McGritty's Scotch Ale
Aviator Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

draft at Sawmill Taproom

a: served in a standard shaker pint, this scotch ale is a deep brown, iced-coffee color, capped with a layer of carbonation that shows average retention

s: heavy malt sugars on the aroma, rich and darkly caramelized, toffee, chocolate, smoked malt, and a very mild hop aroma

m: carbonation on the low end, with a medium full body

t: deeply rich and sweet malts with notes of heavy toffee, dark fruits, some chocolate, and a full smoky flavor that pulls out in the finish to linger with dark sugars and toasted malt, hops mild

o: this is a very nice scotch ale, shows off a fine, rich malt profile with a great smoky character that doesn’t seem to have garnered much notice, but that makes the beer for me, brewed with bamberg smoked malt

 

On tap at Sawmill Tap Room on 3/2/12.

Pours a dark amber with a thin layer of creamy, brownish head that has decent retention. The nose is toasty and has notes of baked apples and caramel. The flavor is similar; toasted malts dominate with some caramel and fruity, apple notes that follow. There is a faint bitter hop character in the finish. The mouthfeel is smooth, medium bodied, and well carbonated.

This isn't a bad beer, but it's odd for the style. The toasted malt dominates. This is a malty characteristic I've noted in their Hot Rod Red and Steamhead as well. It's drinkable and refreshing, but I probably won't have it again.

On-tap at The Hive during Raleigh Beer Week served in a standard pint glass a crisp brown with a thin diminishing head. Aroma is a nice amount of dark malts with slight bakers cocoa. The taste is a nice amount of dark malts, cinnamon, brown sugar and a nice dried fruit finish. The beer is on the light side of medium with decent carbonation. This is certainly an enjoyable Scotch ale, one would have again if the mood hits.