Russell A Wee Angry Scotch Ale

Brewed by Russell Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Surrey, Canada

Serve in Thistle

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

My new favourite. Not one to quaff after cutting the grass on a hot summer day. More of a winter ale. Delightful. roasty, caramel, resin, floral, smoke,

Dark amber with a quickly disipating tan head, aroma of sweet malts, full roasty caramel malty taste with a bit of fruit, medium carbs, nice balanced hop finish. No wonder this is an award winner!

Bouteille 650 ml. 6.5%. Vancouver. Couleur brune foncé, reflet roux, mousse beige. Arôme de malt, un peu de caramel, de bois. En bouche, un peu de fumée, alcool, malt, caramel. Finale un peu houblon, fumée, alcool. Excellente...j’ai vraiment aimé cette bière, pas trop froide. Du bonbon !

Pours a beautiful dark brown with a slight reddish hue. Appearance would be perfect, but the head is a little too sparse. Aroma is full, malty. Taste is heavy malts, finishing with a roasted malt flavor. Feels light in the mouth which is surprising considering the full taste. Very good.

Bottle: Poured a brown with a red edge hint, head was off white. Aroma was off white with strong roasted/caramel malt. Taste was sweet malts slight roastiness, and hints of vanilla bean as well. Very yummy!

Tap @ Malone’s. Nice head with good duration. Color is brown. Aroma and taste are caramel, nuts, dried fruits, malt and hops.

Poured a clear brown capped with a thin tan head. Aroms was mild (weak?), maybe some malt, but it was not easy to tell. Taste wsa a lot of malt, too sweet to start, but easing off at it progressed; also, there was a hint of "burnt" to go along with the coffee or dark chocolate at the finish. Solid mouth. This got better at the temperature rose.

I really enjoyed this one... I think it’s the ashy mouthfeel that does it for me. Or maybe because Scotch ales are all too often cloying, and this one struck the perfect balance for my taste. I have a love affair with nuts too and this one of course reminded me of that (don’t tell my SO). Kept it at the back of my fridge way too long.

(Originally written for the Summer 2010 issue of TAPS Magazine.) Scotch Ale is a style not often brewed in Canada, so a tip of the hat to Russell for taking a crack at it as part of their Russell Brewmaster Series of limited edition brews. It has the requisite mahogany-brown colour with a creamy cap of off-white foam, and an on-point aroma of sweet, caramel-like malt with a nutty edge and a hint of smoke. The body is on the light side for the style (as is the 6.5% alcohol level), but the flavour makes up for it, with pleasant notes of dark toffee, roasted nuts, a bit of cocoa, and just enough hops to balance the sweetness without being noticeable otherwise. I generally like a bit more heft in both body and booze from my Scotch Ales, but this one is so enjoyable otherwise that I’ll let it slide.

650ml brown bottle. Deep red brown pour, clear. Long lasting creamy head, light tan in colour, decent glass coating sticky lace. Nose has toffee, light roast, wood, nut and grain. Taste sweet caramel malts, earth, roasted barley. Malty and earthy finish with some toffee. Late hops bring some nice finishing bitterness. Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel, soft carbonation, smooth. A good dark ale, mellow in spots but flavourful enough to keep me drinking it. Would not mind drinking this one again which is more than I can say for a handful of Russell’s beers. This one is well done and has some depth.