Claymore
Great Divide Brewing Company

355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.7%. Very dark brown colour, thin beige head of poor retention. Malty aroma, some caramel and a hint of wood, but a bit anonymous. A faint hint of smoke. Malts, caramel and wood in the medium sweet flavour too, minimal hops. Not a bad beer, but this is not my favourite style.

 

12oz can

Pours only a finger of fizzy light brown head into my nitro glass. Retention is very poor and the “head” is gone in less than a minute. Initial lacing looks poor as well. Body is basically black, with hues of brown. Doesn’t look very good so far.

Nose is very clean and “wet”. Primarily roasted malt on the nose, extremely faint chocolate. Thankfully not peaty, though I don’t find many Scotch ales to live up to that reputation anyways. Not much caramel either. There is a mineral aspect to it, which clashes interestingly with the wetness. Overall a pretty small and one dimensional aroma.

Flavor has a fair amount fruit towards the end of the palate - plum/fig, accompanied by a big sweetness. A small spice and a very mild roast come out as the beer warms. Again, not a whole lot going on, but it’s actually pretty enjoyable.

Carbonation is medium-high. For having such a big sweetness, the body is surprisingly light. Cloying at times, but generally clean. Has some bitterness, and some astringency. All things considered, it’s not a bad mouthfeel.

Drinkability isn’t all that great, mostly due to the slight astringency. The palate adapts to the sweetness, and it’s actually not a huge deal.

Appearance didn’t get any better, zero lacing.

Overall an interesting beer. While the flavor was similar to the nose in its one-dimensional nature, it actually tasted good enough and smooth enough (emphasis on enough) to work. Much better in the glass than out of the can, which I can’t say very often.

 

Pours a dark mahogany color; in the glass, it appears black. Beer boasts a dense, tan head. Smoky, malty, peaty, almost woody aroma -- very complex. Full-bodied, even syrupy. 7.7# ABV is *utterly* undetectable in nose and palate. Malt flavors are gloriously complex. I tried a second sample, this time chilled, and detected dark fruit notes as well as chocolatey ones. It reminded me of a milk chocolate-covered cherry. Fantastic.

This was the best Scotch Ale I have ever tasted.

 

Really a very good Scotch Ale that I enjoy even more than McEwans but not as much as Belhaven which is the best in class I have had. Have brewed many Wee Heavy's and love the the smoked notes which are authentic for class. This is best Scotch Ale made in USA I have had. A very drinkable beer. A pleasure that is true to the Scotch Ale class though not best.

 

 

 

Pitch black brew, hint of red in tge sun, very light head, good and malty, upon first sip i got tons of malt which kind of reminded me of the porter vibe but I have littke experience with Scotch ales. Good stuff, ready to have again.

 

Look: Dark brownish red and looks black in the glass with a huge beige head that forms and settles quickly, leaving good lacing behind
Aroma: Dark fruit – raisins, prunes, and plums, wafts of smoky malt, brown bread, toffee, and earthiness
Taste: Huge dark fruit notes hit first and followed by nice smoky and toffee led sweet malt. Breadiness and earthy notes come in as the initial punch starts to fade and then fruity smoky notes regain strength and hold through the finish
Mouthfeel: Full, big and bold but soft, a little chewy, and quite soft on the finish without showing almost any hint of its ABV
Overall: I like this one. A little more dark-fruit-forward than several Scotch ales I occasionally drink in that those seem more bready and malt-forward with the dark fruit as a complimentary part, but this is still good. Almost a Belgian Strong Dark Ale-esque flair but then the smoky notes confirm it’s a Scotch. Nice and warming too and hides its alcohol well. Tasty and recommended

Very dark on the pour, a walnut brownish black. Smell is fairly faint, only really able to discern a malty sweetness. Taste is an upfront sweetness, roasted malt, and a very stout-like chocolate. Carbonation is spot on. All in all a good beer, can’t really go wrong with this style and a meal.

Poured from a can into a tulip glass a short lived 1F medium tan head is formed.

On the nose deep roasted barley malt with a stout like fresh green hop aroma. Molasses, caramel, and dark sugar fill put the aroma profile.

On the palate a sweet smoky caramel malt and a touch of dark barley emerge. Brown licorice, chicory and Ovaltine add to the flavor. A touch of light green hops, lends some dryness on the finish.

Mouthfeel is stout like medium and slick. Carbonation is on the lighter side of medium and texture is round and finishes slick without becoming cloying.

Overall a very good brown beer, with a shot of smoke. On the lower side for hops and leans more toward sweet caramel malt. It is not bitter and not like coffee or too sweet. The smoke note takes it down a bit as it is really not authentic or needed.

Deep mahogany appearance with a large tan head that faded quickly but left good lacing. Caramel malt aroma, some roastiness, some dark fruit. Rich, malty, earthy taste, gently hopped, with toffee and nuts in the background. Medium bodied, modestly carbonated mouthfeel with a long lasting finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Very dark brown with a one finger, tan head. Warm, heavy malt on the nose, with dried fruit, caramel, a bit of chocolate. The flavor is a little different, with a substantial ashy, smoky peatiness I'm not terribly found of. Sort of sweet, but not for the style, with an almost astringent bitterness. Medium full mouthfeel.

12 oz can pours a hazy reddish dark brown, has a nice foamy clingy tan head that leaves a some lacing in my glass, has a sweet fruity and smokey aromas. Nice sweet fruity smoked raisin flavors, medium body with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel, lingering sweetness in the finish.

Six pack of cans picked up at Total Wine in Lynnwood, Washington.
Canned on SEP 24 2019. Poured in to a pint glass.

Look- Slightly hazy dark mahogany color, nice light khaki head that recedes fairly quickly, a fair amount of lacing. Light carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell- Caramel/toffee type malt, coffee, dates and raisins, creme brule, chocolate, light roasted nuttiness and spice notes.

Taste- Follows the nose well, pretty sweet with a bit of a tangy cherry cola type finish.

Feel- Medium bodied, creamy, smooth with a lightly bitter finish, nicely balanced. Moderate carbonation on the tongue.

O- Tasty, not as good as Old Chub imo, but definitely works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is another beer I figured I reviewed a decade or more ago but apparantly was mistaken. The color is a very dark brown with a crescent of ruby at the bottom of my pint glass. The nose is complex, with heavy malt and yeast, peat, a multitude of dark sugars.

The flavor here is obviously malt dominated, with a pretty smothering sweetness. It is only in the aftertaste that you get the complexity: smoke and peat and molasses and dark chocolate are among the flavors.

Solid, but not quite as legendary as the broadsword.

 

 

A 12-oz. can, canned on OCT 9 2018 needed a strong pour to reach a finger sized foamy beige head with short retention and small spots of lace.
Semi-opaque deep dark brown with red-amber highlights.
Caramel malt dominates the sweet smell with prune, baking spice and faint roasted malt.
Taste begins semi-sweet and lightly bitter, caramel malt leads the way. The middle features roasted malt and spice with an alcohol bite. The finish is quick and semi-dry, faint coffee, chocolate and spice linger briefly. Light on hop bitterness and smoked peat.
Medium body, below average carbonation. Smooth and buttery with a light astringency.
Easy drink, malty rich and smooth. Dangerously drinkable.

To me it has a malty, slightly coffee-like, pruny, doppelbock taste. Dark with off white lacing and medium mouthfeel and carbonation. I found this for $14 a case while it was still within the sell by date so that was a fucking awesome buy. I like this stuff.

 

Great beer from craft beer cellar