 jstraw (466), Oak Park, Illinois, USA
Feb 6, 2008 In bottle at Jerry’s. Mahogany with good, creamy beige head / Sweet, caramel and dark fruit nose / Full, thick, winey body with some chewy hops, long finish and big alcohol kick / Flavors of raisins, port, nuts, smoke, cloves, and orange peel / Close to a monster - smokey barleywine.
21iceman40 (1671), north little rock, Arkansas, USA
Feb 9, 2008 I absolutely love this scotch ale. Darkhorse knows how to make dark beers that are not porters or stouts. Lots of alcohol infused power driven by caramel and more caramel maltiness. Solid beer.
frankenkitty (1797), Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA
Jun 27, 2007 Pours with a deep, thick mahogany body. A slow effervesce predicts viscosity. A minimalist beige heads forms on a gentle pour. This has really lush, deep aromas: peat & brandy, charred oak, cherries & peaches. Full-flavored... a lot of smoky roasts fueled by an undertow of brandied fruits. High ABV is obvious and welcome. Full-bodied and warming with light astringence to coax you into taking another sip. I can’t wait for Dark Horse to get into Illinois, now let’s work on getting them into Chicago.
Single bottle from Wacky Willy’s... in front of Dark Horse Brewing Co., Marshall, MI 49068
DocLock (4170), Lower Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, USA
Apr 6, 2007 Bottle from sliffy via Mystery Swap 2.0. Wow, I didn’t realize this one was 9.75% ABV. Turbid dark brown pour with 1-finger tan head and a lot of floaties, which quickly sunk. The aroma is rich caramel/scotch malt, corn flakes, brown sugar, some figgy and pruney fruit. Tastes caramel malty, with a rich, complex palate, and flavor notes of figs and brown sugar. Gets a bit barleywiney as it warms in both mouthfeel and flavor perspectives
FeloniousCaper (465), Illinois, USA
Oct 2, 2007 12oz Bottle
$7.69 4-pack
Village Dell and Wine Shop, Rice Lake
Dark Horse Brewing’s Scotty Karate pours a burnt caramel with tiny particles of sediment suspending throughout. A two finger creamy ecru head formed on the pour and faded rather quickly to a solid cap. Leaves some patchy lacing after each sip. When held to the light the carbonation looks almost non-existent.
Great aroma, something I expect from a good Wee Heavy. Deeply caramilized malts kick off the big aroma of this beer. A peat like smokiness soon follows along with a slight lactic quality. There’s a hint of pine needles in there as well but it just kind of flashes in and out. Smells extremely enticing.
Flavor is not as deeply caramilized as the nose would suggest but is in an excellent place. Peat smokiness comes through mid palate along with a touch of the milkiness that was present in the smell. Toffe and a big hint of brown sugar, some caramel coming toward the backend with a very welcomed and balancing pine hop bitterness. Absolutely zero alcohol detected except the warming in the gullet after each sip.
Body is on the heavy side of medium and absolutely velvety smooth. So creamy and rich it’s a pleasure to taste.
Unbelievably easy drinking for such big abv. If this bottle didn’t state the alcohol I would have never believed it.
Scotty Karate, up until this point in my journey into beerdom, is the best Wee Heavy I’ve come across. It’s absolutely delicious with every aspect being spot on. Another superb beer from the guy at Dark Horse. Find a distributor in Chicagoland guys!
9/23/07
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