4.7 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Outstanding! Love most scotch ales, and I think this may be my new favorite. Not overly malty, good hop balance, and a great smokey peat finish. Delightful!
4.6 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
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.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Dark Horse Scotty Karate has a smell that will draw you in immediately. Butterscotch, a hint of cinnamon raisin toast, and oak. The lightly toasted malt makes a big appearance with smoked peat, butterscotch, dark fruits, and booze following it up. There is just a touch of hops, but not enough to get in the way or overpower anything.
Smooth, complex, tasty, and you’d never guess it’s pushing 10% ABV.
Great example of the style.
4.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Smooth, full and very satisfyingly complex. Could go well with meat dishes, but really deserves to be appreciated by itself.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
A nice easy-drinkin’ Scotch Ale with a nice punch. The aroma is roasty and not overly-sweet by any means. Based on smell, I thought the beer wouldn’t have any sweetness. The taste, however, brings a mellow caramel roast with hints of doughy malt. I really like this beer. It compares a lot to Oskar Blues Old Chubb in smoothness, but is less sweet than Chubb, which is a good thing. The ABV of this beer makes it a great find. AAA+++
4.4 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
Fantastic scotch ale... Best I have ever had. Peat and smokiness, and hides alcohol well.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
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.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
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.
<font size=-4>Single bottle from Wacky Willy’s... in front of <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/michigan/marsha Horse Brewing Co., Marshall, MI 49068</font>
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
12 oz. bottle from my brother. Nice fluffy head that seems to be fading away rather quickly. Yep...it’s gone! Nearly opaque dark brown appearance. I’m definitely smelling some of that apple that the description mentions. Nice autumn caramel-dipped apple aroma (candy apple aroma). I’m mainly getting a candy caramel aroma. My nostrils seem to be picking up a light spice, but it is so subtle that I’m not sure that this is exactly the case. I believe that my mind is playing tricks on me. Quite the pungent brew, now I just need to see if it is quaffable. Burnt candy apple flavor, with a bit of peat and smoke in the background. It’s actually along the lines of a subtle smoke jerky flavor. Man, I am usually not a fan of Scotch Ales, but this is fucking delicious. A nice hop bitterness kicks in at the end, and I’m just fucking cruising mile-high in my mind on a wave of smoke eating a candy apple. This would taste great with a piece of rum cake, or any fucking dessert for that matter. Hop bitterness seals the deal on this veritable masterpiece. This sucker is the antithesis of messy i.e., everything blends so well together. Great Scotch Ale. I would absolutely love to try the bourbon barrel edition.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
A: snifter. pours a murky light mahogany. nice dark khaki colored head. low retention level. decent ringlike lacing.
S: sweet malts, tons of caramel, some peat aromas, hint of bananas. strong esters of alcohol.
T: such a great balanced scotch ale. great rich malty flavors, but not too sweet. Banana and clove are present.
M: medium balanced. mild carbonation level. ridiculously smooth.
D: amazingly drinkable. so smooth for 9.75%. Top notch in my book.
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