Riley's Scotch Ale
Swans Brewpub / Buckerfield Brewery

A: Pours a clear, but dark brown with a bubbly off-white head that reduces to a film and leaves some decent lacing on my glass.

S: A bit of tart fruit, caramel and a bit some nuttiness.

T: It has the sour-sweet tartness of a Flanders red and the round, coffee-nut flavours of an English nut brown. Very interesting and quite delicious.

M: Medium bodied and creamy with some acidity coming through on the finish that burns through the creaminess.

D: this is my first scotch ale and I must say that I enjoyed this beer very much. I would buy this beer again and I look forward to trying other versions of this style. Good stuff.

Dark malts with a pronounced caramel flavour and good lacing. A solid brew!

 

 

 

 

Serving: On tap at Swans Brewpub, served in a 16 oz nonic pint.

Appearance: Clear medium brown. No head or lacing with just a small fringe of tan bubbles.

Smell: Toasted malt, caramel sweetness and light smoke.

Taste: Peat smoked malt, burnt caramel, dark fruit (plums, figs) and molasses sweetness. Light earth and hop bitterness towards the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, getting sticky, with light to medium carbonation.

Overall: Good malty character accented by a nice level of peaty smoke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swan's 'Riley's Scotch Ale' @ 8.0% , recently tried again at 'The Island Beefest' on tap , this review from a 650 ml bottle purchased for $5

A-pour is a burnished copper with a small tan head which is quickly dissapating leaving no lace along the stein

S-nothing overpowering , hints of peat malts

T-clove bite , smooth on the swallow , wee heavy's taste better than this

MF-low carbonation , medium/full bodied , warming beer the ABV creeps up on you

Ov-I've had this beer before and I must say it taste better on tap than in bottle form ,
still an ok beer

sampled alongside 4 other BC Scotch Ale's & Orkney 'Skull Splitter'

prost LampertLand

 

 

A - Appears as a pretty normal Wee Heavy: thick, retaining, tan head, clean lines of lacing. Minimal head, since the bartenders fill it to the top (they don't know how to layer either!)

S - Like plum pudding. If you've just had a meal, it might almost be nauseous, making this a poor session drinker. Heavy, sweet, but minimal alcohol.

T - Much like the smell, a lot of plum, fig, somewhat sour while still very sugary.

M - Medium-heavy body, but very creamy, almost chewy. The alcohol definitely appears as a 10s aftertaste.

D - Not as good as the St Ambroise offering, but otherwise my favourite Wee Heavy. I love the heavy body, and this is typically my first pint at my weekly Swans trips. Also available at their adjacent liquor store, a good deal!

Verbatim from notes 16JUL11

Caramel ale with brilliant clarity, no head, no lace. Nose has lots of tea smells and hints of malt and some floral tones. Tastes oxidized and bitter. the bitterness is more like and ESB than a scotch or wee heavy. Some floral characters from the hops. Thin body with moderate carb. Not very good.

Sampled on 7/31/2009 at the brewpub in Victoria, from a flight of six. This was the winner--probably the finest scotch ale I've ever had. It has a beautiful dark complexion, not too much head. Earthy nose. Just a hint of sweetness (that's the scotch part) initially; otherwise tasted like a good brown ale. Substantial mouth--you can't really taste the high alcohol content. The finish is what sets this beer apart. I counted 6 full seconds before the aftertaste fully peaked--very sweet on the tongue.

This was well worth skipping high tea for.

One of the more full bodied BC beers this is a big malty boozy wee heavy that is almost viscous in body. The beer is opaque black with a very serious tan head. The nose is molasses and malt , malt ,malt. The beer is smooth to finish though you certainly get the feeling that this is no session pint. Great take on the style.