Gritty McDuffs Scottish Ale

Brewed by Gritty McDuffs
Style: Scottish Ale
Portland, Maine USA

Serve in English pint, Thistle

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nice clear and red with a little foam. Has a bit of a hoppy aftertaste but a damn good drinkable beer. great for the winter.

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle with an expiration date of Dec 12. The pour an attractive deep amber with virtually no head. The aroma is nice and malty like a Scottish Ale should be with a bready but sweet quality . The body is medium. The taste has a sweet bitterness to it but maybe a tad astringent. Dryish aftertaste. It is not a bad take on the style but not one of the best takes on the style.

Tasting at Smileys. Aroma is nutty, nice peatiness. Mouthfeel is a bit thin. Flavor is lightly sweet caramel, peat, earth, crushed leaves, lots of nuttiness. Not bad, relatively dry finish.

Copper in color almost translucent. Large bubbly head if poured correctly. A nice layer of head that leaves good to spotty lacing. Low to medium carbonation. Bread/biscuit aroma. Taste is going to be on the lighter end of the style. The different element is the peat malt. Light to watery mouthfeel with a dry finish. If I wanted the lighter end of the style I would buy this. Good brew.

Copper in color almost translucent. Large bubbly head if poured correctly. A nice layer of head that leaves good to spotty lacing. Low to medium carbonation. Bread/biscuit aroma. Taste is going to be on the lighter end of the style. The different element is the peat malt. Light to watery mouthfeel with a dry finish. If I wanted the lighter end of the style I would buy this. Good brew.

From "The Wheelman" who has furnished me with many interesting Maine beers. This a pours a clear copper orange with a white head and thin-lacing. The nose is sweet malts with some floral hops. Body is reasonably full and the mouthfeel smooth. Flavor is malty and full of peat and alcohol. The finish is bitter. .

12oz Bottle. Nice graham cracker and caramel aroma, backed with a bit of brown bread toast. Sweet. Pours a clear copper and amber with a whitish head. Flavors are solid. Nice even Maris Otter-esque malt base, a bite of fresh toffee, and some lingering hazlenut syrup. Towards the backend a noticeable and ominous hop bitterness that surprises me a bit an seems un-appreciably off-style. It’s kind of a coarse bitterness and leaves the smack a little rough. Good, save the finish.

2007: Looks like an amber. A deep, brownish red, but quite clear. Big head that goes away quick. Looks a tad light. The smell is thick and malty. Also a bit nutty. Roasted aroma of malt. Also a nice wafting hit of yeast. A bit pungent, but overall aroma is kind of slight. Does have a sharp alcoholy-malt smell. The taste is like a stout, roasted malt (but no coffee). Has a sweet nutty end to the malt. Has that rich Scottish flavor. It’s strong, with an ashy flavor, but not too bad. Notes of caramel and toffee. Feels thick like a porter. Rich and leaves a film. A little bubbly, and thicker than it looks. It’s not amazing, but definitely decent enough. Roasted, bitter, nutty, alcohol-fueled.

Pours a clear deep amber color. Aroma is of sweeter malts, banana, dried fruit, and wheat. Flavor is a little less sweet consisting of malts, dried fruit, brown sugar, and raisins. Leaves a malt finish.

Pours deep amber into a thistle. Off-white head with medium retention recedes to skim surface. Sweet butterscotch aromas. Caustic carbonation upfront with dark pit fruits and butterscotch turning bitter in the lasting dry finish.

A decent ale, cant quite figure out the abv feeling right away as it is hidden in the malt. A slow roasted brew that deserves to be sipped, has a nice bitterness to it, but there is just something missing...