Union Series 7: 120 Shilling Export Scotch Ale | Summit Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Summit Brewing Company
Minnesota, United States
summitbrewing.com
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.50%
Availability: Limited (brewed once)
Notes / Commercial Description:
Brewed with Scottish base malt, roasted malts from England, and the pure Irish passion of Summit’s Head Brewer Damian McConn, our seventh Union Series brew is a 120 Shilling Export Scotch Ale — an homage to the malty, complex beers Damo enjoyed as a brewing student in Edinburgh, Scotland. Inspired by a 19th-century recipe and brewed with modern, experimental hop varieties, this powerful ale is deep ruby in color with aromas of toffee, Scotch whisky and baking spice, while rich flavors of dark fruit and caramel lead to a long, warming finish.
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 22 | Reviews: 11
Reviews by Bunuelian:
4.4/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
More User Reviews:
3.74/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Dark crimson color with a small head. Aroma of darken caramel but the hop aroma is not what is customary in a Scotch Ale. Sort of spicy like a noble hop instead of herbal and tea-like British hops. Flavor is strong caramel and bready with some spice. Unfortunately the finish is hurt by a harsh boozy astringency. But I am willing to bet this will mellow out if allowed to age 6-12 months. Full and rich body. Nice.
415 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Dark crimson color with a small head. Aroma of darken caramel but the hop aroma is not what is customary in a Scotch Ale. Sort of spicy like a noble hop instead of herbal and tea-like British hops. Flavor is strong caramel and bready with some spice. Unfortunately the finish is hurt by a harsh boozy astringency. But I am willing to bet this will mellow out if allowed to age 6-12 months. Full and rich body. Nice.
415 characters
4.38/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Nice tall, thick, tan, bubbly head (vigorous pour). Aroma of roasted malts, biscuit, caramel. Color is dark brown from the front, strikingly bright ruby with a back-light. Bubbles rise slowly. The head from the vigorous pour recedes slowly, leaving stringy lacing down the glass. Smooth and creamy feel initially (head plus beer), with a lot going on in the taste. There is the roasted malts picked up in the aroma, a hint of chocolate and a touch of vanilla. Some spiciness as well underneath. Sweetish initially, but well controlled by the hops in the middle and finish. The finish is surprisingly bitter for such a malty beer. Just a slight alcohol tinge in the aftertaste, but otherwise, the alcohol is well hidden (except for the quick buzz). Overall, an excellent Scotch ale.
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look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Nice tall, thick, tan, bubbly head (vigorous pour). Aroma of roasted malts, biscuit, caramel. Color is dark brown from the front, strikingly bright ruby with a back-light. Bubbles rise slowly. The head from the vigorous pour recedes slowly, leaving stringy lacing down the glass. Smooth and creamy feel initially (head plus beer), with a lot going on in the taste. There is the roasted malts picked up in the aroma, a hint of chocolate and a touch of vanilla. Some spiciness as well underneath. Sweetish initially, but well controlled by the hops in the middle and finish. The finish is surprisingly bitter for such a malty beer. Just a slight alcohol tinge in the aftertaste, but otherwise, the alcohol is well hidden (except for the quick buzz). Overall, an excellent Scotch ale.
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3.79/5 rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
4.29/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle. Poured out a murky, dark amber color with a small, tan head of foam. It smelled of peat, moss, smoke and toasted caramel. It tasted of smokiness, peat, toffee and roasted malt.
189 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle. Poured out a murky, dark amber color with a small, tan head of foam. It smelled of peat, moss, smoke and toasted caramel. It tasted of smokiness, peat, toffee and roasted malt.
189 characters
4.3/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
This is as nice of a Wee Heavy as I've ever tasted. Great aroma. A somewhat sweet toasty caramel with a pleasing brown sugar quality. Just a hint of smoke. Both soft and rich simultaneously. Such a pleasure.
Dense tan head caps a clear deep red amber with browns and gold. Good lookin' too. Nice lacing marking each take.
Rich malt with nice and evident drying on the finish. Caramel but not sweet, esp. with the drying finish. Toasty to slightly roast malt. Smooth alcohol with a slight rose quality but it blends well and provides some warmth. Hard to tell if some of the dryness might have a slight hop quality. Just hints of green.
While big only a little bigger than moderate for feel it feels big enough for this full flavored beer.
