Bo's Scotch Ale
Stark Brewing Company

 

Draft at Milly's tavern
Frothy creamy smaller head with good retention, fair lacing, dark hazy molasses brown color

Nose is very light, mild sweet candy malt, molasses, biscuit, toffee, dark fruits

Taste semi sweet, toffee, molasses, chewy caramel, mild dark fruits, little toasty, med bitter spicy hops getting higher spicy and bitter on the semi sweet finish

Mouth is med to fuller bod, med frothy carb, light warning alcohol

Overall meh, just a sweet syrup candy bomb with big spicy hops

Had on tap. Clear brown body with a white cap. Smells of toasted toffee, peat smoke, and slight vanilla. Taste follows the smell, all the same elements with some dark fruit and bread pudding. Feel is medium with some earth and smoke textures. Nice work on this one

Sample at the source.
I'm sure I've had this before but now s the time to rate it.
Deep auburn in color with a bubbly off white head that slowly recedes. Rich bready toasty maltiness with hints of fruit and a touch of smoke. Not too shabby.

Had this one on tap. Deeply sweet but not cloying, a lot of caramelized sugar. The overpowering sweetness and the cold of the draught added to the bite.

 

 

 

On-tap 8/30/2017 at Milly’s Tavern in Manchester, NH, served in a flight glass.

A: The beer is a dark reddish brown color, with a short beige head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma vanilla, butterscotch, caramelized malts, brown sugar and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of vanilla, butterscotch, caramel and brown sugar. Then a hearty malt character breadiness comes in. The hops presence is very mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, slightly filling, strong kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while if you’re in the mood for the style.

This is where beer reviews conflict me. It's not my style of beer per se but because I may not like it doesn't mean it's a bad beer. So you have to, I imagine, review it on its merits. That being said, it pours a deep brown with red overtones and a head that dissipates quickly. Malty, toffee, caramel smell and taste. Nice balance between smooth and bitter. More of a fall, winter beer if you were to pick a season to drink it I think.

 

22oz. bottle: This one pours a very dark ruby tinged brown. There was a thin tan head on it that doesn’t linger long. It has a good nose, although a touch lighter than expected. Malts and some smokey peat notes. The taste is good. Smokey peat, caramel malts, some sweetness. I’d grab another bottle the next time I’m in NH.

I was a little skeptical when trying this beer. I don't love scotch but I figured i would give it a go because where else can you get a scotch ale? I was very pleasantly surprised when trying this beer. It is bold but not harsh. You can definitely taste the 10% ABV but it still has a very smooth, smoky finish. Highly recommend.

 

One of my favorite styles, but interpretations seem to vary wildly. This pours a really nice dark garnet color, but unfortunately develops no head. Looks syrupy coming out of the bottle (this does not scare me). I dumped aggressively into a tulip and only had a few seconds of tan foam. Oh well, the color is great. Aroma is rather subdued, with rich, smoky malt forward, and some booze alongside. Flavor is better, but very unbalanced. I enjoy malty goodness balanced by hops, and hoppy goodness balanced by malt. However, somehow this brew is too sweet, yet at the same time has too much hops - almost as much hops as some American strong ales or barleywines. That's not conducive to the style. Cloying mouthfeel, which would be okay if not for the hop loadout. Anyhow, finishes cleaner than expected, and while it seems impossible that I'd be able to finish this bomber tonight due to lack of drinkability, this stuff sure feels like it'll get you drunk.

Pours a two finger khaki head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Black color, no highlights. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Light malt nose and flavor is light sweet caramel. The 10.0% ABV is hidden, light bitter aftertaste. $7.49 for a 22oz bottle from Hannaford Supermarket Concord, NH.