Canaster Winterscotch Ale | KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Was intrigued and looking forward to a Belgian produced Scotch Ale, a combination of two of my favorite things. However, although a serviceable SA, not displaying the complexity I was anticipating and/or hoping for.....not that there’s anything wrong with that.

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4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

one of my favorite little breweries that nobody ever talks about, always a treat to find something i havent had from them. this one currently on tap at back country in boulder. it pours much darker than expected, almost dark brown but with some auburn and chestnut edges, not much head at all but a lot of shine and viscosity, interesting looking brew. the aroma is a little sharp, not quite partially sour or anything, but with a definite tannic tang to it. neat against a really dark roasty and nutty malt background. some neat spice from the yeast there too, anise and licorice and tobacco and rubbing alcohol, strange but appealing to me. the flavor is well integrated, autumnal, and oddly fruity with dark earthy notes of overripe red apple, even starting to turn, luxardo cherries, strong brandy and wet pipe tobacco too, really complex, boozy as they go for what it is, and with a unique sort of sweet belgian grain element to the finish, delicious and very much one of a kind. port wine and belgian yeast at the end, peppercorns and charcoal, unsweetened chocolate and cognac essence, all very well integrated and plenty warming. tasty brew, a one and done for me at this strength and flavor intensity, but a treat for sure. i love de glazen toren, and hope to see more of their beers come around on draft like this!

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3.96/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

-red amber bottle pour is hazy to cloudy with a 2 cm tan foam fluff-top. The foam dissipates quickly. The aroma is candi sugar with a whiff of cherry, but light. The flavors include dark fruit, raisin, fig and honey. There is a Belgian yeast character. The flavors improve as the brew warms. The mouthfeel is fizzy, but the finish is smooth.

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3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - dark ruby red color with tan head

Smell - cherry, raisin, toffee

Taste - toffee, raisin, cherry, hint of belgian spice

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, high carbonation, slight sweetness upfront, dry finish

Overall - decent beverage here that Im glad I tried

Price Point - $5.99/750ML bottlr

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3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From Cervezasespeciales. In Teku glass. Reading JHTP11 JavaFX GUI Case Study. A bit dank and even sourish in nose but not in taste. Raisins,caramel and comfortable alcohol. I Miss a bit more body. Very foamy

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4.18/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

From the paper wrapped 750 ml. bottle. Sampled on August 12, 2015.

The pour is reddish-brown with a big, foamy tan head.

The aroma is malty, dank, and musty like it came out of a cellar. It did in my case.

The body is medium to full.

The taste is sweet and malty with a peppery or maybe slightly boozy finish. Definitely a sipper.

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4.15/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L: Pours brilliant dark chestnut under a 3” cream colored foam cap that dissipates to a thick, clingy film.
S: Has a yeasty aroma with rich malts, fresh bread, bread crust and kettle sugars.
T: Initial malty sweetness finishes lightly tart. Complex layers of malt include bread, bread crust, kettle sugars, light caramel and spicy grains. Traces of fruit – plum and a little raisin and a slight wine note.
F: Very creamy, smooth and soft in the mouth. Has above average natural carbonation with slightly above medium body. Slight alcohol warming.
O: A little more fruit than typical and a slight wine character but this is probably due to the abv. More caramel flavor may be due to the grain bill.

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3.29/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

750ml opened with no problems...no gushing.

Hazy to cloudy deep brown, beautiful looking brew complete with a 1 finger of off white foam and pretty lacing.

Smells of candi sugar, pitted fruits, toasted malt that is almost smokie, booze.

Toasted malt and fruits are up front, gets a bit sweet from the candi sugar, an inherent booziness in the taste(heck, it's called Winterscotch), finishes slightly bitter with more booze.

The foam has subsided but it's still nice to look at. I see the abv is at 9.5% abv but to me, it drinks stronger and so I need to slow this session and review down a bit.

Initial thoughts are that I'm going to score this on the low side as I have done with most beers of the style, which I am taking as Wee Heavy based on the name/label and how it is listed on the brewery website. Waiting and slowly sipping will perhaps bring out my palate familiarity and maybe something nice will happen to change my mind.

Medium bodied in general, a tad too much carbonation for my palate, the mouthfeel is only okay.