I'm not normally much of a Wee Heavy guy, but I can see buying some more of this. I find this better than the RIS Summit did earlier this year.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
This is as nice of a Wee Heavy as I've ever tasted. Great aroma. A somewhat sweet toasty caramel with a pleasing brown sugar quality. Just a hint of smoke. Both soft and rich simultaneously. Such a pleasure.
Dense tan head caps a clear deep red amber with browns and gold. Good lookin' too. Nice lacing marking each take.
Rich malt with nice and evident drying on the finish. Caramel but not sweet, esp. with the drying finish. Toasty to slightly roast malt. Smooth alcohol with a slight rose quality but it blends well and provides some warmth. Hard to tell if some of the dryness might have a slight hop quality. Just hints of green.
While big only a little bigger than moderate for feel it feels big enough for this full flavored beer.
I'm not normally much of a Wee Heavy guy, but I can see buying some more of this. I find this better than the RIS Summit did earlier this year.
897 characters
4.62/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.19/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 12oz bottle into glass. Date code of '82971301.
Amber brown colored body. Thin head upon pouring turns into a couple of bubble fed islands and a thin ring. Leaves behind a scattered pattern of lacing spots.
Aroma of toasted/roasted malts and caramel. Seems like a coffee whiff too.
Taste of not too sweet toffee/caramel, Toasted/roasted malts. Hint of dried dark fruit. No real bitterness, but has a bit of alcohol burn. Hints of cocoa, vanilla, a little smoke, and anise in the burp.
Medium mouth feel, with a little bit of a syrup character. Good carbonation.
Quite a mouthful of flavors, with an emphasis of a complex of dark malts. Would be tough to do more than one per session, but very good sipping beer. Will be interesting to see what some cellar aging will do.
782 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 12oz bottle into glass. Date code of '82971301.
Amber brown colored body. Thin head upon pouring turns into a couple of bubble fed islands and a thin ring. Leaves behind a scattered pattern of lacing spots.
Aroma of toasted/roasted malts and caramel. Seems like a coffee whiff too.
Taste of not too sweet toffee/caramel, Toasted/roasted malts. Hint of dried dark fruit. No real bitterness, but has a bit of alcohol burn. Hints of cocoa, vanilla, a little smoke, and anise in the burp.
Medium mouth feel, with a little bit of a syrup character. Good carbonation.
Quite a mouthful of flavors, with an emphasis of a complex of dark malts. Would be tough to do more than one per session, but very good sipping beer. Will be interesting to see what some cellar aging will do.
782 characters
4.76/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
L-Dark brown...minimal head...
S-Fantastic. Goey caramel and toffee aromas up front....a little smokey peat....black cherries and plums as well..
T-Toffee....peat....black cherries...great balance between the flavors.
F-Full bodied...not sharp but has that nice warming booziness to it.
O-This is one of the best beers I've had in recent years. Vibrant but not cloying. Extremely well made beer.
406 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
L-Dark brown...minimal head...
S-Fantastic. Goey caramel and toffee aromas up front....a little smokey peat....black cherries and plums as well..
T-Toffee....peat....black cherries...great balance between the flavors.
F-Full bodied...not sharp but has that nice warming booziness to it.
O-This is one of the best beers I've had in recent years. Vibrant but not cloying. Extremely well made beer.
406 characters
4.55/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Clear amber, good head.
Smell: Leathery, light smokiness, toast, roasted malt. Excellent!
Taste: Malty, roasty, then broad sweetness--toffee at the forefront. Earthy. Tasty!
Overall: The union series from Summit are usually can't-miss beers and 120 Shilling is no exception. Very complex aroma and taste and the alcohol is well hidden. Really good stuff!
378 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Clear amber, good head.
Smell: Leathery, light smokiness, toast, roasted malt. Excellent!
Taste: Malty, roasty, then broad sweetness--toffee at the forefront. Earthy. Tasty!
Overall: The union series from Summit are usually can't-miss beers and 120 Shilling is no exception. Very complex aroma and taste and the alcohol is well hidden. Really good stuff!
378 characters
4.24/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a deep, clear read with barely any head. Smells bready and slightly boozy, with sweet caramel notes. Tastes of toffee, whiskey, and caramel with a touch of bitterness. The alcohol hides itself fairly well. Medium carbonation, smooth, and full-bodied. I'm not terribly familiar with the style--but this is a good beer no matter how you look at it.
