Best Scotch ale?

Yeah, I would have gone with the same, but the reverse. Backwoods Bastard followed by Dirty Bastard. Although, I would like to try some of the Wee Heavy and the Scotty Karate that Ricochet173 mentioned. I'll keep my eyes out for it.

 

Third question: What do you consider a Scotch Ale? Considering this has been bastardised in America for a long time. When you actually go to Scotland you you realize that Scotch ales can be hoppy, stronger, weaker, bitter, roasted, chocolaty, etc. Anyway, my favorite beers from Scotland:

Anything from Traquair
Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted
Harviestoun Ola Dubh (all are excellent, and age great)
Inveralmond Ossian, and Thrappledouser
Deeside Talorcan
Anything from Orkney
And plenty more...

 

Cigar City BA Big Sound. Really hope this thread doesn't make me want to drink my last bottle...

 

Old Chub, Scotty Karate, and Dirty Bastard are my regulars...Backwoods Bastard being the best, though not as easy to come by.

 

Everytime this comes up, I mention arcadia's loch down ale.
Dirty bastard is good too.

I just came across two year old old chub in a cooler in Podunk TN, and it kicks ass! It reminds me of Old Curmudgeon... Tastes like an old ale instead of a scotch ale.

Gonna need to give Scotty Karate another try, last time I had it, it was terrible, maybe it was skunked or something...

 

Oh, and another great one from Quebec is from Brasseurs du Monde, "Le Trinqueur"(http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25775/86084); it's a scotch ale brewed with coriander. Really, really good.

 

Backwoods Bastard
Alesmith Wee Heavy
Smuttynose Scotch Ale
Oskar Blues Old Chub

 

Backwoods for me.

 

Dark Horse Scotty Karate is my favorite. I haven't aged one, but I'm sure it would be even better aged!

 

Founders Dirty Bastard is very good, Robert the Bruce very good too but not as good as DB and Scotty Karate the best Scotch Ale I've ever had

 

Dirty Bastard is awesome fresh - with a couple of months it seems to drop off a bit - maybe it comes back I will have to experiment. Backwoods Bastard with a year on it is a little better than it is fresh, but the vanilla did not drop off at all like I thought it would.

 

Scotty Karate for me, in the US

I don't age Scotch Ales intentionally.

Skullsplitter overall.

All of that said, I've only had about 8 different ones.

 

CCB Big Sound followed by Scotty Karate

 

Although not considered the best of the best, I really enjoy Olde Burnside Ten Penny ale when I go to the Pipes in the Valley Irish fest every year in Hartford, CT.

 

My favorites are Erie Brewing's Railbender Ale, Dirty Bastard and Scotty Karate.

 

Hands down Founder's Backwoods Bastard for me. I had a bottle last night; amazing!

 

Just drank an 18 month old Dirty Bastard last night. It was goooood. I like Old Chub but doesn't age that well IMO.

 

Robert the Bruce to drink right now. But my favorite to age is my own homebrew. After letting it age for 8 months, it's really quite good. We called it "Piper Down" after a bit in the movie So I Married An Axe Murder. I'm pretty damn proud of it.