Strong Scotch Ale
Firehouse Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Reviewed from last week's notes while in SD. Glad they had this one on tap. Server told me that this beer is 10% abv, which I could believe due to the alcohol heat.

A: Pours a ruddy amber brown with a small mocha head, leave some nice lacing.

S: Nose is pleasantly sweet with caramel, toffee, vanilla, smoke.

T: Taste is toffee, smoked malts, low carb, sticky, some alcohol is present. Minimal bitterness on the finish.

M: Nice and creamy, full bodied with reasonable carbonation. Sticks around for a while with the bittering hops slightly present.

O: This is a pretty solid beer all around, definitely the best beer they had. SD seems to be afraid of high gravity beers, so I am surprised this turned out well. Would drink again and even recommend stopping in for.

Pours a redish dark brown chestnut with ruby highlights with a creamy tan head that leaves some lace. Aromas of roasted malts, fruity esthers, bittersweet chocolate. Mouthfeel is very creamy, with the alcohol slightly burning on the way down. Taste is complex - reflecting the aromas with an excellant balance of hop bitterness that blends with the roasted malt (almost smokey) and bitter chocolate. 7% abv is well hidden. Medium body with a creamy and smooth mouthfeel with fine bubbled carbonation (36 hrs in growler). Just a hint of butterscotch as it warms in the growler with an attractive horse drawn fire engine as a logo.

Firehouse's Strong Scotch Ale is a easy growler to finish solo or with a friend. To its credit it spans the gap between a Wee Heavy and a quality complex porter. Thanks Joe for sharing this treat from the black hills of South Dakota.

Written From Notes Compiled 6/04-8/04:
Deep brown color, near black body, which lets a little light through at the bottom of the glass. Head is a creamy tan color. Smells of roasted malt, slight coffee, and a sizable alcohol presence. Mouthfeel is very creamy, with the alcohol slightly burning on the way down. Taste is a maze of coffee, slightly bitter chocolate, butty roasted malt, alcohol, and an herbal flavor that probly comes from scotch aging. Excellent beer, great for dessert or anytime. Another great beer from Firehouse.

Strong Scotch Ale sounds more like a description than the name of a particular beer. The bartender informed me (by phone) that the brewer makes this ale when he happens to have all of the ingredients on hand.

Opaque dark chestnut with murky lighter brown highlights. Looks for all the world like a porter or a light stout. The head is wheat toast brown and soft, but solid. It's descending very slowly, maintaining an rumpled surface and leaving broken rings of lace.

Smells pretty porter-like too. Dark and roasty with an understated cocoa/coffee character, but also a sweet brown sugary aroma. If the taste follows the nose, I'm going to like this one. Wonderful flavor, better than I had hoped. Not quite as roasted as the nose, but definitely made with chocolate malt. Strong Scotch Ale is either a sweeter, smokier porter or a more chocolatey Wee Heavy. Whatever it is, it's damn good.

There's no real hoppiness on the palate; this is a malt bomb and is the better for it. The finish is long, lingering and smoky. The body is closer to medium than it is to full and is creamy smooth with a restrained amount of carbonation. The fact that the alcohol is almost completely masked makes the 7% ABV and the full growler a dangerous combination.

I'm impressed. Firehouse's Strong Scotch Ale is a complex, delicious, eminently drinkable beer from the Mount Rushmore state. A big thanks to TastyTaste for providing. Your 'executive decision' turned out to be right on the money.