Castle Stormer Scottish Ale
Granite Falls Brewing Co.

Appearance: Arrives tea colored with a thin ecru head that fades to a collar; dots and squiggles

Smell: Toasted bread and toffee with a hint of smoke

Taste: Toasted bread and toffee forward with a hint of smoked peat underneath; a sweet but not cloying finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I like a good Wee Heavy for a change of pace and it is nice to see this brewery offer a good one as part of its regular line-up

 

I've had the pleasure of tasting many American Scotch ales, most of which feature flavors of soggy bread crust & topnotes of cardboard... But this one- all the toffee & smoke I love in the best Scottish and Belgian versions are upfront! Unbeatable in class!

Review from BA Mag Issue #118 ( Nov 2016 )

Unique, True, Bready, Deep
Castle Stormer was born of its brewery’s rituals that include toasts with horn cups, an 18th century Bible from Scotland, and an addition of Scottish toffee. Extreme beer comes in so many forms. A bit of malt bomb but never sweet, layers of toasted bread, dried grass, bread crust, and warmth from the alcohol all mingle on the palate. Incredibly smooth with a mild smokiness, the modest hopping really lets the malt shine here. An interesting Scotch Ale, and better than most US versions, the addition of toffee brings this style to a new place. [Jason]

Look 3.75 | Smell 4.00 | Taste 3.75 | Feel 4.25 | Overall 3.75

Via cask, super smooth.

12 oz with no clearly indicated production date.

Appearance: Pours a fine, clear, dark mahogany, but with little head. The thin head, however, is semi-durable and leaves respectable lacing on the glass.

Aroma: attractive; lightly sweet and malty; not boozy despite the higher ABV but some detectable and appropriate alcohol esters.

Flavor: follows the nose; great balance; limited complexity; faint alcohol esters contribute to the fine flavor.

Feel: very smooth medium-full body with light carbonation and well (but not completely) hidden ABV.

Overall: my first beer from this brewery is a winner! This Scotch Ale is better than many of the ones I've enjoyed during my trips to Scotland.

 

No BOD. Pours dark cola brown. Slightly below average head volume ( 2 fingers with an aggressive pour ), poor retention and average lacing.

Borderline outstanding nose with a nice peat background. Light caramel and molasses notes frolic over a subtle smokiness.

Heavy body that is almost rich. Light creamy elements abound especially in the finish. superb carbonation / body balance that opens the flavor up very well. A bit more carbonation would push this into world class territory. A light effervescence begins in the middle and produces a slightly prickly finish.

The flavor profile is outstanding and falls just short of quite outstanding due to complexity. Underneath is a nice peaty smokiness that hits just the right intensity and peaks mid-palate. Light prune also arrives mid palate, but the fig and raisin aspects for the style are a bit lacking - very light but present if you look. There is no bitterness to speak of, just a light alcohol astringency. Overall, the alcohol is very well covered. Sweetness peaks mid palate and allows the dark fruit aspects to emerge. Caramel is the primary source of sweetness with molasses taking an almost undetectable role. The finish is a slightly sweet fade of prune and subtle alcohol.

 

 

 

Guest tap at the Gibbs Hundred brewery a few nights back.Came in a stemmed glass a burgundy infused chesnut brown with a thinner light beige head atop.Dark fruits and brown sugar in the nose with a good amount of alcohol sweet zip.A full chewey feel to the beer accents the beer very well.Dark fruit mild nuttiness and alot of brown sugar and cake on the palate,I did detect some light earthy dryness in the finish wich was nice.A real nice stab a wee heavy,this would have been good next to a fire in the middle of winter not a 75 degree day but get it when you can I guess.