French Broad Wee Heavy-er Scotch Style Ale

Brewed by French Broad Brewing Co.
Style: Scotch Ale
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Serve in Thistle

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{thoughts} Rather lacking in maltiness and too fruity for my tastes.

{elements} Lightly hazy, medium brown hue; tall, light tan cream. Forceful raisin aroma; otherwise earthy with a Belgian rusticness; soft alcohol and floral notes. Fruity sweetness, mild cherry/pear acidity, gently prickly bitterness; perhaps a slight acetic quality? Medium body, moderate carbonation, creamy texture. 22 oz bottle.

Enjoyed on tap at Luella’s BBQ in Asheville, NC during my honeymoon. Appearance is a dark cola brown with a thin white head that laces to the glass. Aroma is sweet with a light syrupy malt. Taste is pretty good, nice and malty, sweet, also pretty thick and chewy. Pretty high carbonation, syrupy, its ok.

ours nicely with a bigger head than most Scotch Ales, and that familiar deep amber color. Toasted malt and toffee are coming through in the aroma. Rather inviting. Surprising amount of chocolate in the flavor. Toffee and smoked malt are rather noticeable, as well. Hops provide just a bit of a bitter and dry finish, but don’t overpower anything, just as it should be with Scotch Ales.The 7% ABV give a bit of heat in the flavor and warmth in the finish. I like this Wee-Heavy-er Scotch Ale. Perhaps not quite in the top tier of the style, but the chocolate gives it a nice twist.

Thanks to mikesgroove for sending me this bottle. The beer pours a dark reddish-brown color with an off-white head. As expected, the aroma is full of malt, with heavy amounts of toffee and caramel, as well as a hint of chocolate. The flavor is very similar. I get a lot of toffee and caramel, as well as some peat malt notes, a hint of smoke and some light amounts of dark fruit. The alcohol is also present in the flavor. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

22oz bomber brought back from Asheville. Just about opaque burgundy-brown. Thinnish soapy head. Smooth, sweet aroma. Pretty much nails the style, this is as good as most authentic versions, if not better. Really not so overbearing for the ABV, quite mellow and sessionable actually. Doughy brown sugar notes. Sweet, but not overly thick or sticky. A great malt-centered beer, worth seeking out.

Draft at the brewpub. Poured deep brown with a smallish light tan head that left no lacing. Aroma was caramel, toffee, kinda bready, fairly sweet, some fruit, touch of smoke. Flavor was sweet up front with a long dry finish. Caramel, some toffee, nuts, bit of smoke. Some unpleasant plasticky, ashy notes. Too thin. Least favorite beer I sampled at the brewery.

Draft Hickory Tavern, Asheville - pours dark ruby red with Smallish Tan white head. Nice roasted notes of caramel, toasted malt and sweet bread. Medium full bodied with round palate and hoppy finish. Tastes of caramel malt and goodness. Ok.

Bottle. Poured brown with a tan head. Aroma of coffee, roast, and a bready background. The flavor found roast, coffee, chocolate, and light toasted malts. Medium to full body and slightly sweet.

Good stuff. The aroma is rich in coffee, roast malt, and a sweetness akin to toffee. The beer is dark brown with almost no head. The taste is toffee, roast malt, and bitter with an almost aged quality. The body is medium plus with a distinct smoothness with noticeable alcohol notes.

22oz bottle from JCB, thanks Jason! Pours a deep brown colored body with a slight ruby tint and a finger-width, frothy, light tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is somewhat watered down bready caramels with a moderate sweetness, some dark fruits, a light peat smoke, nuts, a touch of toffee, and a hint of roast. Flavor is similar. Bready, sweet caramels up front with a bit of a watered down taste. Toasted nuts, dark fruits with a hint of tartness, a light toffee, and a touch of cocoa in the middle. The peat smoke and roasts come out at the end and completely dry this with a light bitterness before leaving a lengthy aftertaste. Medium, smooth body and a soft, moderate carbonation. Overall, a decent scotch ale. The dry, peaty and roasty finish makes up for the lack of depth and initial sweetness. Eh...

UPDATED: FEB 10, 2012 22oz bomber poured Chestnut brown with a small quarter inch head. Small amount of cocoa and malt aroma. Taste of Slightly roasted malt with bitter sweet chocolate. A little alcohol burn at the end.