Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scotch Ale

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Marshall, Michigan USA

A decent Scotch ale. I dont have many of these so this was a nice change of pace. Aroma was full and malty. Sweet caramel and roasted malt. Pour was a nice deep dark brown with pinky sized off white head. Taste was all caramel malt with hints of cherry and earth. Slightly sour in the aftertaste. LIttle carbonation. Nice beer, if not a little one dimensional. Hides the alcohol well.

Bottle@Home. Smoked aroma with toffee and licorice. Ruby colour, small beige head, good lace. Sweet, light bitter, smoke, butterscotch, fruity. Soft and sticky. Flavourful, easy going, alcohol hidden.

Bottled 355ml. Deep nut brown/ruby appearance. Smallish, slightly lacing bubbly beige head. Great smoky aroma and taste which are mainly reminiscent of papaya, leather, paprika, homemade caramel, raisin, almonds, tobacco and figs. Very sweet and smooth with hardly any carbonation at all. Low bitterness. Impressive malt back. Faintly salty. Complex. Long smoky finish with faint papaya sneaking in. Extremely pleasant and a great surprise. I reveled in every sip.

Bottle pours a thick, almost muddy charred chestnut with a head that goes from nice thick and dense to absolutely non-existent in a matter of milliseconds. Nose here is vibrant and full of nuts, toffee, and caramel with a touch of honey baked ham thrown in for good measure. Sweet and thick body carry nice vivid notes of nuts and toffee ,like a nice brittle. The malt profile here is quite nice with just enough hop presence to keep it alive. Very nicely nutty.

Thanks to my Secret Santa for this. Hazy dark brown pour with a thin tan head. Big malty, peaty and caramel aroma. More of the same in the taste, peat and toffe notes really coming through as it warms. Well balanced and tasty winter warmer.

On tap at Binny’s South Loop... Poured dark brown, tiny head... Had a really nice smooth flavor... can’t detect alcohol, or any harsh characteristics... Taste was raisiny, chocolate, and some caramel. No hop presence to speak of. Reminded me more of a wee heavy

Pours a cloudy brown with some reddish tint. Nose was alittle weak. I was expecting more. The taste is rather smooth, making for a drinkable scotch ale.

On tap at Limestone Brewing in Plainfield, IL. Pours a murky, red-brown with a tint of orange. Very dense and creamy, inch thick, tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is a little faint, but what I get is nice. Some deep caramels, overripe fruits, dates and figs, pie crust, molasses, licorice, toasted nuts, and a bit of earth. Flavor is really cool. Lots going on and much bolder than the aroma. Lots of robust caramels greet the tongue with a moderate sweetness. Chocolate chip cookies, some toasted nuts, overripe fruits, plenty of dates and figs, and a bit of a sharp licorice come in as well. At the same time, there is a nice, smoked peat flavor that wraps its way around everything. I like that a lot. A bit of a molasses sweetness, plenty of apple and cherry pie, and just a touch of bourbon too. Finishes rich, slightly smokey, fruity, and has a light, earthy bitterness. The smoke dries this out and leaves a long aftertaste. Full bodied, slightly chewy, and a light carbonation. Overall, a very tasty beer. Pretty complex and very well-balanced. It has a solid malt base and never gets too sweet. The smoke works well with the caramels, fruits, and earth for a very enjoyable beer.