All right, I have given Canaster every chance I can to shine for me and it doesn't. It's not a terrible brew, it just does not inspire me to think aboot buying another bottle. Oh well, it has it's fans and that's cool.

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4.35/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cannot remember where I picked this one up but it has been in the basement for a while so I figured I better give it a run. Outstanding looking beer, hazy brown with a fluffy head that stuck around grabbed the glass, stunning. Good aroma but not great. Flavor was great, tasty and smooth, did a good job of masking the alcohol which gives bonus points overall. The flavor improved as it warmed. It was a very good beer that I enjoyed very much and would purchase again depending upon the cost which I simply do not remember.

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3.84/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is very hazy amber brown in color. It poured with a finger and a half high beige colored head that died down but has good retention properties and consistently left a short head covering the surface.
S: Light to moderate aromas of candi sugar and caramel are present in the nose along with notes of yeast and hints of dark fruits.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that candi sugars aren't noticeable and there is instead malty sweetness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Although it seems a bit malty for the style, this beer is rather easy to drink because it masks any traces of alcohol from the taste.

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3.59/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Fluffy four-finger head. Rocky settling. The lace becomes large spots. Brown color with a bit of a haze. Some light shines through.

Sweet and high in alcohol to the nose, like a barley wine. Some cherry and molasses notes.

The taste matches the smell--semisweet treacle and warming alcohol. There are elements of brandy with this beer. No noticeable hop. Thick, rich mouthfeel. The carbonation is light, enhancing this effect.

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3.54/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This may be the LOUDEST beer I've ever poured. It came out super-fizzy, but not like champagne. It had that clingy-bubbly behavior like when root beer gets poured over ice cream. It was crackling and popping in the glass for a while, but eventually settled down into that typical deep caramel I expected to see. Smell is by far the worst of my senses, but I could smell almost nothing at all off of this one. Really enjoyed the flavor, with just enough sweetness without an overbearing texture to go perfectly with our venison-and-onions dinner.

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3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Petrus glass on 12/30/12

The appearance is a cloudy brown with caramel highlights. The head is fizzy and rises quickly to three fingers before deflating leaving lace in the shape of flames flicking up the side of the glass.

The aroma is welcoming. Notes of grassy and slightly herbal hops, biscuit dust, pastry crust and apple pie drizzled in caramel. Hints of grapes and figs.

This doesn't taste like I was expecting. The hops are strong and have a spicy, herbal presence. Malts aren't hurting, what with bread, caramel and toasted sugars and all, but overall this is drier than I would have expected. Hints of pepper. The hops exhibit more grassiness after a while. Faint fruit notions.

The feel is on the high side of medium (though at times it seems watery); the body is a little slick and sugary but not overly so. Carbonation is high but settles to a moderate level. The finish is spiced and dry.

All in all, Canaster took me by surprise; I reckon that was easy to do since I had no particular expectations. This is probably worth a shot if you like semi-sweet, spicy/herbal things. I didn't let it chill in the fridge very long, which was a good idea.

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3.92/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Served from a 750 ml bottle bought in Brussels.

A - The beer was attractively packaged in wrapping paper, but when I unwrapped it, I was dismayed to see that the beer had leaked a bit from below the cap. The leak was dried and obviously old. There was still a good carbonation when it was opened, so maybe the beer's ok. I had stored it in my cellar on its side since buying it, so there should not have been any environmental problems to cause the leak. The beer is an opaque, murky, deep brown. The head is off-white, very fluffy and thick.

S - The aroma is all about malt. Toasty biscuits, graham crackers, molasses, prunes and figs. But there is also a crisp earthy hop aroma in the finish that adds complexity. There is a metallic smell that I'm not sure should be there, maybe a result of the cap leak. No obvious notes from Belgian yeast.

T - The malt dominates again, with bready, Munich malt flavor, prunes/raisins/figs and brown sugar or molasses notes. Like the aroma, there is a hit of earthy hops late in the palate that breaks the sweetness and adds complexity. A hint of alcohol in the background. No noticeable yeast characteristics. This beer does have a taste profile similar to a Scotch ale, rather than a typical Belgian Dark Strong Ale.

M - Thick, creamy body. Tingly carbonation. A hint of alcohol burn. Medium hops bitterness.

O - This is an enjoyable strong Scotch-type ale. I was worried I had a ruined bottle when I saw the "leakage", but it turned out well. I would be interested to see if an undamaged bottle would be even better. I marked down the appearance score because of the cap problems, but otherwise I scored this one pretty highly.

