Five Wee Heavy Bells
Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Named after the five bells at Mission San Diego de Alcala, this scotch ale is aged on scotch soaked oak chips, making a fun play-on words. From a 22 ounce bottle, on to the beer :

It looks a darker shade of amber, maybe light brown. The head forms half an inch thick before dissolving into a lace. It has a pleasant smell, not too strong with whispers of scotch soaked oak chips, chocolate, and fruity esters.

Five Wee Heavy Bells seems to hit your palate in different parts. It starts soft and relaxed with peat smoke and fruity esters. Then you get a light, but surely noticeable hit of the scotch soaked oak chips, which adds a little extra depth to this beer. Echoes of chocolate, smoke, and scotch are noticed towards the end, especially as they echo in the aftertaste. This rides in a medium-heavy body with calm bubbles and undetected alcohol.

Karl Strauss has its shit together in this beer. It's made for after work drinking, as well as holiday celebrations and cold nights.

 

 

 

A: Brilliant chestnut under a thin film of a head. Lacy with some legs.
S: Spicy nose with anise and malt
T: Rich malt flavors with some malt spice reminiscent of root beer barrel candy. Not a lot of hops considering the alcohol and the malt. M: Clean and smooth, medium full body, above average carbonation. O: A good drinkable wee heavy suitable for watching large men in skirts throw telephone poles. BA Review 3-30-15

 

Pours a clear dark orange-brown with a foamy tan head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, toffee, nut, earth, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with toast, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, nut, earth, and slight wood flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of toast bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with solid aromas and flavors, but I am not really getting any Scotch characteristics from the soaked wood chips they used.

Serving type: bottle.

 

Attractive dark coppery color with a decent foam in the Ommegang chalice. Both unctuous and spritzy in the mouth. Fairly heavy body. Boozy, apply aroma.

Rich, sweet, and malty. Winey and full of caramel and browned sugar. Plenty of roasted malt. Maybe a hint of smoke or peat, with some canned peach and apple pie. This tastes a lot like the Three Seagulls of two years ago. Classic big malty Karl Strauss brew. Quite sippable.

Faint vanilla note. I don't taste much oak, but I never criticize subtlety. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Bottleworks in North Park for what I thought was the rather steep price of $11.79.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice Carmel color. No head. Very subtle smell of malted grains and scotch. Tasted very smooth for the ABV. Slight watery taste at first followed by sweet malts/grains. Very subtle scotch and vanilla flavor. Overall, very nice for a KS beer, but not one I would seek out.

 

Appearance: Pours somewhere in-between ruby and copper red. Very nice head retention. Love the bomber bottle design - I see Santa!

Smell: Sweet malty notes in the nose.

Taste: Wow. There’s the scotch. And some terrific oak-ey-ness. I love a malty beer and this one is right up my alley.

Mouthfeel: Full body that lingers. Very pleasant.

Drinkability: Surprisingly smooth drinking for almost 10%. Balanced and interesting. Super strong recommendation.