Wallace Tavern
Market Garden Brewpub & Brewery

 

 

 

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a dark auburn with some ruby hues when in the light; small light khaki head that fades leaving decent retention and okay lacing. The aromas are malt forward and somewhat faint. Hints of caramel and toffee. Some dark fruit aromas as well. The flavors basically follow the nose. Some raisins and plum in the mix. More hints of caramel and toffee. Some subtle cocoa notes. Malts do their thing. Finishes clean for the most part. Alcohol goes unnoticed for the most part. Mouthfeel is on the fuller side of medium-bodied or the lighter side of full-bodied with moderate to active carbonation. It's very fluffy and smooth. Easy drinking stuff.

This is a solid scotch ale. It's not flashy and stays true to the style, which works. It becomes more enjoyable as it warms. Not bad at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Went to Market Garden Brewery last night with my wife and my parents for my mom's birthday dinner and I ordered this beer. They must have revamped this one from what it originally was, because this one boasted an AVB of 8%. Served to me from on-tap in an oval shaped glass. Not sure exactly what the name of the type/style of glass it was. This beer is a clear, medium to dark amber/copper color with a just slightly off-white head that is about 1/3 of an inch thick when first served to me that dissipates to a medium sized ring lining the inside of the glass. A little bit of lacing but not too much. Big roasted, smoked caramel malt aromas were certainly present along with fruity notes of plums and pears along with a nice molasses and brown sugar. Also a bit of toffee. Taste pretty much the same, with big toasted, smoked caramel malt sweetness that gives way to the plum and pear notes followed by the molasses and brown sugar notes. Has a slight hint of spice too. Has a slightly crisp, mainly smooth and frothy, medium bodied mouthfeel with light to moderate carbonation. I thought the mouthfeel and body seemed just a little bit too light for this style of beer, especially for one that boasts an AVB of 8%.

Eric

This brew was served on tap at the Market Garden Brewery taproom in Cleveland, Ohio. It arrived in a generic chalice and showed a deep golden caramel coloring. It held a half finger tall head of cream colored bubbles, and this retained nicely. Haze was moderate, although no sediment was present. Carbonation appeared to be lightly moderate. The aroma spoke of raw brown sugar, fruity esters, plum and pear fruitiness, soaked amber and caramel malts, light soapy hoppiness, roasted walnuts, candied almonds, light cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness, cherry cough syrup, bile and lactic acidity, and powdery ale yeastiness. The taste revealed notes of wet brown and caramel malts, toffee sweetness, cooked and singed brown sugar, molasses, light plum and dark cherry flesh, airy and bittering soapy hop, dank figgy organic bite, dried raisins, light cinnamon, gingerbread, and nutmeg spiciness, fresh honey brushed and buttered biscuits, and candy corn sugars. Through the end and aftertaste came a big wash of mildly bittering, but stark, phenolic character. The body was light to medium, but syrupy and silky in feel. Carbonation came across as high, with especial frothy build on the swirl around the mouth. Otherwise, cream, slurp, and smack were all nice, with excellent glug on the swallow. The abv was appropriate and well hidden, and the beer remained easy to drink throughout.

Overall, although this was a nice beer, it didn’t really drink much like a Scotch ale. For the most part through the flavoring, there were highly sweet fruity inclusions, but tons of caramel and malty residual sugars, but with a lack of any great balancing smokiness or big bitterness to counter. Sure, we noted some phenolic wash through the end, but this was hardly enough to meet the Quad-esque level of malty sweetness. A drier, more tannic side of the malts could have helped this, and perhaps a longer boil was in order here. Finally, the mouthfeel was particularly light for the style, making it seemingly more of a Scottish ale than many of your monster Wee heavies. As with all new beers and breweries we were excited for the opportunity to sample this one, but this is not our new favorite. If you’re looking for something darker, more bitter, and more definitely Scotch, look elsewhere.