Scotch Ale | Bristol Brewing Company

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a goblet from a 22oz bomber. Nice label artwork! No freshness date unfortunately (but I know its fresh).

Pours a deep dark red, which appears nearly black in low light and shows smoked ruby when held up to light. The head is compact with creamy tan foam. Well done.

Smells of sweet dark bread, sweet cracked malted barley, a touch of light caramel, and lightly roasted coffee. Further swirling brings up a bit of "milk chocolate with nuts". The malt aromas are layered and smell sweet and inviting. There might be a touch of smoke in there but it is hard to discern.

The flavor arrives with malty power, showing nice weight on the sweet side without going overboard. There is a trace of hops that balance, but the flavors stay concentrated on the malts.

The body is smooth and creamy with lower carbonation and an appropriately low level of attenuation.

Conclusion: A solid offering from Bristol in the malt-forward department. I like the feel and the aroma the best. If I was being nit-picky, I would ask for a touch of smoke (to go along with the style guidelines) and a bit more complexity in the malt flavor profile.

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4/5  rDev +5.5%

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours out a rich, mahogany brown color with a nice thick, creamy lightly tanned head. Sweet, roasted malt notes overall with the smell with a subtle hint of hop spiciness. Mellow roasted grain with an equal helping of sweetness and bitterness in the mix for the taste. Medium bodied, soft on the tongue, slightly spongy sweetness.

A good though not classic wee heavy. Smooth and delicious overall, emphasis on the malt and sweetness with no overbearing alcohol presence. This would be a nice intro to neophytes to the Scotch ale style.

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3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

love these bristol bombers. the price is always right, and the beer is mighty good mst of the time. this one pours a root beer looking brown/red color, with a sturdy tan head that relaxes slowly. the nose is earthy malts, not as smokey as some, and not as sweet as their laughing lab. its got some ncie woody characteristics though, some kind of fruit wood maybe. same thing in the flavor, dank malts, only bittering hops at the end, and a sort of coppery woody elemental middle. its got well hidden alcohol, a nice fall beer for sure. just enough carbonation, and plenty of smooth oaty body. this kind of feels like a stout. overall its maybe not the most robust beer ive had from bristol, but its drinkable and delicious this time of year.

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3.5/5  rDev -7.7%