The Flower Of Edinburgh
City Steam Brewery Café

 

On tap at the brewpub on 01/18/2012.

Deep maple in color beneath a thin off-white/light tan head. Thin rings of lacing with decent retention. The aromas and flavors have a nice layer of peat smoked malt, hints of whiskey, and a nice molasses/caramel richness. Nothing much to complain about in terms of flavor besides that it tastes a bit young from an alcohol presence standpoint. A full, medium bodied; smooth and creamy on the palate. A really nice, fresh version of the style.

Served in a hexagon-shaped glass at City Steam Brew Ha Ha in Hartford, Conn.

A: Rich, dark, near-black in appearance with a frothy head of beige foam which left behind a bit of lacing.

S: Boozy oak, liquor-soaked berries and wafts of vanilla to go with a chalky, herbal, earthy hop undertone.

T: Semisweet, bitter and boozy up front with a hint of dark chocolate, raisins and earthy, smoked malts. Hints of tobacco and mellow wood weave through hints of aged vanilla and wind up a tad hot on the palate. Washes down with a warming, roasted malt sweetness and some lingering, herbal hops.

M: Full-bodied and weighty with a little bit of hop presence to break up the otherwise completely malt-forward palate and booziness.

O: A nice, warming Wee Heavy to take the chill of a windy, January evening spent in a Hartford, Conn. basement. The 8% ABV is not really well-masked, detracting from the overall good quality of this Scotch Ale.

Got stuck in Hartford due to some terrible snowstorm, had to walk to the train station and, luckily, City Steam was on my way. So, I see the same bartender from the night before, who looked at me kinda funny since I was 'just' there. Decide to try yet another beer or two...

On tap and poured into a brandy glass, damn this looked good. Rich dark mahogany with stout head. Smells very roasted with hints of alcohol, you could tell this was a strong brew. Taste was super malty with some alcohol strength, but very very good. Mouth was full and rich. Great beer. I wanted a second but knew I should try something else.

Poured out a deeper shade of copper. Smell was big on the roasted barley. Very smoky and peaty. A touch on the sweet side. Taste was good. Lots of malts start off and linger into the end. Barley and roasted flavors show up from time to time. Smoke makes it's presence felt. Let the beer warm up and some juicy hops show up. Makes a good balancing effect. Mouthfeel was light to medium and thought it was a tad watery, but not all that bad. Overall it's a good beer.

Reddish brown color with no head at all. Poured right to the rim of the brandy snifter so that there's no room for aromas to swirl. Fizzy bubbles rise to the top of the glass. Very light floral aroma. Taste is odd, very sweet with flavors of caramel and peach, with nuances of leather. You can taste the alcohol, it leaves a tingle in the mouth. Watery mouthfeel. Lingering aftertaste of band-aids. Yes, it tastes like the smell of band-aids.

he beer is served in a small brandy snifter. It is served pretty much ice cold, which doesn't do it justice. I allowed it to warm up, which definitely brought out the flavors and aroma. The beer is a copper color, and is a bit hazy. No much carbonation or head. There is a distinct peat aroma. The taste is very malty, with a lingering sourness at the end. There was a definite taste here, but I couldn't quite pick out what it was. Still, a fairly good beer.