Ole Gus
Meadowlark Brewing

 

 

Not interesting. Saccharine, with little to no body. Just order a cold smoke if you want a MT scotch ale.

Poured from 12oz can into glass. I could not find any canning date information.
Amber brown colored body. Not much for head . Just a few small spots of lacing are left behind during the drinking session.
Smells of caramel and slightly sweet dark fruit.
Taste carries through with the sweet caramel, along with roasted malts and the dark fruit (such as prunes and raisins). Has the spicy rye component
Medium mouth feel. Low on carbonation but this allows the darker flavors to sit on the tongue.
Very pleasant sipping beer with the dark and spicy flavors that are complemented with the caramel sweetness.

 

everyone in montana makes a scotch ale. maybe its the popularity of cold smoke that has done it, but it seems everyone who brews is trying to clone that one, improve it in some way, or just jump on its long running bandwagon. nowhere else do we see the proliferation of a sort of otherwise esoteric style quite like scotch ale in montana. this is a decent one, but it doesnt contribute anything new, at least for me, even with some rye malt in it. it has a nice richer red malt complexion, an earthy toasted sweetness to it, and a flavorful european ale yeast, and its quite well made beer, but in the end its nothing special, tastes somewhat samey to me, and doesnt have the body it needs to support the flavor or the abv. i dont mind this style being on the sweet side, that often comes with the territory, but there is nothing to balance it out with, it needs a counterpoint that it never gets. more carbonation would help, and i think more body and structure from the grain would too. the flavor is good though, and maybe i am being too critical, but i definitely wanted a little more from this one. if you like them sweet and relaxed feeling, give this a try.

edit: some five years after the initial review i got to revisit this, and i like it a whole lot better. for one it seems way more refined, drier, and even more unique, but also, i can taste and appreciate the rye note a lot more, maybe it was my own ignorance back then, maybe they have increased that over the years, but this definitely stands not just as well made anymore, but also as unique in this style space due to the spicy rye as balancing element to the residual sugar. i like the earthiness, the long boiled fullness of grain character, and the way the yeast still plays a part. smart and subtle, definitely need to increase a few scores on this one. the new meadowlark space in billings is incredible, and its obvious they have some some distinct in their overall quality. awesome!

 

 

 

Slaves of the mainstream
Hear the heavy metal sound
Perish before the masters of the underground

Puppets on a string controlled by masked men
Trying to cash in on the last of every fan
Changing form to fit into the scene

As long as there's a stage for us to stomp on and rage
As long as we carry six packs and slay
You won't get us down - we still play that heavy metal sound

Born to play at ten

 

Sweet, Malty, Fruity, Spicy

Rich, dark copper in color. Dark rye bread and biscuits in the nose. Full-bodied, smooth and viscous. Sweet and malty with notes of treacle syrup, chocolate, caramel, rye bread, dark grapes, and some fruity esters. A solid twist on a Wee Heavy, and quite sweet, but the addition of rye in Ole Gus complements the dark malts and alcohol bite very well.

As reviewed in BeerAdvocate magazine #113 (June 2016).

I'm a scotch ale fan. I enjoyed the subtle sweetness and body of Ole Gus. It is refreshing but definitely will sneak up on you. This is a beer I enjoy while relaxing in front of a bonfire. It's pairs well with the smokey great outdoors.

True to a wee heavy this fuller- bodied, mouthful of rye has a plethora of caramel and malty flavor. So easy drinking, it's dangerous and in our group of drinkers; a rail crowd pleaser. Not heavy on the carbonation, makes the smoothness of the beer quite memorable. Tastes equally as delicious out of the can or draft.

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer served a dark ruby color with a tiny bit of white foam. The head fades very fast leaving almost no lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the brew is strongest of a huge caramel and molasses smell mixed with a bit of breadiness. Along with these aromas comes some dark fruit smells of raisin and plum as well as some brown sugar and roasted malt, giving the brew a very sugary-sweet smell overall.

Taste – The taste begins with a huge sweet caramel and molasses taste mixed with a lightly toasted bready taste. The bready and toasted flavors get stronger and stronger as the taste advances with the sweet caramel and molasses being joined by some dark fruit flavors of plum. As the taste moves on further to the end, a little bit of a grainy taste comes to the tongue. In the end, more dark fruit of cherry and plum come to the tongue along with a big increase in the molasses sweetness, leaving a huge sweet and slightly toasted taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the slightly thicker and chewier side with a carbonation level that is very low. The thick body and lower carbonation level are fantastic for the rich, sweet, and malty taste of the brew, bathing the tongue in all the robust flavors.

Overall – Wow. This was a sweet one overall. This brew is very tasty overall and while not an everyday drinker, this one is a rather nice slow sipping desert style brew to occasion from time to time.

 

Chocolate, creamy

Wait for it "creamy "