Caber Toss
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had this a couple of days ago at the Clybourn Brewery in Chicago served as part of a tasting flight. Smell is of caramel malts with hints of floral hops. Taste is malted and of sweet whiskey, much like a sugary scotch. Has an interesting zest kick to it and an earthiness in the finish.

Served in a snifter at the Clybourn brewpub.

Finishing off my latest visit to Clybourn with a Scotch ale. Right on. It pours a mostly clear amber-brass topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam ...Okay, this ain't like any Scotch ale I've ever seen before... The nose comprises light orange zest, black pepper, cardamom, and mild toffee. There is an awful lot of dark, peppery spice in there and not much else. The taste brings in more of the same, along with some sweet caramel, vanilla, and a kiss of smoke. Better. The body is a light medium, with a moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, this is one wacky version of a Scotch ale. It looks and smells nothing like tradition would dictate, and the taste only comes through on that expectation in small doses. It does seem that things have improved since the other reviews, but it's still not what I would call a good Scotch ale...

Draft at Goose Clybourn.
Caber Toss refers to a traditional Highland Scottish log throwing competition. I'd expect this to be a big bastard of a Wee Heavy with that name.

Saturated deep copper gold color, leaning more towards orange on the spectrum. Much lighter color than what's typical for the style, which is generally dark reddish brown. Caber Toss has a fingers width head of foam on it, and it laces a little on the sides, leaving some spotty flecks inside the glass.

Malty aroma, simple husky grain, lightly toasty.

Flavor is very malty, zero sweetness, no suggestion of smoke or peat at all. Toast, apple, specialty malt, lightly woody. A medium bodied and malt driven beer. Fairly simple and not that hard to figure out. Absolutely no trace of the 7% abv.

Not a typical Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, as it lacks sweetness, peat/smoke, yeast esters, and a reddish color, but it's a nice example of what simplicity can achieve... if approached objectively.

Tasting notes 2-16-11.

Taken from a flight, served in sample glass.

A - Average amber/red color. No head to speak of, minimal lacing.

S - Smells like skunked Coors or Bud Light, straight up.

M - Smooth mouthfeel.

T - Definitely tastes like it smells, I've had skunked Coors, dirty draft line Coors, kegs too old Coors, this is what it tastes like.

I asked the waitress if anyone else had complained about it, no one had. After reading the other review, I'm beginning to think this is the taste they were going for...why, I'm not sure. The waitress was kind enough to give me a replacement beer for the flight.

Overall: Never drink again.

On tap at GI, into a tasting glass....Pours a clear dark gold. A full thick off white head with great retention and lacing, looks awesome....The aroma is super malty, tons of toffee with a hint of a scotch finish. So-so...I can't really stand the taste. Its skunky scotch, they claim this is sessionable, not at all, especially not at 7%, alcohol comes through way too much.


This is a miss, skip.