Scratch Beer 123 - 2013 (Belgian Style Brown Ale)
Tröegs Brewing Company
- From:
- Tröegs Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Ale
- ABV:
- 7.8%
- Score:
- 84
- Avg:
- 3.62 | pDev: 8.56%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Aug 28, 2014
- Added:
- Nov 27, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
For this latest Scratch Beer offering, we’re revisiting one of Chris Trogner’s favorite beer styles. Over the last two years, the Belgian Brown Ale has become his anniversary beer of sorts, and we have released a variation on the style each November since he tied the knot. The flavor of Scratch #123 originates in the Abbey Ale yeast strain, which produces a distinctive fruity character akin to dried dark fruit (think raisins or prunes). On your palate, the dark fruit flavor continues, adding traces of toffee, chocolate, caramel, and dark rum as well as delicate spices, roasted nuts, and lightly toasted grains. The addition of Belgian Candi sugar bolsters the ale’s sweetness, while Turbinado sugar releases a subtle molasses flavor. Scratch #123 finishes with a faint floral hop note that ties everything together.
21 IBU
21 IBU
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Reviewed by Slatetank from Pennsylvania
3.94/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I had this on tap at the brewery tasting room, served chilled in a tulip.
The color is medium brown with translucent clarity and light beige cap with fine bead and sporadic lace, the head retention is good. The smell is fruity and nutty with light spice from the yeast and subtle alcohol ester. The feel is semi-dry and fruity with slightly high carbonation and mild spice accent with residual sweetness and slight nutty texture combining with mild phenolic note with mostly dry finish.
The taste has a date-like quality of earthiness and light tropical note with slight nutty malt adding to the gentle yeast flavor. The taste has a subtle dried banana tanginess with light herbal hops adding contrast to the malt with mild dry and yeast spiced finish. Overall this is a pretty tasty brown I am sure I tried the other two versions but I think this is a solid brown ale with belgian yeast character.
Dec 10, 2013The color is medium brown with translucent clarity and light beige cap with fine bead and sporadic lace, the head retention is good. The smell is fruity and nutty with light spice from the yeast and subtle alcohol ester. The feel is semi-dry and fruity with slightly high carbonation and mild spice accent with residual sweetness and slight nutty texture combining with mild phenolic note with mostly dry finish.
The taste has a date-like quality of earthiness and light tropical note with slight nutty malt adding to the gentle yeast flavor. The taste has a subtle dried banana tanginess with light herbal hops adding contrast to the malt with mild dry and yeast spiced finish. Overall this is a pretty tasty brown I am sure I tried the other two versions but I think this is a solid brown ale with belgian yeast character.
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania
3.42/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served on-tap at the brewery.
A - Pours murky brown with a one and a half finger tall tan head, dissipating down to a light film, leaving small trails of lace on the sides of the glass.
S - Smells of dark candied sugar, dark fruits, toasted bread and a good bit of Belgian yeast. Pretty standard nose, maybe a bit heavy on the yeast side.
T - Starts off much like the nose with the dark candied sugar, chewy bread and fruit but that combo quickly gives way to the strong Belgian yeast character that never really goes away afterwards. Finish is a little sweet and a little dry, lingering for quite awhile.
M - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Sweet, yeasty feel with a shot of dryness after each sip. Booze is well hidden, only really coming forward at the end of the glass.
O - Tastes just like all the other Dubbel's they have made but with way more yeast presence in the taste. I feel like I have had this beer five times already this year. I am glad I got to try it but I won't be having another.
Dec 05, 2013A - Pours murky brown with a one and a half finger tall tan head, dissipating down to a light film, leaving small trails of lace on the sides of the glass.
S - Smells of dark candied sugar, dark fruits, toasted bread and a good bit of Belgian yeast. Pretty standard nose, maybe a bit heavy on the yeast side.
T - Starts off much like the nose with the dark candied sugar, chewy bread and fruit but that combo quickly gives way to the strong Belgian yeast character that never really goes away afterwards. Finish is a little sweet and a little dry, lingering for quite awhile.
M - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Sweet, yeasty feel with a shot of dryness after each sip. Booze is well hidden, only really coming forward at the end of the glass.
O - Tastes just like all the other Dubbel's they have made but with way more yeast presence in the taste. I feel like I have had this beer five times already this year. I am glad I got to try it but I won't be having another.
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania
3.2/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.2/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Draft offering at the Troegs tasting room. The brew appears a hazy amber brown with an off-white yellowish tan cap. Some spotty lace sticks to the glass as the cap fades. A swirl revives it fairly effortlessly.
The aroma includes a smell of green yeastiness mixed with belgian candy. Quite a bit of yeast and im not talking about phenolics. There is a asint bready character of malt but as previously mentioned this smells primarily of belgian candy sugar.
The flavor is green and yeasty with a bit of clove-like spice. A dark malt flavor is present akin to raisons that blends into a bit of earthiness. For the must part, this belgian brown is pretty lackluster in a previous lineup of belgian browns that seemed pretty interesting.
This is a medium bodied brew with s modest amount of carbonation. It is infact very similar to every other belgian brown/dubble troegs has done. Except this is hands down the worst of them all. Some strange off-character of green yeastiness made this hard to finish.
Dec 03, 2013The aroma includes a smell of green yeastiness mixed with belgian candy. Quite a bit of yeast and im not talking about phenolics. There is a asint bready character of malt but as previously mentioned this smells primarily of belgian candy sugar.
The flavor is green and yeasty with a bit of clove-like spice. A dark malt flavor is present akin to raisons that blends into a bit of earthiness. For the must part, this belgian brown is pretty lackluster in a previous lineup of belgian browns that seemed pretty interesting.
This is a medium bodied brew with s modest amount of carbonation. It is infact very similar to every other belgian brown/dubble troegs has done. Except this is hands down the worst of them all. Some strange off-character of green yeastiness made this hard to finish.
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