Scotty Karate Scotch Ale
Dark Horse Brewing Company

Scotty Karate Scotch AleScotty Karate Scotch Ale
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From:
Dark Horse Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Ranked #37
ABV:
9.75%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,636
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 11.19%
Reviews:
628
Ratings:
1,883
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 28, 2024
Added:
Jan 28, 2006
Wants:
  143
Gots:
  328
For those of you who don’t know who “Scotty Karate” is… He is a local one man band who plays an amazing slurry of honky-tonk influenced, punk-country songs. (Check him out at www.scottykaratetime.com) A big bold musician deserves a big bold beer, that's why Scotty and our Scotch Ale are a perfect tribute to one another. Scotty Karate is brewed with cherry wood smoked malt instead of the traditional peat smoked malt offering up warming notes of coffee, caramel and sweet caramelized brown sugar. Scotty finishes earthy giving this beer a character all it's own, just like the man himself.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jan 28, 2024
Photo of crazyspicychef
Reviewed by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Although smoked malts do not technically belong in Scotch Ale according to beer judge guidelines, the cherry smoked malt does add a nice subtle complexity to this brew.
Malty with a nice hip balance with a wisp of smoke in the finish.
Dark horse brews solid brews, this is one.
Nov 19, 2023
Photo of daliandragon
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Picked up a single last month at Belmont Party Supply in Dayton, Ohio. Dark reddish in color and opaque as all hell. Nose is wood and malt and whisky, with all the earth and peat notes accounted for.

Flavor again brings the wood, so to speak, and dark fruit, before giving way to mostly whisky flavors, and a relatively clean finish, at least under the circumstances. Not over the top for a Scotch ale, especially one at ten percent. This is a good, tasty, drinkable scotch ale laced in booze, but not maybe quite as unique or electrifying as it's rep.
Jul 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4.08 by TP2MSU from Michigan

Jul 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.23 by mpruden from Ohio

Jun 30, 2023
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Maybe it's a little more reddish than the darker brown usual for the style, but no worries. With two twelve ounce cans emptied into a clear glass liter mug, this should be a true taste test. The head is, thankfully, only a modest amount of barely tan hued foam. It's modest, but it appears to be enduring. The aroma seems a little less malty than what would reasonably be expected from this style. There's nothing that supplants that, not even the alcohol. It drinks malty, but really not malty enough to be among the best for this category. Although the relatively high ABV doesn't factor into the taste, there's very little other pronounced taste options. It didn't smell malty because it isn't much more than mediocre with its delivery. Still, there's enough to disguise the nearly 10% ABV and provide a pleasant, yet thin, tasting potent brew. Overall, this one is very good, but, just like the color, a shade off of being near perfect.
May 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.16 by 68Scout

Nov 28, 2022
 
Rated: 4.19 by Jacob_Schneider616 from Michigan

Oct 28, 2022
 
Rated: 3.91 by RalphStanley34 from French Polynesia

Oct 22, 2022
 
Rated: 4.1 by Blogjackets from Ohio

Apr 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.91 by Nunya from Ohio

Feb 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.44 by jordanginsberg from Louisiana

Jul 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.94 by Doubledown240 from Ohio

Jan 31, 2021
Photo of GMoneyMagic
Reviewed by GMoneyMagic from Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
I want to start by saying "I do not care for scotch ales"!
I would also like to say " I don't like scotch". I am more of an Irish Whiskey man.
There now that we have that out of the way.

Dar Horse is an UNDERRATED brewer here in Michigan and not many outside of of the Mid-west have probably heard of or ever had a Dark Horse beer. This is a World-Class brewer, brewing World-Class beer!

I personally did not like this one (for the reasons quoted above), but I can appreciate what they are doing here and what connoisseur's are trying to convey in their reviews.

If you like scotch ales, by all means, you should be trying to get your hands on one of these. If you don't like scotch ales stay away because you ain't gonna like this one either.
If you are that weird guy, who thinks, what the hell, I drink a lot of light beer and I really want to be more sophisticated and I'm not sure I want to buy a whole bottle of Dewar's just yet, but if I show up to my cousins trailer on Thanksgiving with a 6'er of this, they will really think I am a sophisticated dandy. Please do yourself a favor and and pass!
Dec 30, 2020
 
Rated: 4.39 by AshBlackstone from Florida

Dec 18, 2020
Photo of StoutElk_92
Reviewed by StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Old bottle, smells oxidized and sweet, nutty, chocolatey, like a candy bar with some caramel and nougat notes, dark dried fruit, prunes, raisin, cherry, plum, apricot, and floral earthy hops. Tastes like prunes, plum, dark cherry, figs, raisin, apricot, dried fruit, chocolate, caramel, dark toffee, molasses, nougaty candy bar, wood smoke, with floral earthy hops. Feels medium bodied, creamy smooth with moderate low carbonation. Overall a nice wee heavy scotch ale.
Mar 10, 2020
 
Rated: 3.44 by SWChi from Illinois

Feb 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.2 by bigred89 from Maryland

Feb 01, 2020
Photo of tp1962
Reviewed by tp1962 from Illinois

5/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Great Tasting Scotch Ale!
Look is a caramel brown color
Smell is a smoky pear
Taste of fruits and dark sugar
Feel is full and rich
Overall One of my new favorites. I picked up a 4 pack to enjoy over the holidays with friends
Dec 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by rare_bird from Michigan

Dec 02, 2019
Scotty Karate Scotch Ale from Dark Horse Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 1883 ratings