Scotch Ale
Sons of Kent Brewing Company

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From my favourite LCBO at Tecumseh Mall in nearby Windsor. Canned December 11/25. My 13th beer from the nearby Chatham, Ontario brewery, and 6th for 2026. Lovingly adored by Sundae and Gracie, a rare picture of the two of them together with my beer...

May 13 2024

 

Can: Poured a deep brown color ale with a medium size brown dark beige foamy head with OK retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of caramelized malt with some unrefined grain notes and residual sugar. Taste is also a mix of deeply caramelized malt with some unrefined grainy notes and residual sugar. Body is full for style with good carbonation. Below par for the style.

Pours deep dark garnet with plenty of haze. The wispy head dissipates quickly but leaves plenty of lace. dark, roasty malts, peat, tobacco and dark rum in the nose. Lots of malt and highlands whiskey peatyness in the taste, Spices alcohol in there too. The mouthfeel is full bodied with light carbonation. The finish is fruity off dry.

A nice example of this malty style. Worth a try.

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; best before Jun 26 2021 and served slightly chilled.

Pours cloudy orange-amber with some clumpy sediment hovering throughout the liquid; situated atop is one finger of soapy, off white-coloured foam that disintegrates within a few minutes' time, leaving behind a thin collar and some scant lacing. Quite sweet on the nose, with lots of caramelized sugars and toasted malts, as well as notes of prune, fig, cherry and date; there are also subtle hints of oak and vanilla, and the alcohol is hard to miss.

A bold ale, malt-forward with lots of dark, dried fruit flavours and a firm, almost unabashed booziness. There's also a touch of oak wood underneath it all, but for the most part it's all toffee, biscuit and fruit cake - I'm getting raisin, cherry, fig and date, with very minor hints of smoke and wood. Finishes spicy and sweet, with toasted malts and booze carrying over into the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with surprisingly prickly carbonation that lends a nice bite to this brew's slick, oily mouthfeel. Despite the alcohol presence, it's more drinkable than it should be at 9%, so treat this one with some respect.

Final Grade: 3.69, a B grade. Sons of Kent Scotch Ale is not quite what I'm looking for in this style, as it's a fair bit hotter than I'd prefer, and the oak element is too subtle to add a whole lot IMO. That being said, its rich malt flavours and booziness will certainly appeal to some BAs, and I suppose it might tickle your fancy if you really love sweet, strong British ales... but it's not something I'd expect to revisit more than one or two times per winter.

 

473 ml can served fairly cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for around $4 CDN. Best before May 10, 2021.

Appearance - A hazy dark honey brown brew with a thin layer of quickly receding head which last less than a minute. Good clarity and not a lot of bubbles inside.

Smell - Some metallic notes initially, then some caramel sweetness and a hint of smokiness. Some dark fruits in there too. I can smell the booze on this one.

Taste - Fairly sweet with some cherry notes a touch of earthiness and light bitterness. Just a hint of smoke mixed in somewhere.

Mouthfeel - Heavy bodied and sticky with a flat quality to it. Alcohol burn down the throat.

Overall - Ok but very heavy handed way of making a scotch ale. Lacks some of the smokiness I find with better examples. Does have a sort of Doppelbock feel with the low carbonation and high ABV and the sipping quality of a beer like Samichlaus or Aventinus Eisbock. Obviously different style and not close in quality but drinks similarly to those brews.