Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

THOUGHTS: Nice beer, but nothing really special. Hid alcohol well. I still prefer real scotch ales since they don’t have the smokiness since it wasn’t true to the country’s style. Surprised a beer with this high of an ABV is their flagship. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, dark orangey red with a small, off-white head that mostly diminished. The aroma was light to moderate caramel malt, light milk chocolate, cherry and smoke. The initial flavor was moderately sweet, and lightly acidic and bitter; while the finish was lightly sweet and acidic, and moderately bitter with and average duration. It was very smokey with some caramel malt. The medium body was sorta syrupy with soft to tingly carbonation and light astringent finish. When it warmed there was also a light alcoholic finish.

On tap in NJ. An almost perfect example of a Scotch Ale. Big alcohol number, but not overwhelming to taste. Huge malt arooma and taste. A classic.

Poured brown with red highlights and a dense tan head. Aroma was all about the malt. Flavor was caramel and chocolate with nice mouthfeel.

Just as the commercial description states this beer definitely has "hints of smoke and peat paired with a malty richness". I didn’t notice the "good bit of hop attidude" though. Nevertheless, this beer was VERY good - definitely one of the best scotch ales I’ve ever had.

12 oz. bottle - thanks to kyrptic for the trade; pours dark brown with reddish glow; clear along the edges with thin tan head and minor lacing; dirty, musky aromas with sugary malts and zesty lemon; almost a sour touch to it; light texture and slightly light on the flavors, but very tasty nevertheless; strong, but drinkable

Scotland conquers Belgium and the Netherlands. There is a lot to offer here. The malts taste Dutch, the yeast Belgium and the Scotch, Scotch. Pours an amber red with a mustard head. A little smokey and bold hops. All around pretty special.

its easy to become so jaded that one thinks that entire styles are not for their personal pallete, until you encounter something that blasts those preconceptions to smithereens and you realize the sky is the limit! the aroma on this clobbers you over the head, the stench of ingrediients that have been painstakingly worked into something nearly ambrosia like. still, this beer makes no bones about its strength, its certainly detectable and to me seems even underrated but i can easily envision the pallete of another having trouble with the booze factor in this one (typical for the style in my experience). wonderful dark ruby color gives way to coffee and other porter like characteristics but without the outright roast of that style. smoke comes up front in the finish which is what steers this away from the stout category, mouthfeel and aftertaste linger seemingly forever. this is very intense and pretty impressive!

12 oz bottle that pours ruddy brown with a tan head...mild sweet malts and a tinge of floral hops on the nose...also a metallic earthy scent...a slight stickiness left on the lips--bitter and smooth at the same time..its got some metal in the mouth as well...bitter citrus finish---and some flavor left in my mouth that tastes like warm milk...as it sits, some bitter toffee shows up in the finish mostly....it packs a sweet buzz, and it really creeps up on you..:)