3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20Bottles drunk over Thanksgiving 2008
Wasnt sure what to expect, noting that Bells dosent brew special releases to any particular style guidelines, yet scotch ale was mentioned on the label.
Im not a big fan of scotch ales, as they generally combine many qualities that I dislike in beer relatively high sweetness, lots of different dark malts, caramelization in the boil, lots of stickines and/or syrupiness in the mouthfeel, but I was very, very pleasantly surprised to find a very dry, even crisply finishing, balanced beer upon first sip. The malts are lightly grainy, with only a hint of caramel flavor and restrained, yet obvious PNW hop aromatics and bitterness. The lean body makes it extremely drinkable and I was finished with my glass in a shockingly short amount of time.
I suppose I can see some of the low scores from people who are expecting a traditional scotch ale, but since when was Bells, or most any brewer, for that reason, held to style guidelines on this site? Excellent, drinkable, beer with a very fresh, wholesome, malt flavor that really lets the barley shine through and downplays the yeast character or any obtrusive hoppiness, though the bitterness and hop flavor is just enough to balance the finish. Great stuff, incredibly sessionable.
2.6 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 8/20
Hazy orange with white head. Aroma a little funky taste is overbalanced bitter, but not in a good way. Not bad, but not for me.
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
From notes: Poured hazy orange-amber with a 2-finger off-white head. Sweet orange aroma mixed with mild piney hops and a touch of yeast. Very light spice note at the back. Medium body with a very mild dryness in the finish. Sweet, citrusy flavor with some biscuity malt beneath. Good, but unimpressive.
2.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
12oz bottle. Pours a cloudy, deep orange color with two fingers of off white head that dissapates quickly. Aroma is malty with some caramel and spices, hops are lightly present. Taste is comparable, but with lighter, malts. Start with a hint of hops, some caramel and spices as well as a hint of yeast. Balanced well and nothing overly dominating, very basic. Mouthfeel is smooth, medium bodied with carbonation on the lighter side.
2.8 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 11/20
UPDATED: MAR 4, 2013 Crap. Amateur pour on my part, sediment everywhere. Pours ruby orange with a half finger white head that lingers a bit. Smells like a basic lager, and don’t get much spice or scotch ale here. Flavor is sweet malt, and not much else. Light mouthfeel and dirty finish. Not a very good effort here by Bells. Not terrible, but I would not get it again.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours an orangish opaque amber color with a thick foamy butterscotch colored head. Aroma is brown sugar, a little ginger, and perhaps some nutmeg? The flavor is relatively plain. There is a little fruittiness to it, but despite the aroma, the flavor isn’t that complex. Medium to rich body that has a very cream feel. It is ok, but not one of Bell’s best offerings.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Like their new smitten rye this seems to be a bland version of its style. A mild and watered down version of what I would like to have in a scotch ale.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Backlog rating 12-13-2008. Bottle shared by jsquire. This beer pours a small ivory fizzy head that mostly diminished, visible carbonation, hazy body, one ring of lacing, and an orange hue with a brown tint. The aroma is maltyy, hoppy and spicy. The flavor is malty, caramel, semi-sweet, lightly bitter, and hoppy but not overly so. The palate is smooth and this is a medium bodied beer. Overall, I enjoy Scotch Ale beers, but this one came up short asfaras the taste as it tasted weak for the style.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours hazy copper with a small white head nose is light citrus and not much else. Maybe some caramel. But I'm underwhelmed. The taste is sweet with a small bitter. Mouthfeel is crisp and clean. The body is light and the finish is medium.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
3.1 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
A different kind of Christmas ale. Pretty basic scotch ale with a pretty good caramel malt finish.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
3.3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
12 ounce bottle purchased at Total Wine Pembroke Pines, FL for $0.99 Very good.
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