AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

	Percentile
	100
	overall

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
San Diego, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
751	4.09/5.0	4.08/5.0	10%	99.6	Thistle

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!

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SuperDave70 (1157), Beautiful Sunny Mesa, Arizona, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Apr 15, 2008

Pours a deep brown-amber color with a creamy tan head that lasts a while. Lots of aroma of caramel, malt and yeast. Good flavor as well, similar to the aroma with some added chocolate and spice. Not my favorite style, but a truly great beer.

fakepurseninja (777), Washington, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	5/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	15/20

Apr 13, 2008

Lots of flavors in here that go together well but a little to empty to tie it all into a nice little package. High alcohol really stands out with a huge sweet malt base with a huge, spicy chocolate component. Heavy molasses and sharp hoppy, piney base. Interesting drink.

TheRealBastard (141), The-No, California, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	8/10	2/5	9/10	4/5	16/20

Apr 13, 2008

Thanks adam! Poured the same color as my beer shit in the morning after a long night with Double Bastard. Did not taste anything like it, was quite tasty. This beer has tons of butterscotch and carmel flavors. Was well balanced between them hiding its 10% abv. Recommended!

nparikh (20), New York, New York, USA

4.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.2	7/10	5/5	8/10	4/5	18/20

Apr 12, 2008

Big bottle, gold foil wrapper (dunno if the color changes over the years). Pours dark wood color with a staying coffee-colored head. A classic strong Scotch ale, it’s an exercise in malts. Sweetness from malts and fruit; complexity from undertones of smoke which punch up in the dry finish. Roasted chestnuts. Full-bodied, smooth, chewy. Damn good, but I think I prefer their Old Numbskull (also very malt-focused), though it’s not really fair to compare across styles like that.

Gillard (42), Florida, USA

4.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.7	10/10	4/5	9/10	5/5	19/20

Apr 11, 2008

Big thanks to Quake1028. A-Chocolate,marshmellow,Figs,Caramel,a malty AP-Very serious dark brown with a huge mocha whispy head. F-So so Good.Caramel, chocolate, Figs, a liitle pete smoke. P- Velvety smooth and long This beer is plain out a beer everyone needs to try. I crave this beer.

darkguardian (506), Florida, USA

4.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.3	10/10	5/5	7/10	5/5	16/20

Apr 9, 2008

So here it is the holy grail for maltheads like myself. 22oz bottle courtesy of my buddy from Cali. Pours a gorgeous mahogany color with a big beige head that lasts a long time. Nose is deeply rich with huge notes of chocolate and caramel and underpinings of toffee. There is also a light citrus note that must come from the hops needed to balance this monstrosity of malt. On first sip I was a little disappointed. Strong flavors of chocolate and caramel come through but pass quickly and then a nice hop bite kicks in followed by a strong alcohol burn and a lingering bready biscuityness with hints of smoke. This is much more complex than most scotch ales but I don’t quite find it as enjoyable to drink. Its strange because although this will get a much higher rating from me than the Bellhaven Wee Heavy, I much prefer the Bellhaven for drinking pleasure. This is a brew to be appreciated though, quite an achievement and much deserving of its praise.

ironchefscott (342), portland, Oregon, USA

4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4	8/10	4/5	8/10	3/5	17/20

Apr 8, 2008

a damn good wee heavy..... smooth malt aromas and taste.....great sweetness level...and the alcohol is well hidden...great stuff!

RichJ7 (1175), Cullman, Alabama, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Apr 8, 2008

Deep brown in color with a thick off-white head. Smoked malt and peat in the nose with a darkly sweet flavor that is full of rich malt, peat, smoke and sugar. Big alcohol presence. Excellent.

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