Big Sound Scotch Ale | Cigar City Brewing
Brewed by:
Cigar City Brewing
Florida, United States
cigarcitybrewing.com
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.50%
Availability: Spring
Notes / Commercial Description:
Big Sound Scotch Ale is dedicated to our good buddy Gino, the most Punk Rock Bagpiper you will ever meet, and the rest of the men and women of the Tampa Bay Pipes and Drums. Brown in color, Big Sound has huge notes of dark sweet toffee with underlying mild notes of coffee in the aroma. The flavor starts with a slight note of cherry and then opens into a goliath of malt character with notes of dark sweet toffee, coffee and mild notes of toasted bread in the finish. Big Sound Scotch Ale pairs well with Haggis, Highland Games, Huge Heads, Enormous pillows and of course Bagpipe Music.
40 IBU
Added by cjgator3 on 12-05-2008
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 720 | Reviews: 202
3.79/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
4.16/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.01/5 rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.94/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Appearance: dark brown, almost ash-like in color. Half inch tan head that dissipated quickly. No lacings around the glass. No sediment.
Smell: just after pouring, I instantly smelled toffee and some caramel. Once it warmed up, the toffee was absent and instead I smelled mostly sweet malt with subtle hints of cherry.
Taste: started out with notes of toffee, vanilla, and oak. Little burnt at the finish with notes of cherry. It left a bitter-tea aftertaste but not in a bad way. Eventually as the beer warmed up, it became more sweet and less complex.
Mouthfeel: medium bodied, silky, and smooth.
Overall: it's a good wee heavy. Just wouldn't call it spectacular. This definitely could use barrel-age treatment. Clearly the barrel-aged version is a hit, which I hope to try someday.
790 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Appearance: dark brown, almost ash-like in color. Half inch tan head that dissipated quickly. No lacings around the glass. No sediment.
Smell: just after pouring, I instantly smelled toffee and some caramel. Once it warmed up, the toffee was absent and instead I smelled mostly sweet malt with subtle hints of cherry.
Taste: started out with notes of toffee, vanilla, and oak. Little burnt at the finish with notes of cherry. It left a bitter-tea aftertaste but not in a bad way. Eventually as the beer warmed up, it became more sweet and less complex.
Mouthfeel: medium bodied, silky, and smooth.
Overall: it's a good wee heavy. Just wouldn't call it spectacular. This definitely could use barrel-age treatment. Clearly the barrel-aged version is a hit, which I hope to try someday.
790 characters
4.18/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours dark brown with a touch of red, a thin quarter finger of brown foam.
Subtle smoke, char, and peat notes right up front, followed up by a touch of sweet chocolate, and light notes of bakers spices.
In flavor, I'm picking up a lot more of those bakers spices, cinnamon and nutmeg mainly, but enveloped by a glove of smoky peat, subtle fig/dark fruit, and a bit of roasty goodness.
Medium-heavy bodied, low carbonation, sweet, smoky, nice balance.
Overall, as a sucker for Scotch ales this one left me impressed, but I'd like to see the spices dialed down a bit.
569 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours dark brown with a touch of red, a thin quarter finger of brown foam.
Subtle smoke, char, and peat notes right up front, followed up by a touch of sweet chocolate, and light notes of bakers spices.
In flavor, I'm picking up a lot more of those bakers spices, cinnamon and nutmeg mainly, but enveloped by a glove of smoky peat, subtle fig/dark fruit, and a bit of roasty goodness.
Medium-heavy bodied, low carbonation, sweet, smoky, nice balance.
Overall, as a sucker for Scotch ales this one left me impressed, but I'd like to see the spices dialed down a bit.
569 characters
4.53/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.98/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.36/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.2/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A very dark brown color with a miniscule head.
Sweet malt aroma. Some peat. A tiny bit of dark fruit and chocolate.
Taste of toffee. Smoky/peaty. A hint of plum and chocolate.
Medium-bodied.
Great beer.
202 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A very dark brown color with a miniscule head.
Sweet malt aroma. Some peat. A tiny bit of dark fruit and chocolate.
Taste of toffee. Smoky/peaty. A hint of plum and chocolate.
Medium-bodied.
Great beer.
202 characters
4.65/5 rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
3.58/5 rDev -12.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
4.45/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
3.85/5 rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
22oz bottle from a friend. Bottled 3/19/15. Served in a Cigar City teku.
Pours a deep but transparent burgundy with a finger and a half ecrue head. The bubbles fade to a thin, broken rail without leaving any lace.
Aromas of sweet malts and little else. Caramel, toffee, bread and an almost cocoa note.
Flavors of caramel, bread, vague dark fruit, toffee, very faint smoke, molasses, almost woody earthiness, trace coffee, brown sugar, fruit skins, vague chocolate and some mild alcohol.
Semi creamy medium feel with faily light carbonation. No surprises in the aftertaste- caramel, toffee and brown sugar.
Big Sound is a sweet, no frills malt display. Ultimately it is nice standard scotch ale.
704 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
22oz bottle from a friend. Bottled 3/19/15. Served in a Cigar City teku.
Pours a deep but transparent burgundy with a finger and a half ecrue head. The bubbles fade to a thin, broken rail without leaving any lace.
Aromas of sweet malts and little else. Caramel, toffee, bread and an almost cocoa note.
Flavors of caramel, bread, vague dark fruit, toffee, very faint smoke, molasses, almost woody earthiness, trace coffee, brown sugar, fruit skins, vague chocolate and some mild alcohol.
Semi creamy medium feel with faily light carbonation. No surprises in the aftertaste- caramel, toffee and brown sugar.
Big Sound is a sweet, no frills malt display. Ultimately it is nice standard scotch ale.
704 characters
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Big Sound Scotch Ale from Cigar City Brewing
4.09
out of 5
based on 720 ratings.
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25