Isle of Skye Cuillin Beast

Hazy gold-amber, frothy white head. Sweet nose of caramel, faint grassy hops, and some sugar and toast. Flavor is also also heavy caramel, light malt, and hints of burnt toast. Decent, but not really exciting.

500 ml. bottle. Shared with Tom, Deran, Doug and Mark at our local brew club tasting. Pours a thin head over a clear, amber (SRM 10) body....nose of cocoa, bit of coffee, cherry, acetic acid......taste is off for a Wee Heavy, overly acid and finishes like a Flanders Red with extensive acid flavors, that are pleasantly puckering. It would have made an interesting variation on a Flanders Red. We, collectively, thought the bottle off but in the reviews, it seems that this style experience occurs, with this beer, with some frequency. So, I’ll rate it, as a Wee Heavy. Perhaps the brewery has quality problems, or, more likely, a shipment was poorly handled.

Cloudy copper pour with a creamy light brown head. Dark fruit aroma is prominent, sweet malt, alcohol in the nose. It has a faint smokeyness in the flavor, you taste the dark fruits, the malt, the alcohol, a little sourness. even some grape flavors. It is complex tasting, but it is easy to drink, a tasty beer. Lacing on the glass.

Wow, this was a hard one to finish. Not my style. A sour scotch ale just doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. Pours a hazy pink/amber/orange with medium creamy head that sticks around for a while. Aroma of alcohol, toasted malt, tart fruit, and caramel. Sourness does not lend itself well in the flavor and I was severely disappointed with this one.

Bottle from Crown Liquor. Poured a clear brown color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Medium wood, toasted malt, dark fruit and grape aroma. Medium to full body with a creamy smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy dark fruit bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration. A solid complex brew.

500 ml bottle from EZ Liquors. Not really sure what they were going for wih this one. Poured a murky muddy brown with just the smallest lacing of slight white head. Aroma was sweet notes of berries, cherry, white grape juice mixed with a good dose of alcohol, some melted toffee, old flowers and plastic. Thinner bodied, noticable carbonation, slightly chalky finish. Flavor is just a complex as the aroma, and pretty much as unwelcome in my mouth as the aroma was in my nose. Flavors of old bread, honey, berries, cherry, white grape juice, caramel. I know after reading the description of Scotch Ale that it can’t really be pinned down stylistically but this was not the usual dark, smokey, peaty treat that I like. In America they should rename this one Wee Wee Beast because it’s more comparable to piss then a good ale.

Bottle. Pours a reddish amber with an off-white head. Aroma is malty with strong notes of wood and also reminds me a bit of scotch. It seems as if you can smell some of the alcohol. Flavor starts malty but a sour citrus taste develops and the dissipates at the end leaving a malty aftertaste. This is definitely different, but I am okay with it, especially as I usually do not enjoy Scotch Ales.

Pours a copper color with a small white head. It has a funky cherry aroma with a hint of licorice. The flavor is very tart with berries, cherries, chocolate, and licorice. It does taste like its trying to be a sour. Kind of confusing, but interesting. A little harsh, but tasty.