Devils Canyon Full Boar Scotch Ale

Brewed by Devils Canyon Brewing Co.
Style: Scotch Ale
Belmont, California USA

Serve in Thistle

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This is a very good scotch ale. I’m trying not to be too swayed by the relatively low price ($4-5/bomber), but it certainly doesn’t hurt. The beer is a deep, ruby-highlighted brown with a small, fizzy beige head. The aroma is mostly nutty caramel and malted molasses. It has an almost floral honey tone. This is all classic and good scotch ale territory. It’s big and full with a touch of sweet wood smoke. No off-notes, no nonsense. This beer is a mouthful of caramel malt. It tastes fresh and earthy. The sweetness never overwhelms even without any apparent hoppiness. There’s just a touch of lightly bitter wood at the close. Smooth, full, creamy, rich. Drinks above its weight class.

bottle. Pours a nice dark brown with little head. You definitely get some smokiness, chocolate, and some alcohol in the aroma. The taste is lighter than I was expecting. Some of the smoke carries over into the taste, but you also get a nice citrus and airiness to the taste. Finishes real clean.

Red brown w/ a small white head. Roasty nose and flavor. Very mild w/ a big, malty taste. Drinkable w/ mild carbonation and not too sweet.

1/21/12 notes: bottle, sample. Pours dark brown with shades of purple, almost no head. Aroma is molasses, touches of smoke and dark plum. Mouthfeel is soft, lightly carbonated, finishes a bit thin despite alcohol. Flavor is rich and sweet leaning. Flavor starts with lick of smoke and bread crust, with some nuttiness rising. Mid-flavors lend dark dried fruit such as raisin and prune. Finish has booze, molasses and fruit. Sweetness is forward on finish, suggesting incomplete attenuation. Overall not a bad drink - complexity is there, but the lack of carbonation, poor head retention, and messy finish make this a work in progress.

On tap at Jasper’s Corner Tap, SF. Dark copper to dark brown pour, very lively and well carbonated. Nose was deep caramel malts and a healthy dose of peat, with some smoke in there for good measure. Mouthfeel a bit odd, seeming watery at one moments and fullish the next. Taste was heavy on chocolate and cola, with peat and smoke more understated than in the nose. Decent.

Smokier than expected. Nice malt/cherry flavor comes out. Clean but a bit thick on the palate...odd viscosity. Carb. was a bit off, but I will blame the keg. Better than average.

Sampled in a big bottle. A real classic scotch ale. Pours dead flat with a good amount of flavor all from malts. Very sweet actually.

Pours deep brown-black with a fluffy white head. Aroma is vanilla, coffee, chocolate, banana. Taste is vanilla, brown sugar, spicy, just a touch sour citrus, coffee finish. Mouth feel is light but chewy. Lightly carbonated works well.

On tap at Jasper’s Corner Tap. Pours really dark reddish brown with small light tan head. Aromas of peat, dark malts, and some toffee. Flavors of dark malts, some toffee, earthy notes with some peat. Pretty average.

Bottle (no bottling date visible). Pours with a near black body with a large and lasting off-white head. Aromas are roasty, very sweet, overripe fruits, VERY estery, raisins, dark fruits, a bit smokey (even phenolic), tobacco, vegital and a hint of acetaldehyde. Messy yeast wise if not a touch infected. Flavors are dry, smokey (strong), leather, chlorophenolic, medicinal, caramel, pear esters. Lively carbonation, oddly dry, medium bodied. Mild infection starting.

Dark brown cloudy color with thin beige head. Aroma o.f cola and cocoa powder. Bready, malty flavor with brown sugar and dark fruit. Subtle alcohol profile with very little hoppiness..