Scotch Scotch Scotchity Scotch Ale
Rooftop Brewing Company

An aggressive pour yields a finger and a half of dense off-tan foam sitting atop a beautiful crisp clean ruby/toffee body. Head settles in to a few soapy bubbles and a light fuzz.

Nose is a nice blend of sweet caramel and definite smoked peat. It blends together wonderfully to create a really inviting nose.

Flavour is still sweet, and also has some leather and earthy mustiness to it that I get a lot of the time with old ales. The peat is still there, though it is less pronounced than on the nose. It does build somewhat over time, however.

Body is clean though somewhat on the thinner side for my preference, and the carbonation is present but doesn't over step its bounds.
Honestly I'm enjoying this a lot more than I expected to. The peat is pleasantly welcoming without being overbearing (though it helps to sip at it as opposed to big mouthfulls) , and helps to offset some of the sweetness of the base quite nicely.

22oz bottle served in some kind of a tulip. Pours brown and muddy, with a small chestnut head, and sports a tinge of red when held up to the light. Aroma is earthy, not exactly peaty, and definitely malty. Flavor does not remind me of peat smoke or scotch nearly so much as the label would leave to me believe. But it's full-flavored, delicious, and unbelievably smooth. I was afraid the "More peat, less sweet" sub-heading on the label would reveal another harshly flavored Wee Heavy, just with more smoke. Smoke character is definitely secondary -- this is no Rauchbier. Instead, it's a malty brown ale that's tasty and easy to drink, with a nod towards smoky, American-made Scotch ales. Oh, and it betrays none of it's 7.9% ABV billing (presumably this is the 2019-2020 bottling).

 

$10.67 (Including shipping)/22 oz capped bottle ($ 0.485/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA.
Dated on shoulder in yellow ink “02/07/18”, stored at 42 degrees and served at 55 degrees in a hand-washed and hand-dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 4.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque. When held to the light, it is shown to be a deep red-amber.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.8 cm, aggressive center pour), tan, average density and retention, diminishing to a four mm ring fed by spotty effervescence and a thin complete layer.
Lacing – Fair. Partial rings of tiny bubbles, connected by thin columns.
First pour – Brown, clear.
Aroma – 4 – Malt and peat.
Flavor – 4 - This is certainly less sweet than the average wee heavy, with the peat contribution cutting the malt flavor as well, making the nose much more segregated than the flavors. This is well-balanced – neither sweet and malty nor smoky. No hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 – Just what it should be – Medium, almost creamy, soft carbonation.
Impression and summation – 4.25 – The whole is greater than the (sum of the) parts. This would be a pleasant alternative for those that think wee heavies are too sweet and malty and rauchbiers too smoky. If anything, this well-balanced brew may seem a bit nondescript.

 

 

 

On tap at the brewery. Slightly murky and dark reddish brown/rust-colored with minimal head retention. The aroma is clean with a grainy quality, a touch of brown bread crust and a raisiny suggestion. Advertised as a peaty brew and sure enough, Rooftop delivers on its promise. Medium-bodied with a passing note of sweet (CaraMunich?) malt, the flavor, from start to finish, is primarily about peat and its earthy, smoky character. This is a beer for fans of Islay Scotch; others may simply find it too intense for a full pour.