Bourbon Aged Scotch Ale
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

 

At the RB in Cincinnati's Fountain Square. This was called "Rudolph's Bourbon Scotch Ale," which I guess is the same as the name I'm reviewing this under.

Served in a 9-10 oz snifter.

4.5 A: Deeply hazed plum brown color. Came with one finger of thick, creamy off-white head. Retention is about average, but the glass was covered in lacing.

4.0 S: Caramel and toffee are dominant, though I could use some more of both. Raisin and plum fruitiness. Lightly toasty. Bourbon adds layers of complexity with leather, oak, a touch of peach, light spice, and dark fruitiness.

3.5 T: Taste is like the nose, but is lacking the same intensity (which isn't all that strong ot begin with). Give me more caramel, more fruit, more toffee, more sweetness, and more bourbon flavor with less bourbon booze.

3.5 M: Medium to heavier medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Could be thicker and creamier.

3.5 D: Good, but far from blowing me away.

 

Enjoyed on cask at King of Prussia on 5/22/09.

Pours a murky dark amber/coppery color with 1 finger of creamy white head into a snifter. Smells big of bourbon and vanilla followed by caramel, earth, and smoke. Tastes of vanilla up front then some citrus, caramel and toffee, toasted grain, smoke, dirt/earth, oak, and a nice warming bourbon finish. Medium in body with good carbonation. Smooth and creamy with a surprisingly nice balance and a warming alcohol finish. This was more drinkable than I first expected. Hopefully this makes the rotation again sometime soon.

On tap at KoP. On Cask.

Poured a deeper amberixh color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of bourbon, woody, earthy, dirt, toffee, and some citrus. Tastes of bourbon (stronger than the aroma), woody, vanilla, caramel, and toffee. This one was defintely bourbon aged.

I was able to try Rock Bottom's Bourbon Aged Scotch Ale on cask on 5/3/2009. They served it to me in a small 9oz. Snifter.

This Scotch Ale poured a beautiful murky dark cranberry orange color with a tall 1 inch creamy white as a cloud head of foam. This head of foam had excellent slow retention that left behind a long lasting 1/2 an inch skim of white film.

To me, the aroma was very crispy with dried citrus fruits, a few dried pine needles, a hint of smoked peat, smoked malts, a touch of charred oak, and some vanilla beans at the finish line. I should also mention that for some reason, this beer smelled like cooked celery. Luckily, some of the smoked aroma covered that, but they sometimes let down their guard and in comes the cooked celery.

Some "Bourbon Aged" beers hide the oak and the bourbon, but not this one! This beer let the bourbon run wild and free! You can taste a ton of the oak and you can feel some of the alcohol burning from the bourbon. Behind the thick wall of bourbon and oak was the taste of vanilla beans, smoked malts, and a touch of smoked peat. It would have been even better if it would have toned down the oak a bit, but as is, this was still a very good tasting beer.

This Scotch Ale was medium bodied with a nice level of carbonation to it and a slightly smoky aftertaste of charred oak, a touch of bourbon, smoked malts, and a drop of vanilla.

In the end, I enjoyed my 2 glasses of the Scotch Ale. I had to have two because how often do you find a Bourbon Aged Scotch Ale on cask? If you see it on a regular basis, then you're a lucky person. It's too bad it's a limited beer because I would definitely go back to Rock Bottom to try this beer again.