyeohio
Reviewed by goodbyeohio from Connecticut

3.77/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22oz from that packey up burlington way

nocturnal ruby, thick and hazy. sketchy cream topper is thin, short and rich in its concentration. lacing, yeah.. solid plates of sugary foam. perfumey hop nose is excessively floral. roasted walnuts and tree bark accentuate the aroma. big tart and sour yeast compliments the bitter, syrupy burnt malt perfectly... mcneill's has a gift for putting all kinds of off funk together only to have the weirdness cancel out the rest of the weirdness. honey coated dates, raisins and sunburnt grass. a bit harsh due to the abv and hoppiness but enjoyable still.
Jan 27, 2006
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Unfiltered yet bottle conditioned 2005. Good cocoa aroma as well as peat. Great head with soap bubbles and lace. Nice dark colour. A medium mouthfeel and body. Malty and caramel, not that much peat in there, understated carbonation, Easy drink on the palate. Quite quaffable.
Dec 05, 2005
Photo of frank4sail
Reviewed by frank4sail from New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
1Pt. 6Fl. Oz. Hand Bottled Seasonal unfiltered beer.

Slight malt sweetness to the nose. Murky light brown look with lots of air in the pale white head. Upfront the taste malty with a follow up of abv and peat moss. Quite a smooth and full chewy mouth. Strong and malty.
Feb 13, 2004
Photo of scottum
Reviewed by scottum from Vermont

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a deep brown with a thin lace of a tan head. Head is thin even with a very hard pour. Mouthfeel is very smooth and inviting. Big and malty sweet with solid hop balance. Another wonderful beer from McNeill's. I'm interested in how this beer will age.
Jan 30, 2004
Scotch Ale from McNeill's Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 10 ratings