Black Douglas Ale
Broughton Ales Ltd

Black Douglas AleBlack Douglas Ale
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From:
Broughton Ales Ltd
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Scottish Ale
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 9.41%
Reviews:
96
Ratings:
118
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 24, 2016
Added:
Nov 07, 2001
Wants:
  28
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Ratings by scotorum:
Photo of scotorum
Reviewed by scotorum from Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from the 16.9 oz. bottle into a Samuel Smith English tulip glass.

a: Clear dark ruby topped by a two inch tan head which receded slowly tro heavy surface foam and dense lacing.

s: Caramel malt with slight dark ripe fruit undertones.

t: Mild dark fruit sourness over caramel malt base. Sour aftertaste lingers. Had I drunk this blindfolded without knowing what it was supposed to be I might have thought it was a Belgian Dubbel or some sort of weak barleywine.

m: Surprisingly light body.

o: Sourness masks some of the malt flavor. Admittedly an old bottle bought on sale last summer and saved for colder weather. In my experience there is no guarantee any particular style will age well, and this is another instance where perhaps it did not.
Dec 08, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.21/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Comes in the earthy mixture of red and brown tones. Head in the 1/5" range. Off white. Doesn't provide much in terms of lace or retention. The aroma is fairly muted.

Taste was a blend of all those earthy genre styles. Brown ale, scotch ale, red ale, amber ale. All those things, brown malt, peat, minimal bitterness or hops, woodiness, smoke, dirt, earth, moss.

Weird format and seemingly a marketing novelty for its artwork.
Oct 24, 2016
Photo of drmeto
Reviewed by drmeto from Germany

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
L:
-pours a clear ruby with a medium,foamy,beige head
-medium carbonation visible
S:
-caramel,toffee,blueberries,blackberries,spicy,zesty,fruitcake
T:
-very spicy,grassy,pine,caramel,blueberries,coffee
-high,lingering bitterniss for the style
F:
-medium carbonation
-light to medium body
O:
Another winner from Broughton
Jul 06, 2016
Photo of Jeffo
Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands

3.84/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Got this one from the wine shop down the road. First beer bought in Maarssen at our new place.

From a 50cl bottle into a pint glass.

APPEARANCE: Pours a large, three finger, medium looking, fluffy, creamy, off-white head with great retention. Dark copper red color, perfectly clear, with robust carbonation. Head slowly fades to a thick, creamy, cap and clings to the sides of the glass. Full cap remains leaving some good lacing down the glass. Looks really good.

SMELL: Caramel, some toffee notes, floral hops and light grassy notes. Nice but a little too mild to be memorable.

TASTE: Caramel and light melon flavors up front with a nice dose of toffee, butterscotch, melon flavors, floral hops and some bubble gum at the finish. Bold and lingering aftertaste of bitter hops, melon, butterscotch and toffee sweetness. Very flavorful and enjoyable; much more impressive than the nose had lead on.

PALATE: Medium-full body and a touch lower levels of carbonation. Quite creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes just a touch dry. Some bitterness lingers.

OVERALL: Really good brew. Scotch ales are usually a preferred style of mine and this one did not disappoint. Lots of sweet malt flavor with a good dose of bitter, floral hops to balance it out. Plenty flavorful and a nice feel to boot. If the nose were a little more forthcoming, this would have been a real winner. In any case, this is definitely one worth visiting again. Happy to see the wine store down the road branching out to find beers like this. Recommended.
Oct 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.91 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

Feb 07, 2015
Photo of MarkoNm
Reviewed by MarkoNm from Slovenia

3.61/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Pours a light brown color, completely clear, with some reddish undertone. About two fingers of white head quickly settles to just a miniature brim around the edge.
The aroma is extremely pleasant - chocolatey smell is complemented by some roasted malts and just a little coffee.
The creamy taste has the initial bitter kick, but is followed by moderate bitterness and some roastiness as well.
There is another bitter kick in the finish.
Jan 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Sep 05, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by GraduatedCashew from California

Aug 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

May 25, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Bill235 from Ohio

May 13, 2013
Photo of mick303
Reviewed by mick303 from Canada (ON)

3.68/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A- a caramel ruby colour, slight head with some decent lacing.

S- sweet toffee, caramel malt, fruity apple note, quite a bit of barley malt, mildly roasty.

T- sweet caramel, vegetal notes, toasty malt, cinnamon and some spice, and some zesty citrus but there doesn't seem to be much holding it all together. Finish has some caramel sugar, dry barley finish.

M- mild body, soft carbonation, a bit watery then dry and a bit bitter tannic tannic on finish, drinkable.

Not a particularly remarkable or memorable ale, easy enough to drink, and some decent malty notes coming through, but not much complexity. Develops nicely though, good session ale.
Mar 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by harpus from Alabama

Mar 27, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by matjack85 from Illinois

Feb 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Thunderballroom from New York

Dec 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 09, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by BYOFB from Wisconsin

Nov 24, 2012
Photo of Minkybut
Reviewed by Minkybut from Virginia

3.24/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I poured this okay beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was co-cola colored pouring a pretty big head that had really bid bubbles. I guess that is why they did not last very long either. The beer smelled really good. It had a rich caramelly hazel nut smell that I thought was going to be yummy. It was not though and in fact the beer was fruity tasting with a bitter finish. I will not buy again.
Oct 18, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by bzach from Indiana

Oct 16, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by Bryfind from Louisiana

Jul 11, 2012
Black Douglas Ale from Broughton Ales Ltd
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 118 ratings