3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Black color with no head. Solid aroma of bourbon. The bourbon taste really burries the beer. A little malt and chocoalte manage to sneak through, otherwise, it’s just dark bourbon. Tasty, sure... but pretty much not beer any more.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap at the Brewhaus. Whiskey and vanilla up front, milld hop notes, complex, chocolate, delicious! Warming alcohol by the third sip, and yes, cherries, but in this batch the alcohol is not hidden at all. Attractive presentation in a chalice. As much as I enjoy the Millenium Trippel, I keep coming back to the Scotch Ale. One of their best offerings.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at the Delafield Brewhaus. Deep mahogany pour faded to a deep caramel as it went down... capped by a short beige head. Aroma was rather heavy on the whiskey, with toasty milk chocolate, a little smoked peat, and some cherries. Flavors of rich dark chocolate, toasted coconuts, Scotch whiskey, and some earth... very well-balanced, with the whiskey playing a complementary role. Smooth on the palate, with whiskey highlights around the edges... mild herbal hop bitterness. Great, long finish of slightly bitter chocolate whiskey.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Murky copper, creamy off-white lasting head. Caramelly and slight milk chocolate and very bright with a roasted green and citrusy hop adjunct. Pretty good beer, sometimes the bright acidity of the hops got annoying.
3.3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Dark amber color with a moderate light tan head and one big ring of lace at the top. Sourdough and darker malt (including chocolate) aromas. Earthy malt and peat flavors. Some herbal hops in the background. Mild tobacco and wild flowers in the finish. Some hints of acidic coffee. A funky, yet quite true to style scotch ale.
3.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
This is a Scotch Ale, not a Barleywine. Amber colored. Fruity nose of cherries. Medium bodied. Very sweet.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: AUG 14, 2004 I am calling this a barley wine despite the description because to me it tastes like a classic BW and the Scotch ale characteristics seem muted; perhaps its a hybrid of some sort.
In any case, it doesn't matter; it is the best example of either style I've ever tried, and one of the half-dozen best beer experiences I've ever had. Great dark-brown/red color with a small topping of off-white cream looks lovely in the chalice it was served in. Nose is maraschino cherries, whiskey, a bit of peat maybe (that Scottish ale part of the equation); starts rather weak but grows immensely as it warms. Flavor, where to begin? Cherries, chocolate are dominant at first; as it warms the whiskey/wine character starts to come out, along with a slight smokiness. Vanilla and hints of anise and allspice are present. Very sweet, seems like an older BW to me; alcohol very well hidden. Thick warming finish, great silky medium body. Wonderful for sipping but goes down dangerously easy for a 10.5 percenter. I absolutely must try to talk to the brewer of this masterpiece; takes a little bit of the sting out of not getting to try Sherlock's Home one more time. Midwesterners get thee to Delafield!
|
