V.S.O. Gravedigger
Revolution Brewing

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. A bit of a gusher out of the can, but quickly poured into the glass. Pours a quite dark red-brown with little light transmission in the glass and a fizzy quarter finger khaki head that quickly dissapears to nothing with no head. Aroma of biscuit and caramel malt, bourbon, plums, raisins and light peat smoke. Flavor is caramel and biscuit malt, bourbon, dried plums, raisins, light molasses and peat smoke. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess and nice mouth feel. The profile of this big ale is closer to a barleywine than a Scotch ale, with lots of dark fruit character and dense malt, but it also has a quite fine wee heavy peat smokiness too. Good bourbon barrel character too.Warming, but not hot; perhaps the year in the cellar has mellowed it a bit. The flavor is rich and pleasing. A little lacking in the carbonation, but it is satisfactory and much better than the near still pour indicated. I will definitely get this again. I need more barreled Scotch ales. Enjoyable.

 

 

Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body is a dark brown. Momentary head then dispersal to glass edge and just a wee ring there. No lacing.

This monster is an over the top wee heavy with huge aroma and flavors: toffee, maple, figs, and a lightly smoky caramel. There's no subtlety here. It's a sledgehammer of flavor. Heavy mouthfeel and medium (at best) carbonation.

The barrel is present but it's not harsh. If anything, more barrel would be great to help moderate the sweetness. Having said that much, I enjoyed dipping and savoring this beer.

 

4/4/23 canned

A&S: The beer is a dark red-brown. Fizzy tan head, dies right away. Some carbonation rising up. Not surprised considering this beer spends two winters in the barrel. Some legs. The aroma contains bourbon, raisins, huge maple syrup notes, and oak. Seems a lot like an English barleywine. Some smokey peat comes through as it warms.

The taste has toffee, marshmallows, and caramel as the main components. The aftertaste contains spicy tones probably from the rye barrels and small hints of cherries. It is very warming. The mouthfeel is not super heavy on the palate. It is tingly from the spice in the finish.

Overall: Very similar to Ryeway to Heaven. I am really enjoying the beers I have had so far from Revolution. I can see why this is #1 in the category, definitely my favorite Scotch Ale.

 

 

 

Medium brown body with a large beige head. Aromas of molasses, bourbon, caramel malts, slight earth, some dark wood and date. Taste adds some sassafras, dried cherries and mild yeast. Feel has plenty of smooth malt and barrel character, but the yeast in combination with high carb create an elevated finish with a little snarl. This is a unique new world barrel treatment meeting an old world style and it working beautifully. The wife liked it

 

I understand how this is the number one Scotch ale, as it really ticks all the boxes. It’s strong with the barrel, it’s got the dark fruit and caramel notes, and it’s the perfect balance of sweet and boozy. Excellent!

 

 

Good head production; retention is poor, although that's to be expected.

Aroma is massive and impressive, giving off strong impressions of whiskey, oak, caramel, honeycomb, and brown sugar. Lesser notes of chocolate, dark fruit, nuts, and coffee.

Very similar on the palate, albeit less impressive overall. Nothing is remotely off, but the whole may not be greater than the sum of its parts. On the plus side, those individual parts are pretty great on their own. Tasting notes are similar to the nose, with bourbon definitely leading the way. Quite hot on the palate - again, expected, but noteworthy.

Black in color with no light penetration. No discernible head. There’s a wallop of sweet malt, vanilla, and bourbon. I’m tasting a lot of sweet malt, bourbon, and vanilla. The mouth is sticky, chewy, boozy.

12oz can from Tavour. Dark brown pour, still. Aroma is sweet and malty, raisins, bourbon. Taste is sweet, light peated malts, prunes, tobacco, molasses, whiskey and can initial blast of warmth. Smooth, sweet, slick, with a touch of dryness at the finish.

poured from a 12oz can into a revolution deep woods tumbler. pours a chestnut brown but gathers in the glass nearly black with almost two fingers of sandy brown foam. always crazy to me how much head these rev deep woods cans throw. the foam is quick to fade into nothing leaving this looking like a dark barleywine. aromas of bourbon, oak, molasses and caramel. get a little wet cardboard and leather as it warms. taste mostly follows. it’s as massive as it is drinkable, which is quite impressive. it’s the perfect fall or winter strong ale. it’s like a mix of a barleywine and a winter ale on steroids aged in bourbon barrels that are also on steroids. medium-full mouthfeel. certainly nowhere near thin but also carbonated enough to give it some zip. this was really good. very ambitious as this was always going to be an outcast in the VSO (pricier) lineup.

Can. 2023z Tan head that fades. Dark brown color.

Figs, plums, caramel, toffee, vanilla, baker’s chocolate, raisins/grapes, oak, lots of whiskey and rye. Maple and char. Warming. Strong but smooth. Lots going on here. Very complex. Smokey, fudge coconut bourbon finish.

Fantastic scotch ale.