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3.97/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750ml bottle. This oddly named Belgian beer pours a deep reddish brown with a tannish head. The nose on this all about huge fruit flavours--banana, straberries, apples. It's pretty amazing. Good carbonation leads to a nice earthy, chocolatey brown sugar taste with a slight bite of hops on the finish. It's a little boozy, but a nice winter warmer.

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3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: half finger head on a clear amber and red body with excellent lacing.

S: a little tart dark fruit and some caramel malts.

T: yeasty with musty dark fruit with mostly strawberry and blueberry predominating. Some caramel malts.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: not quite full enough but very flavorful and well balanced.

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3.33/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a super effervescent auburn with 3+ fingers of tan head. Good lacing & average head retentions, really murks up towards the end

S: Sour notes, not much else, some green apple peels show as the yeast is mixed in from the bottom of the bottle

T: Brown bread, caramel & a touch of phenols up front. Faint woody hop notes as this warms, slight sourness, cherries, brown sugar & dryness. Finishes dry with sour Bourbon/Peaty Scotch notes, cherries & faint figgyness & green apple peel

MF: Thinnish with over carbonation. Starts to thicken up as this warms, carbonation drops way off too

An alright Belgian dark, I was hoping for more

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4.35/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very hazy brown color. There is a lot of yeast present which made opening the bottle very interesting. I only opened the cap enough to hear the fizz and poured the whole beer that way to avert a foam over, and there was still a ton of foam.

Aroma includes syrupy pancakes and fruit. The character suggests a lot of grape and grain, though I am pretty sure there were no grapes used in the brewing of this beer. There is even a little melon in the smell.

I find the flavor very pleasing. The flavor has a caramel sweetness combined with a touch of tart and very mild spice character.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly flat, but when pouring a beer through a cap to avoid a disaster much of the carbonation will go away. This isn't a bad thing though. The beer has a little tingle left and is very soothing and smooth.

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3.77/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Nice paper wrapped caged and corked bottle poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a very dark red amber, nearly black. Carbonation caused a massive gusher out of the bottle. Filled glass with foam, then was able to pour a decent half glass. Massive medium light brown head leaving foam and lacing. Very spicy almost mineral-like aroma, with faint dark malt and dark fruit. Flavor follows; caramel malt, dark fruit and lots of spicing, dominated by very high carbonation. The flavor is suprisingly mild and finishes abruptly with a mineral water component, probably because of the active carbonation. Body if light to medium. I have to wonder if a bottle without the overactive carbonation would be deeper in flavor. I have to knock off points for that. The main flavors are pleasant, the finish not as satisfying. An acceptable strong dark that I would try again hoping for a less active one.

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3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brownish body with offwhite head and lace patches all over. Usual aroma - floral, citric hopiness w/ predominant orange/dark fruit aromas mixing with a solid yeast/wheat twang and touches of spice/sweetness. A somewhat maligned beer but if it's winterale to warm you up then it did it's job; a medium-bodied, albeit slightly syrupy, beer with a good fluffiness/mouthfeel from yeast as well as minor caramel and candi sugar sweetness. Also, good fruit flavors ranging from sweet fruit to citrus and a very minimal hop bite. The spices are strong, real strong, and the unique part of this beer. I enjoyed this beer, but if it were possible I'd give it a 3.75 for taste; it's just a cut below the rest (the price doesn't help, either).

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3.82/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bought very recently (Bestway in Greensboro, NC) but this was bottled on Dec. 3, 2007, so it has a little over 4 years of age on it. Comes in a neat paper wrapper, which sort of sold me, but really I was just looking to try a Belgian that was new to me. (btw, this bottle says 9.5% Alc/Vol.)

Pours a crackling dirty-white/light-tan head. Starts huge each pour, dies quickly each pour. And I'm pouring a little at a time as this is one of those that, while not a gusher, sees the foam rising in the bottle like a thing possessed. Color is an opaque, milk chocolaty dark brown.

Aroma is potent, and reminds me of how blown away I used to get when I was discovering Belgians years ago. Candied dark fruits (raisin, date); super-earthy yeast (but not funky); mineral hints; holiday/pie/sweet spices. And so ridiculously Belgian.

