Big Sky Heavy Horse Scotch Ale

Brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Missoula, Montana USA

Serve in Thistle

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12-oz. Pours a crystal clear but very dark garnet-y amber. Dense creamy head with decent drippy lace. Pleasant brown bread nose, tiny hints of brown sugar showing. Some floral hop character. Creamy medium body with fairly restrained carb. Brown bread, caramel, brown sugar, and floral qualities on the mid-palate, with a mild bready finish. Very nicely done, but the complexity is really lacking, even in the malt bill. Though the malt profile is nicely forward, it’s fairly narrowly confined, and could use a lot more different aspects to it before this beer can be called a classic. Given how well executed this beer is, that’s worth noting. As it stands, this is more of a sweeter brown than a scotch worthy of the name Heavy Horse. Such a great name--calls to mind the great war council quote from Braveheart when they know Longshanks is readying for war: "Heavy cavalry, armored horse; shake the very ground!" This beer’s not quite ready to shake the very ground. But Scotland still sent the English home when they came calling at Bannockburn.

12oz bottle. Dark reddish brown colored brew with a decent amount of off white head. Aromas of caramel malt and some peat - flavor is very malty and sweet, a bit too sweet.

Dark reddish brown with an enormous pillowy head that reduced slowly to a nice film and left excellent lace. Really a great looking beer. Classic rich malt and toffee aromas with a touch of nuttiness and caramel. Flavors are similar, with a gentle but pronounced malt sweetness and include hints of dark bread and dark fruits. Medium body, minimal carbonation, a sticky mouthfeel, and a very pleasantly sweet finish. This is actually a helluva beer.

12 oz. Bottle. Brown. Carmel. Thick body. Balanced flavors. High carbonation. Slick and chalky.

12 oz bottle. Pours a deep ruby brown with a small creamy off white head. Aroma is surprisingly fruity, some dark maltiness comes in with sweet caramel, but it has some cherry and candied fruit characteristics. Flavor again has a lot of fruit in it, very estery with some sweet sugary caramel notes and some biscuit flavors. Finishes with a bit of earthiness and a softer fruit finish. Medium body and a soft carbonation. Definitely not quite what I expected, very little peaty earthy notes, lots of fruity caramel notes, strange brew though not altogether awful, just not per the style.

Poured clear, rich amber wtih a creamy beige head. The aroma picked up toasted caramel, vanilla, and molasses with some smoky accents.. on the sweet side, but enjoyable. The flavor found more of the caramel, molasses, and some honey at the core.. earthy bitterness, vanilla bean, and light campfire smoke extended outward.. toasted, very sweet, syrupy malts on the finish (plus a touch of earthy bitterness). Medium-bodied and a bit too sweet on the palate.. scratchy and kind of sharp at times.. just an OK feel and flow. Solid brew.

Lifeless copper with a medium slowly fading tan head and a ring lacing. Aroma of toffee, brown sugar, malt and light candi sugar. Taste of toffee, malt and brown sugar with a clean finish. Just ok.

courtesy of Mora2000. Clear dark amber color/ rich tan head. Roasty malt, algae aromas. medium bodied. Decent nutty, caramel, spicy, soapy flavors.

12oz Bottle – Gravity Beer Market – Olympia, WA
Dark brown in color, with a thin head. Nice roasty malt flavor light with hops. Light malt flavors some toffee and caramel. The overall this beer was dry and easy drinking.

Pours a dark brown; thin head which dissipates quickly. Cloudy red when held up to light. Smell is slightly musty; strong roasted malts, bits of sweet caramel, toffee. Taste continues on the sweet/malty themes, a little bit tangy with more caramel and toffee. Medium body; light for style. Slightly stick/syrupy, moderate carbonation.