Hoppy Scotsman
BJ's Restaurants & Brewery

16 oz. can into a pint glass, this from the BJ's beer club and brewed at Reno, NV facility at 6.7%. Canned on 08/19/21.

Pour is deep amber in color, fairly clear in the light, and sporting a half inch of mocha foam. Nose is malty with notable caramel notes yet a bit thin in depth. Taste follows with light malty notes, bit watery in nature, and finishes with a pleasant bready caramel character that expands a bit with warming. Feel is light but fitting for a self proclaimed 'Scottish-American' ale; perhaps a pale ale with a bias toward some Scottish character. Good idea in theory but a tough one to pull off.

Overall a well done skew brew. And just what I've come to expect. Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at BJ's in Burbank, CA.

Pours a hazy honey brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, and nut aromas. Taste is much the same with toast, nut, caramel, and fruit flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of toast bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with solid toast and nut characteristics all around.

 

 

 

 

 

Not as heavy as the wee heavy's I've tried in my past. The 'hoppy' characteristic denoted by the name isn't that West Coast punch- it's much more subtle and a floral. For a Scottish Ale/wee heavy, I thought this ABV would tank over 8%, which would be ideal and have me rating slightly higher. The only other small issue I experienced was a very slight 'bottled' flavor despite being on draft- it seemed to be oxidized just a little.