Sprecher Pipers Scotch Ale

Brewed by Sprecher Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Glendale, Wisconsin USA

I pour this scotch ale into my glass and see a brown beer with a small off white head. I take a whiff. Caramel smokiness and toasted malt. Not bad I think to myself. Then I take a taste. WTF is this shit. burnt syrupy mess. The smokiness comes through more and makes it a bit more brearable. Not for me. *Goes to sink to pour down the drain, and gets a surly bender.* You suck Grim.

Amber with 2cm of frothy, off white head. Nose of lightly toasty, peaty malt, earth, and some caramel like sweetness. Flavor is similar adding a small dose of smoke, more caramel, cocoa powder, and just a hint of crisply bitter hops in the finish. Pretty accurate commercial description. Medium body, just a bit smoother than balanced. Decent, drinkable.

Pours a dark maroon with 1 cm of white head. Pretty sweet malty smell. A touch of cinnamon and brown sugar as well. Very malty and somewhat smoky taste. A lot of dark fruit, prunes come to mind. Pretty smooth, with a pretty big sweet smoky finish. Pretty nice balance to it as well. Maybe a little too much sweetness, but overall not a bad brew.

2/24/2007: Sprecher Pipers Scotch Ale is a very well balanced Scotch Ale. It is full bodied, very malty, sweet (but not too sweet), and slightly smoky. The smoke is nicely done with just the right about and well integrated into the overall flavor (it isn’t really noticeable in the aroma). The alcohol content was very well hidden. I really enjoyed this Scotch Ale and wish it was more readily available in the area...

16 fl oz bottle shared by Lance. Thank you! Rating: 7/3/8/4/15 = 3.7
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2007 Vintage

10/03/2009: Sprecher Pipers Scotch-Style Ale... Aroma: Rich, deeply caramelized malts with undertoens of chocolate, tons of caramel, slightly smoky. Appearance: Murky brown color with golden highlights; foamy deep beige-colored head that dissipates slowly. Flavor: Rich and chewy caramel with a really nice deep smokiness (like heavily caramelized malt), . Palate: Medium-bodied, smooth, lightly creamy. Overall: This is a really well-done and done right Scotch Ale!

16 fl. oz. bottle (twist-off cap; 36151 063471515) from buckybeer via trade in July 2007. Thanks Mark! Rating: 8/3/8/4/16 = 3.9

16 oz bottle

I did not have high expectations for this as it was coming from Sprecher. It is a good thing since it was relatively average in all respects. While better than some of the macrobreweries I have yet to find anything from them which has wowed me. Perhaps the Black Bavarian will do the trick. If not I may just give up and move on - I have better things to do than drink so-so beer when there are plenty of other breweries out there.

Aroma / Appearance - A thin head the color of white plastic exposed to sunlight forms a little bit of protective covering for the amber body underneath. The nutty oak scent is accompanied by blueberries, pears and an overall sweetness. There is little complexity to it.

Flavor / Palate - Sweetened iced tea, cherry pits and coffee grounds create a flavor profile that is initially a little offputting. However it begins to redeem itself with a trace amount of caramel and citrus coming to the foreground. By the time I got to the bottom it was actually not bad at all. There is not much complexity to this so be prepared for a short lived use of the taste buds. Overall the fact that as it warms the taste improves bump it from a 4 to a 6.

This Scotch Ale was very heavy with its use of peat in the flavor. Whereas most of the Scotch Ales that I’ve sampled derive their sweetness from fruity (raisins, prunes, plums), this one did it through its peat flavor. Very malty, good scent. Became sweeter and smoother as I drank it. Ok, but no Dirty Bastard.

16oz bottle, no date. Pours a clear ruby brown with a minimal fizzy beige head that doesn’t really rouse much. Aroma is peated malt, some oatmeal softness (wtf?), a little bit of toasted and roasted malts, leather, and brown sugar. Flavor is more leathery with some peated malt, light acidity, smoke and light toasted malts, some brown sugar sweetness. I think I picked up woody hops. Alcohol is well masked. Body is light to moderate--either way a bit thin--with light carbonation. Was pretty good, but not amazing. I want to rate this one a notch or two higher, but can’t see where I’d add anything. Update--I moved the flavor from 7 to 8 because the flavors seemed a bit stronger as it warmed.

Big juicy malts, but a bit too sweet. I don’t get any smoke at all besides a faint sweaty sharp aroma. Some alcohol, lots of syrupy sweetness. Didn’t really enjoy this one.