Real Heavy
Real Ale Brewing Company

Look - slightly red, darkish brown, not much head. Poured into a wine glass, leaving a little lacing.

Smell - toffee, caramel, slight coffee, indistinct sweet booze…delicious, and exactly what I expect from a scotch ale.

Taste - follows the nose. Outstanding.

Feel - medium carbonation, slightly thicker than a lager.

Overall - this is great. Found it at an HEB in Kerrville, TX. $1.99 for a single bottle…I need to try to find some six packs of this stuff, because at that price point I’d like to stock up on this stuff. A premium beer at 9.3% alcohol at $2 is virtually unheard of.

RB transfer

Got in a BIF from Ozzylizard. 22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 12/23/2021. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with decent retention, that reduces to a minimal spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, nuttiness, toffee, raisin, prune; with light notes of molasses, chocolate, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, yeast earthiness. Taste follows with big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, nuttiness, toffee, raisin, prune, fig, date; with light notes of molasses, chocolate, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast earthiness. Light pine, herbal, woody, roasted bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; very creamy/bready malts and light-moderate sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Lingering sticky/light resinous hop dryness, with no cloying flavors after the finish. Light increasing warmth of 9.3% after the finish. Awesome all around scotch ale: great rich English malt complexity, with balancing English hops, and fruity english yeast that isn't overpowering.

While I lack the vocabulary that many of you have, I do enjoy trying lots of different beers. I got several sampler cases of Real Ale "Bomber" assortment at Costco. They also consist of Commisar and Black Quad beers. This was a huge value, and I really enjoyed the Real Heavy, because it is malty, full-bodied, and tastes great to me. It reminds me of "Old Jock," a great beer that I get in Scotland. Real Ale does a great job of making high ABV beers that taste great.

Pours a mild fizzy tan head with lower retention, a touch of lacing, slightly hazy mostly clear auburn to iced tea brown color

Nose starts with sweet malts, toasted biscuity and caramel toffee, molasses and brown sugar, into some dark dried fruits like fig date, maybe even a bit of black cherry, a light solventy perfumey alcohol, candied apple, pastry crust

Taste brings more of the sweet malts up front, a bit candy like, molasses into toffee and caramel, brown sugar, again with the candied dried dark fruits like fig raisin date, and even a bit of plum, a faint smokey note with more nutty toffee on the back end, fair warming perfumey alcohol, sticky sweet finish, a flash of bitterness kicks in and more booze

Mouth is fuller bod, med to lower carb making it feel a touch syrupy, fair warming alcohol

Overall not bad, a bit on the sweet syrupy style although that's more the American palate of this style, very mild solventy note on the nose that eventually went away, otherwise not bad

 

 

 

From a bottle produced 1/30/25. Pours a clear dark brown with a thin layer of beige foam. Roasted malt and raisin aroma. Medium body. Taste follows the nose - malty with a raisin-like sweetness. Hits all the style points and comes in strong at 9.7%.

 

 

12oz bottled on 2-29-24. Opened 7-7-24.
1 finger sand colored head with very good retention. Amber body with good clarity.
Floral, fruity, sweet malt, earthy, and caramel in an expressive aroma.
Caramel, brown bread, brown sugar...tons of malt depth.
Medium body, smoot mouthfeel with an unexpected moderate balancing bitterness across the tongue. Long and semi-sweet finish.
Very Good.

Medium amber color to the pour, clear; thin, splotchy head. Fine, deep caramel scent. Big malt flavor with a fine low-key bitterness complement; somewhat toasty; well-hidden alcohol presence. Heavy body; smooth and slippery; excellent residual sugar feel.

While the looks (as best as I can judge based on the pour into a paper cup) and smell aren't up to excellent or outstanding levels, the taste and mouthfeel seem spot-on for the style.

ABV: 9.3%; pouring temperature: n/a; bottling info: BOTTLED DEC 12 2023
Source: Spec's in Giddings, TX

 

 

 

 

2023-11-24
12oz bottle served in a tulip. Bottled on Jan 05 2023. Got it in a trade with @MrSandman101.

Pours murky brown, clearish at the edges, with a small, very fine head, and a small amount of head. Smell is very oaky, some dates, some nuts and sticky toffee pudding.

Taste is boozy, bitter wood, nearly-burnt molasses, quite sweet. Boozy.

Mouthfeel is thick and chewy, though not sticky. Overall, nice scotch ale.