Boundary Bay Scotch Style Ale

Brewed by Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro
Style: Scotch Ale
Bellingham, Washington USA

Serve in Thistle

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Another tough style to do well - again unfortunately BB come up short. Thin, malty biscuit and caramel. Its just there and never really develops in to something special. Elevator music in a glass.

Pours mid-to-dark brown, quite sweet, thin, a lot of caramel, some peatiness, wood... this style works for me when it’s rich and smokey, but when thin I find it cloying, as I did here. Very simple Scotch ale.

Appearance pours a dark amber brown having a dissipating thin head leaving nill lace. Smell of mainly sweet caramel and light roasted malt and dark fruit with no peatiness. Taste again of the sweeter malt having a slight acrid from the roast with no or very little peat. Mouthfeel is medium with maybe a slightly high carbonation. Not much complexity to this beer, just a simple scotch.

Bottle. Head diminishes quickly, minimal nose. Nice dark copper color with a bit of haziness. I marked it down on palate due to a bit of startling fizziness on the tip of the tongue, but that fades to a full bodied softer texture overall. Dark toasty/roasted grain flavors that last. Strong, dark and enjoyable overall.

Sample at the Tap House Grill in Seattle. This beer pours a clear dark copper color with a medium khaki head that diminishes steadily to a film. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of burnt malt, caramel and hops. Light-bodied with a peaty malt character and notes of caramel and dark fruit. The finish is slightly medicinal with an earthy malt aftertaste. Decent overall.

Draft - Heavy toffee malts on the nose, with some bourbon and red fruit. Cloudy dark amber with a minimal head. By far one of the better Scotch Ales. Bourbon more than scotch, but lots of caramel and toffee, along with enough wood and a light bitterness to add complexity.

650 ml bottle. Pours a dark reddish brown with medium head. Aromas of roasted malts and cereal. Flavors of lightly smoked roasted malts. A bit thin and overly bitter.

Tap @ Taphouse Grill, Seattle. Nice head with good duration. Color is dark brown. Aroma and taste are caramel, dried fruits, malt and hops.

Hideous. There’s is just nothing here to make me want to drink this. Thin, lacking in everything....a step above Bud. Maybe.

Draft: Poured a dark reddish brown with an off white head. The aroma is sweet malts. Taste is very lively with malts, caramel, and chocolate.