The Whiskey Thief
Uncommon Brewers
- From:
- Uncommon Brewers
- California, United States
- Style:
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV:
- 9.2%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 4.02 | pDev: 7.21%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 01, 2021
- Added:
- Feb 06, 2015
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
89
Very Good
89
Very Good
Collaboration for 2015 San Francisco Beer Week with Bison Brewing, High Water Brewing & Pine Street Brewing
Inspired by their second favorite beverage–whiskey–the motley crew of (oddly enough) beardless brewers decided to brew a super boozy and viscously smokey Strong Scotch Ale. Aptly named the Whiskey Thief, the beer was brewed with a blend of specialty malts, beechwood and peat-smoked malts, housemade candy sugar and “dry-hopped” with heather.
Whiskey Thief fills the nose with soft hints of smoke, toffee, roasted nuts and dried flowers. Once you get a sip, KAPOW!!! Rich flavors of caramel and toffee bombard the tongue––slowly breaking away to reveal a deep layer of smokey, peaty goodness. If whiskey and beer had a baby, this would be it.
Inspired by their second favorite beverage–whiskey–the motley crew of (oddly enough) beardless brewers decided to brew a super boozy and viscously smokey Strong Scotch Ale. Aptly named the Whiskey Thief, the beer was brewed with a blend of specialty malts, beechwood and peat-smoked malts, housemade candy sugar and “dry-hopped” with heather.
Whiskey Thief fills the nose with soft hints of smoke, toffee, roasted nuts and dried flowers. Once you get a sip, KAPOW!!! Rich flavors of caramel and toffee bombard the tongue––slowly breaking away to reveal a deep layer of smokey, peaty goodness. If whiskey and beer had a baby, this would be it.
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Reviewed by CaptainHate from Ohio
4.06/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had on tap at a local pub in Santa Cruz. Nice slightly dark golden brown color with little head. Smell was earthy and malty. Taste was caramel flavored molasses with a peat edge. Mouthfeel was fine for a wee heavy. A not disappointing experience.
Feb 14, 2020
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
3.83/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.83/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16oz can - the label on mine only mentions High Water Brewing.
This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium copper amber colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, rocky, and creamy tan head, which leaves some splendid dispersing fog bank pattern lace around the glass as it slowly sinks out of sight.
It smells of peaty caramel malt, and not much else - maybe a faint floral character. The taste is grainy and bready cereal malt, a meaty smokiness, some bruised pome fruit flesh, a damp minerality, and some plain earthy, musty, and floral green hoppiness.
The carbonation is fairly tame in it innocuous-seeming frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, as those peaty notes make for a tough slog at this point in the process. It finishes off-dry, the smoked malt the order of the lingering day.
Overall - well this certainly is evocative of yer typical Scottish isle dram, nicely rendered, with an ably-integrated 9.2% ABV. Worth trying out, especially if you are a fan of the aforementioned spirits.
Mar 18, 2019This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium copper amber colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, rocky, and creamy tan head, which leaves some splendid dispersing fog bank pattern lace around the glass as it slowly sinks out of sight.
It smells of peaty caramel malt, and not much else - maybe a faint floral character. The taste is grainy and bready cereal malt, a meaty smokiness, some bruised pome fruit flesh, a damp minerality, and some plain earthy, musty, and floral green hoppiness.
The carbonation is fairly tame in it innocuous-seeming frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, as those peaty notes make for a tough slog at this point in the process. It finishes off-dry, the smoked malt the order of the lingering day.
Overall - well this certainly is evocative of yer typical Scottish isle dram, nicely rendered, with an ably-integrated 9.2% ABV. Worth trying out, especially if you are a fan of the aforementioned spirits.
Reviewed by TheSixthRing from California
4.16/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.16/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - Pours ruby brown with a quarter finger's width head that's eggshell in color. Sub-par retention results in a mostly barren surface with a razor thin ring around the edge of the glass. No lacing.
Smell - The nose is immediately smacked by the smoked peat character. Hints of sweetness begin to emerge as it warms.
Taste - Follows the nose. Immense peat smoke flavor upfront and throughout. The smoke lessens as the brew warms, allowing lesser nectar and honey sweetness to come through. Almond and toffee emerges in the back end, cutting into that smokey forefront to deliver some balance and making this a pretty awesome brew.
Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with low carbonation. Slick, easy drinker. 9.2%? Drinks like a low 6.
Overall - What starts off as rather imposing when first cracked turns into something mellow and beautiful once it starts to warm and open up. This is a what a smoked brew should taste like; not that horrendous abomination that was Stone's Double Bastard, Bigger Longer Uncut.
Jan 03, 2018Smell - The nose is immediately smacked by the smoked peat character. Hints of sweetness begin to emerge as it warms.
Taste - Follows the nose. Immense peat smoke flavor upfront and throughout. The smoke lessens as the brew warms, allowing lesser nectar and honey sweetness to come through. Almond and toffee emerges in the back end, cutting into that smokey forefront to deliver some balance and making this a pretty awesome brew.
Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied with low carbonation. Slick, easy drinker. 9.2%? Drinks like a low 6.
Overall - What starts off as rather imposing when first cracked turns into something mellow and beautiful once it starts to warm and open up. This is a what a smoked brew should taste like; not that horrendous abomination that was Stone's Double Bastard, Bigger Longer Uncut.
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee
4.06/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
01/08/2017.
Jan 08, 2017
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