352 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a deep, clear read with barely any head. Smells bready and slightly boozy, with sweet caramel notes. Tastes of toffee, whiskey, and caramel with a touch of bitterness. The alcohol hides itself fairly well. Medium carbonation, smooth, and full-bodied. I'm not terribly familiar with the style--but this is a good beer no matter how you look at it.
352 characters
4.37/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark brown with a bright ruby red hue when held to the light. Thin tan cap that recedes quickly leaving great lacing. Aroma is smoky dark roasted malts and peat. Flavor follows the nose with some sweet caramel malts and very little bitterness in the finish. Feel is rich medium bodied. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall a splendid beer. Well done Summit.
360 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark brown with a bright ruby red hue when held to the light. Thin tan cap that recedes quickly leaving great lacing. Aroma is smoky dark roasted malts and peat. Flavor follows the nose with some sweet caramel malts and very little bitterness in the finish. Feel is rich medium bodied. Alcohol is well hidden. Overall a splendid beer. Well done Summit.
360 characters
4.21/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12-ounce bottle poured into a 10-oz. tulip. Pours a dark cola brown with a nice head that retreats leaving substantial lacing on the glass. Aroma of caramel, toffee, tree bark, and earth. Tastes like a characteristically good example of the style with toffee upfront, dark bread, smoke, licorice, and caramel fudge. The hops really pull this one together though, with a kick of bitterness to keep the sweetness from falling off the edge. Full-bodied, and just a touch sticky. Really good.
488 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12-ounce bottle poured into a 10-oz. tulip. Pours a dark cola brown with a nice head that retreats leaving substantial lacing on the glass. Aroma of caramel, toffee, tree bark, and earth. Tastes like a characteristically good example of the style with toffee upfront, dark bread, smoke, licorice, and caramel fudge. The hops really pull this one together though, with a kick of bitterness to keep the sweetness from falling off the edge. Full-bodied, and just a touch sticky. Really good.
488 characters
3.75/5 rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Overall, 120 Shilling Export Scotch Ale is an excellent and dangerously-drinkable brew.
Oh, wait: Did I forget the review?
Pours a dusky copper-brown in color, topped with a pale tan head. Excellent lacing.
Nose is very rich and malty, with a hint of the heat to come, sure enough, but much more in the way of toasted and biscuit malt notes. “Sweetish”, and with a complex underlying hop profile.
On the first sip there are several less common flavors (anise, hazelnut, treacle) along with lighter cocoa and a touch of vanilla. Very similar to a few Wee Heavies Inrecallbfrom the last (and of cours, super malty) but with a few new twists added. The biscuit malt picks up toward the end, and there’s never a dull moment.
With all the malt action happening, it’s well balanced, especially for a beer of its strength. The hopping is very restrained and complex, as per the note which was present in the nose, but the hopping always complements the malt profile rather than competing with it. And needless to say (I think?) there is little in the way of the new school of tropical fruit character in this hop profile.
Still, for all its “malt bomb” goodness I reckon this will be a one and done affair for all but the sturdiest of today’s drinkers. Unless of course one wants to get shnockered.
1,318 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Overall, 120 Shilling Export Scotch Ale is an excellent and dangerously-drinkable brew.
Oh, wait: Did I forget the review?
Pours a dusky copper-brown in color, topped with a pale tan head. Excellent lacing.
Nose is very rich and malty, with a hint of the heat to come, sure enough, but much more in the way of toasted and biscuit malt notes. “Sweetish”, and with a complex underlying hop profile.
On the first sip there are several less common flavors (anise, hazelnut, treacle) along with lighter cocoa and a touch of vanilla. Very similar to a few Wee Heavies Inrecallbfrom the last (and of cours, super malty) but with a few new twists added. The biscuit malt picks up toward the end, and there’s never a dull moment.
With all the malt action happening, it’s well balanced, especially for a beer of its strength. The hopping is very restrained and complex, as per the note which was present in the nose, but the hopping always complements the malt profile rather than competing with it. And needless to say (I think?) there is little in the way of the new school of tropical fruit character in this hop profile.
Still, for all its “malt bomb” goodness I reckon this will be a one and done affair for all but the sturdiest of today’s drinkers. Unless of course one wants to get shnockered.
1,318 characters
4.38/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Union Series 7: 120 Shilling Export Scotch Ale from Summit Brewing Company
Beer rating:
4.23 out of
5 with
22 ratings
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