I wonder if the beer has lost something over the years? I "get" the basic taste profile, but it all seems a bit washed out, or pale, or distant somehow. Just traces of everything the big aroma promises (the dark fruit; the yeast; the mineral; the spiciness). Not overly sweet, and really pretty balanced all around, except for the too-dominant mineral taste. It's even good, just seems to lack that pizzazz of a truly great Belgian Strong Dark Ale.

Same with the feel, which is bubbly with spritz, but generally feels a little on the thin side. It's nothing terribly detrimental, although something a little rounder and slightly thicker would have probably helped the taste.

It's really the nose that impresses me most on this, and though the taste is fine, the fact that it doesn't quite follow through with the energy and liveliness of the aroma makes it less memorable in the end. Glad to have tried it.

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3.02/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

This one went the way of a geyser when I opened it. Had to rush to the sink! Lots of tan head sits atop a cinnamon colored cloudy beer. Reminds me of milk chocolate. Sweet aromas: rich caramel, confectioner's sugar, and some hops (hop types are indiscernible, but there none the less). This tastes much like a red ale. I'd guess this was their base if I didn't know they made a Dubbel with the same name. Coppery, sweet, and BBQish. Yes, this is the first time I've used that word to describe a beer. Warm and easy to drink. Very smooth, but thick. Creamy feel. Great way to show off the yeast.

I'm questioning what type of beer this is. Labeled as a Scotch Ale, I would have to second guess this description. It also says it's a Winter ale, and I would question that as well, since I didn't get any spices other than cinnamon, and that barely came out at all. Although I don't know how to categorize this beer, it was surprisingly good. I didn't go into it with high expectations, and I'm grateful for that. I wouldn't buy it again, but it was a good experience and I'm happy I tried it.

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3.52/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The problem: proper serving temperature or a gusher? I opted for warming the beer some and man, was it a gusher! And a mess. Lost about a third. Finally poured a glass with large, foamy, thick, tan head with lots of sediment particles in it and the liquid. Also some lace. Color is an amber hued red that seems like it might have been clear if not for all the stirred up yeastoids floating around. Aroma is mostly malt and yeast. Flavor's about the same as nose - with a raisiny malt sweetness on top beneath which is a little bitter and carbonic tang, perhaps some fruit. Not many scotch ale qualities other than dark and malty, bit strong. Body and carbonation are good. Finish is like flavor, clean, no off qualities. Drinkable. If you can get it in your glass.

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4.12/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I received this as a birthday present and this ale is worthy of celebration.

The appearance is of a dark toffee brown with slight red notes. The body is hazy, the yeast creates a great effect. The head is beige and disseminates quickly.

The aroma is of roasted malts. Bread, butterscotch and spicy noble hops. Very nutty as well. There are hints of dried fruits, especially dates and apricots.

The alcohol is very well concealed. There is nothing astringent about this beer. Anybody could drink this beer, even a beginner to strong ales. The malts are caramel. I taste the usually candied cane sugar but it doesn't hurt my teeth is balanced by good body and texture. I taste the flavors of chestnut and ginger.

The mouth is great. The hops are so well balanced the spicy and soapy noble hops with their oils help to balance out the alcohol. The carbonation is at a good natural level.

A really good beer in it's category. I would drink this again.

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4.2/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle, bottled in november 2009

A- Very dark brown, a bit murky, with some reddish hints if held through light. A medium light brown/dirty white head shows nice retention and leaves a lot of lacing on the glass

S- Caramel and sugar, but more on the sour side than on the sweet one. Then some dark fruit notes (plum, raisin) and a distinct spicy feel from the alcohol. Maybe a faint hint of yeast

T- A strong caramel flavour that is nicely followed by dark fruit hints of raisin and prune (not as distinct as in the aroma) and by a warming spiciness (pepper?) from the esters. Very much a classic strong dark ale overall, but with a quite distinct sour feel that brings even more complexity. There are also some leaf-like hop hints on the tongue, with a bit of bitterness in the aftertaste

M- Medium to big body, creamy on both tongue and palate (thanks in part to the everlasting head). A good amount of carbonation, just short of too much. Alcohol is detectable but feels nice, bringing some warming spicy notes

O- A nice take on the style, with a classic strong dark ale character that borders the sour territory. A very complex though still nicely drinkable beer

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