McEwan's Scotch Ale
Eagle Brewery

 

330ml bottle dated best by 27 Nov 21
This bottle has been sitting on the basement floor for 2+ years. Drank on 10/28/2023
The dominate flavor is nice smooth mellow but deep dark fruit. Plus some caramel a little spice and a hint of smoke/peat.

Unfortunately missing for a while, upon these shores on the west side of the pond, here it is again. Who knows if it's still the wonderful concoction it once was. This is about today's version and it begins by emptying two brown 11.2 U.S. fluid ounce bottles into a clear glass liter mug. The color is dark brown, like cola soda, but even darker. Of course, it's opaque. There's a perfectly sized biege head atop and it's enduring. Malty to smell, but it's not overly so, nor is it noticeably sweet. Maybe that's because there is some hop presence included. The taste is sort of porter-like, with its roasted barley malt emphasis. But, there's a little more earthy hoping and significantly more malt sweetness than a good porter. The malty sweetness and mild hops do a great job at disguising the 8% ABV. However, the esophagus warms. There's stratified glass lacing. The mouthfeel is rich and smooth. At worst, it's a little sticky because of the malty sweetness. But, that's the style, so no demerits. This seems like a cross between a standard Scottish Ale, which usually emphasizes malty sweetness, at a similar ABV and an Imperial Stout. Unlike some Scottish Ales, this includes a slight hop bite, whereas many are just one dimensionally malty. It's been too long since having thr first one, but this revisit was delightful.

 

330ml bottle. Label has best by date of '19 JUN 23'.
Deep brown colored body. Off white head. Leaves behind isolated spots of lacing.
Aroma of roasted malts with dates and prunes.
Taste is prune danish, with dark caramel malts and dark fruit of prune and dates. Has an addition of peat and spice. Mellow caramel and prune in the aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel, with some syrup. Good carbonation.
Malts, dark fruit, and spice.

Where's the smoke???? There use to be a big peaty smoke.

This is my go-to Scotch Ale & Wee Heavy. Lots going on here.

L: Poured into my pint glass. Dark Brown with a thick, tan head. Leaves wonderful lacing on the glass.

S: Dark fruit, malt sweetness, earthiness and peat. Quite complex on the nose.

T: Follows the nose, but somehow is even more complex. Dark fruits, spices, earthy hops, peat, oak, dark bread, chocolate, toffee.

F: Creamy beginning, medium bodied and a nice crispness to finish.

O: Easily my favorite beer of the style. The complexity is like a wonderful party for my tastebuds. I will continue to pick this up regularly and I would suggest anyone who likes Scotch Ale to give it a try if you haven't!

Dark brown, almost black, clear. Smell is a mix between a peaty scotch and a 40oz. Taste's equal parts sweet and woody, chocolate and oak. Kinda thin on flavor and body, cola-like. After looking at the label I realize this is almost a year past the date. I was looking for a good scotch ale and this delivered, but it's not a go-to. I might try it again just to see if it's better fresh

 

I was in the mood for a Scotch Ale, and this is a good one.

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Dark reddish mahogany with a nice beige head and good curtain lacing. Sweet caramel smell and taste. The taste is a bit too sweet at the beginning but it mellows to a rich earthiness as it progressed. A bit of warm spice and dark sweet cherries. A nice comforting beer.

11.2oz bottle
Best before 28 JUL 22
I saw this on the shelf and grabbed it so fast! It HAS to be a decade or more since I had this one. Glad to see it’s back!
L: chestnut brown colored body with a frothy tan head
S: sweet malty aroma: caramel, grain, peat, fruit
T: fruit cake, caramel, spice, peat, brown sugar, grain, raisin, prune, plum, cherry, earthy hops
F: medium body, ample carbonation, finishes more sweet than I remember
O: sweeter yet more complex than I remember it being; I look forward to going through the rest of the 4-pack. It’s been too long.

 

 

Poured from 11.2 oz bottle into Chimay goblet.

L - Sandy head, dissipates quickly, reddish brown pour.

S - Toffee, malts, dried figs, roasted grains.

T - Whole grain bread, not a syrupy malt profile, a grain malt flavor.

F - Thinner than expected, touch of heat.

A classic of the style. Founders Dirty Bastard is probably based on this.

Copper with a 1/2" tan head, which fades to a wisp. Light lacing.

Aroma is toffee, coffee, peat.

Taste follows nose: Toffee, slight coffee, peat. Earthy.

Medium body, light carbonation. Dry finish.

A fine Scotch Ale.

Seein' ol' ragehead do up a review reminded me I haven't done mine for this one despite drinking it since the mid90s when it was owned/brewed by Caledonian.

Pours a dark black cola like color appearance but with more viscosity. Solid small bubbled beige head 3/4". The aroma has a big dark fruit, sherry like earthy bitterness. Basically as these age they get more and more like that. Prefer them fresh. Its a goth like aroma of darkness and smoke.

The taste is pretty complex and this is where my mind goes when I think "literal Old World" its nuanced flavor like this. Treacle, expired raisin, fig, sherry bitterness and booziness. Back in the 90s I grew to love this stuff, as time moved forward, I think it was my palate that shifted even though the ownership and brewing changed. Became weirdly, more of a chore to drink. Less caramel, more charcoal and toffee. Seemed thicker to me back in the day, now seems thin by contemporary standards.

Can't wait to see what the next few decades bring me in terms of feelings about this beer.

330ml bottle. Best before 15 May 22. Purchased at the Beverage Warehouse in Los Angeles.

Rich, practically opaque, dark brown with tawny hues around the edges and an off-white, creamy, clingy, head. Light peat and fig jam in the nose. Surprisingly light in body with a incredibly creamy mouthfeel. Dark bread, toffee, cola, baked chocolate, black treacle, fig, peat, and a lingering smokiness that sticks with you for a long time. Some earthy and nutty notes in the back too. Other than the light smoke and some char at the end, the finish is sweet and clean.

McEwan's Scotch Ale is a classic that showcases old-school finesse in brewing. One of the benchmarks for the style.