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AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

Percentile
100
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bottled
common

on tap
available

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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
7474.09/5.04.08/5.010%99.6Thistle
Commercial Description:
Bottle conditioned
J.P. Gray's Wee Heavy Scotch Ale Scotland's bone-chilling winters command a strong, richly-flavored brew. J.P. Gray's Wee Heavy is such an ale. Named for Brewmaster Skip Virgilio's maternal grandfather, J.P. Gray's is a blend of the prized Maris Otter barley and dark roasted barley which imparts a slightly smoky flavor and a deep chestnut appearance. In the style of a classic Scottish wee heavy, this fine ale is remarkably smooth and malty with background flavors of chocolate and molasses. Warmth is provided by a substantial 9% alcohol by volume. The high alcohol and fresh ingredients allow this ale to age well over time. Appearance: Deep mahogany color, sparkling clarity, and excellent head formation and retention when properly served. Flavor: Deep caramelly malty flavor with just a hint of smoke in the finish. Aroma: The aroma is sweet and voluptuous, reflecting the flavor with malt, hop and yeast characteristics. Mouthfeel (body/texture): Lush, full, rounded, almost chewy. This is a BIG beer!
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 savnac (407), Palmer, Alaska, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 25, 2009  
750ml Bottle. Deep dark brown with tan frothy head that looks like cappuccino and leaves a sticky lace. Aroma is dominantly caramel with bittersweet chocolate, plum, alcohol and a bit of smoke. The flavor is malty and sweet but surprisingly very bitter, a chocolate, coffee and hop bitterness. The alcohol is well hidden but warms the stomach. Full bodied with average carbonation and a thick velvety mouth feel. This is a nice rich desert beer.


 agl108 (503), Manayunk, Pennsylvania, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/105/516/20
Oct 24, 2009    Updated: Oct 27, 2009
Thanks to lamas for this 750 mL Champagne Magnum (?2007 vintage) for rating #500. Been cellaring this one for well over 2 years. Poured mahogany with fizzy khaki head with a few splotches of lacing. BIG, sweet malty flavor. Some dark fruit, chocolate, and definitive coffee notes evident as well. Silky texture. Remarkably smooth. Holy fuck, thanks brah!


 bvc (244), Kenmore, Washington, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/516/20
Oct 20, 2009  
750ml capped and foiled from kegbear. Deep dark brown with maybe the best looking tan head of any Scotch ale I have ever had. Starts out big with tight uniform bubbles and settles down to a thin layer and will reform easily with a little swirl of my glass. Malt, peat, fleshy plum, cola. Tight sharp carbonation on the tongue with thick but proper body and oily feel. Prickly up front with bready malt that quickly moved into peat then sweet plum, dates and cola finishing up with more peat, tobacco and leather. If I have to knock it for anything, it would be that the alcohol is a bit sharp. Thanks Craig!


 punkrkr27 (614), Berkley, Michigan, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/105/517/20
Oct 16, 2009  
Dark mahogany pour with ruby highlights and a big, frothy, off-white head. The aroma is peat smoke and caramel with notes of molasses, dates, and a whiff of alcohol. The flavor adds in some allspice, burnt almond and ends with a nice lingering peat smoke. Creamy full body with soft carbonation.


 502Flavors (617), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 14, 2009  
Bottle 2009 into mini pint glass. Very dark brown with a nice creamy khaki head. This one is just very solid on the aroma and flavor with lots of roasty malt notes, caramel, a bit of smoke, and some residual sweetness that isn’t overwhelming. A nice toasty winter drinker with a heavy and smooth mouthfeel.


 gyllenbock (244), Stockholm, Sweden
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/518/20
Oct 12, 2009  
Dark brown color with a small white head. Nice aroma of malt, dried fruits, caramel, chocolate. Malty and sweet flavor, fruits, nuts, bourbon. Well balanced and complex. Alcohol was well hidden, thick with a full body. Great!


 Pwn3d (1052), Manhattan, New York, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/517/20
Oct 11, 2009  
750ml split with CUJO. Amazed I forgot to rate this 3 months ago when I originally had this. Paraphrased from cujo’s review... Great looking pour, dark cola/coffee in color leaving a full finger of thick dry head. Nose is very complex with dark fruits, cooked sugars/malts. First sip reveals strong booze. After more tasting the mouth relaxes and reveals its complexity, again with the dark fruits, nice bitterness in the hops. As it got warmer more earthiness is drawn out, the woods/ pines come through. The lacing in the glass was surprising, a dark dry film had to be scratched off the glass. Not the deity I was expecting, but a great complex and balanced beer no doubt.


 Hoptagon (137), Arlington, Virginia, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/518/20
Oct 2, 2009  
Champagne magnum. 2005 Vintage. Pours a deep viscous mahogany with no head. Multi-layered candied sugar nose with a heavy dose of burnt caramel. Flavor shows notes of slightly burnt malt, smoked peat, candied raisins and hints of vanilla. Body has an impresse depth with a minimal level of carbonation and a rich, syrupy texture. The alcohol is well hidden and the finish is smooth with a lingering note of burnt sugar.



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