Flyers Bottleworks VIII (140 Schilling Strong Scotch Ale)

Brewed by Flyers Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Scotch Ale
Oak Harbor, Washington USA

Serve in Thistle

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Amazed I hadn’t rated this already. This will go down as one of my favorite beers ever, and definitely one of my favorite BW releases. Huge and rich and just insane overall, this brew boasts some of the deepest peat flavors I’ve tasted in beer (besides being aged in barrels), and loads of dark fruits from the combo of malts used. Brilliant hop intrusion in the thickness of it all, as it blends together perfectly. Wish I still had a bottle...full that is...as somewhere in my cellar is an empty signed by the artist, Sensei23, himself!

Huge thanks to Matt for bringing this want list beer of mine and sharing it at Coffee District. Though quite old now this beer has become probably something beyond what it ever was originally. But I will rate it based on what I tried. And what I tried I loved. Slight acidity on the nose but also huge cherry, raisin, and caramel malt. Flavor is very much like a barley wine now. With strong raisin and prune, medium bodied and finishes lightly sour. The sourness was probably not intended but makes it interesting. I doubt many would rate it as high as me, but I really loved it. Thanks to 50belair!

Bottle. Brown pour. Cola, caramel, and fruit esters aromas. This is wacky and I’m sure not what was originally intended. Three years in the bottle and this Scotch Ale has converted into more of a English barley wine. Sour cherry, stone fruits, and all kinds of rich caramel malts. Slightly acidic...

Gotten in trade. Infected like so mny other bottles? Who is Flyers anyways? Nack with some white head. Lacey. Roast aromas. But then the taste does not live up to the style with sourishness, and lacto. Medium mouthfeel. Some chocolate, not that drinkable.

2007 Vintage

1/31/2010: Flyers Bottleworks VIII (140 Schilling Strong Scotch Ale)... Aroma: Sherry, rich caramel, vanilla, whisps of brandy-like alcohol. Appearance: Chesnut brown, minimal veil, fine carbonation, mostly opaque. Flavor: Sugary toffee and alcohol, creamy caramelly-apple middle, dark chocolate bitterness in the finish; warming; fairly sharp acidity (like sour cherry) and bitterness (earthy and herbal) that lingers on the tongue... When warmer: Dates, cane sugar, green tobacco, still some wort of weird, off-putting bitterness that turns into a tobacco-like flavor... Palate: Thick, creamy, smooth, coats the mouth nicely. Overall: Decent, but disappointing considering how long I have waited to try this as well as all of the good things that I had heard about it...

1 ping 6 fl. oz. bottle ( 10.9% Alc./Vol. ) from bitbucket via trade. Thanks Bob! Rating #85 for this beer.

Draft on multiple occasions at Brouwers. Always mystified and disappointed, I feel like I never got the beer others did. Shapely dark pour with thick, creamy head. Flavor was overwhelmingly sour and stale malts, artificial grape flavoring comes to mind. There is complexity and depth but it just tastes like it has gone wrong. Epic head-scratcher.

22 fl oz bottle. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is dense fruity and solid wooden. Smooth fruity and dark caramelish malt flavoured. Fantastic balance. Smooth and wellintegrated. Lovely. Lingering fruity finish.

I am guessing that this beer was infected as balls. Woodshop. Just sour as hell. I am going to give this a middle of the road rating.

In short:
How: Bottle 22oz. Age unknown, consumed about two months after receiving it from Bitbucket. Thanks a lot Bob.
The look: Dark brown body topped by a very small beige ring of foam
In long: Big nose of dates, port wine and toffee. Taste is cinnamon buns (very much), sherry, figs, blood, pancakes, paper, dark grapes, vanilla, raisins, tobacco, black liquorice, some butterscotch, too much plum. Unusual sour notes. An overall English style sensation. In the past I have used the word “blood” to describe a beer flavour, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a beer that tasted so bloody. That beer was just as bloody as an Al-Qaeda suicide bombers convention. Nonsensical but kind of fun to imagine.

Bottle. Pours medium brown, with a creamy tan head. Well-balanced, open, layers of malt, plenty of fruit, strong without being overtly boozy. Very nice.