Nimbus "Wee Heavy" Scotch Ale
Nimbus Brewing Company

Another good offering from Nimbus. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, as it was my first Wee Heavy, but after reading into it, this seems to be pretty spot on.

It poured a nice copper/red color with a thin tan head. The smell is sweet with a sugary aroma. I also get some hop and alcohol in the nose. The taste develops from this into a really nice mix of caramel sweetness with a spiciness to balance. It seems to be a mix of the hop and alcohol that creates this, though the alcohol is fairly nicely hidden. What comes across is a spicy-sweetness. I couldn't quite place my fingers on what else I was tasting at the time, but I think Geuezedude is right in calling it fruitiness...thinking back, I would call it raisins. Maybe plums. The mouthfeel is slick and smooth, like a sugary beverage would be.

All in all, I enjoyed this quite a bit. It makes me look forward to trying more of Nimbus' limited release beers.

This beer sits a deep, rather dark, reddish amber color in the pint glass. It is topped by a thin, pale tan colored head that seems to be typical of a draught product. The aroma is a mix of sweet crystal-type malts, spicy hops and a bit of toasty malt notes as well.

The taste is fairly malty sweet and has a satisfying heft to it that just about coats the mouth. There is quite a bit of hop flavor here for a Scotch ale, though it would be on the low end for a Pale Ale. The hop character contributes a soft fruity note and a light herbal character, which, to me at least, seems characteristically English in origin. This brew has lots of caramel and toffee type notes; like a good Scotch Ale should be, it is dominated by a rich maltiness. The finish has a solid bitterness though (truthfully a bit more than one would expect in this style of brew), but it really helps to subdue the sweetness. There are some nice fruity notes here as well; I get notes of berries, some definite cherries, and even some sweet plum like notes.

The alcohol is quite well hidden in this brew, at least until your head starts to feel a bit fuzzy. This is a really nice tasting brew, one which I hope to sample a couple more times before it is gone. If I were rating purely to style, I might be a bit disappointed, luckily I am not and the light, but noticeable, hop contributions are a welcome addition for my taste-buds.