Scotch Ale
Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's

 

Arrives in an Imperial pint glass with just shy of one finger of light tan head. This settles to a thin coating. The beer itself is medium to dark brown with a slight reddish hue. Decent lacing.

Smell: mild caramel malt with a slight metallic undertone.

Taste: slight metallic bite upfront that almost dominates a weak caramel malt backbone. Slight vegetal flavor in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Very low carbonation level. Body is a little thin.

Drinkability: A little disappointingly thin and watery. Certainly not the malt bomb I expected and hoped for.

A glass of malty goodness - pretty much sums it up. Rich chestnut brown. Some malt sweetness, but well balanced. A touch of smoke in the malt but not enough to register very high in the flavor. The hopping was perhaps a touch more than in keeping with the style, but it was darn tasty.

On tap at the brew-pub. Listed as 6.6% ABV and 19.5 IBU

A: Not much head (but that's the way they draw them at this brewpub), but good lacing. Nice dark brown mahogany.

S: Malty dried cherries, tea and a slight hint of chocolate cake.

T: Malty sweetness well balanced with hops. Raisin undertones with a hint of red wine. Nice complexity.

M: Almost sticky, fully round and warming. The alcohol hits the back of the thraot with a pleasant nibble.

D: For 6.6 %, this is very easy to drink. But, don't drink it too fast, or you'll miss the complex chocolate-cherry aftertastes as it warms a bit.

All around, a really surprisingly good beer, very well balanced -- even my malt-loathing daughter actually liked it! -- and worth stopping in for when you're in the River City.

From a growler thanks to kmpitz2. Pours a dark brown color with a small head that falls fast and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass. The aroma has a lot of malt character - little smoke, little caramel. The flavor is very much the same. Lots of malty goodness - mostly sweet caramel. Has a thick mouthfeel and great drinkability.

From growler poured into a snifter. It pours a deep brown color with one finger of head. Not much lacing. The smell is nice and full, very malty. Lots of caramel goodness. The taste is malty as well. Lots of caramel sweetness, but not too much else. At least you can't even detect a hint of alcohol. The mouthfeel is nice and strong, and the drinkability is fanastic. Thanks to Kevin for sharing this sweet BBC brew.

Picked up at Party Town in Florence, KY. It pours a deep rubied brown color with a finger of head that falls to coat the brew. The nose is really buttery, lots of diacetyl and caramel malts. The flavor is buttery up front over a sweet caramel base with a slight hint of graineyness. Its very flavorful. The feel is moderate, almost thick with a moderate carb. This is a very drinkable brew. Its smooth and refreshing. The buttery does not interfere, but adds to the beer. Good show.