AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

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

Bottle. Light tan, full creamy head, dark rich red-brown in appearance. Sweet aroma, raisins, berries, hint of malt. Tastes strongly of malt, dried fruit, hops. Nice acidity, lingers on the palate. Delightful Scotch Ale.

Had it on cask at RBSG 08. Taste was a lot creamier, with lingering toasty and bitter malt notes. Even more awesome than in a bottle.

bottle. pours a deep but relatively clear dark mahogany, with a sizable tan head. smell is a strong and enriching caramel and woody malt, with dark grapey fruits and a bit of spice. there is also some floral hop character, and hint of alcohol. flavor is more subtle than the smell, with more caramelly malts, a bit of bread, and more spice. i’m not particularly fond of the finish. the palate is good, with a slight bitter tinge, and a bit of sweetness that intensifies as you drink, to let you know the malts you tasted aren’t fake, but the flavor goes away so quickly it’s almost hard to tell you drank anything. a lot lighter of body than i expected, and a bit sticky. it’s not bad, but i was expecting better. overall, i found it tasty and would be delighted to try it again, i just wish the flavors were easier to grasp onto and savor.

750ml bottle from BevMo Carmel mtn. Poured a deep rusty brown with a small, creamy light brown head, nice lacing. Aroma of blackberries, raspberries, pretty much every berry you can imagine. Also, some chocolate, chestnut, roasted malt. Thick, velvety mouth feel, finish was of dark belgian chocolate. One of the best beers I’ve had in a while. I’m lucky I live in the same city where they brew this amazing beer.

750 ml bottle

I wish I would have had this for #650 instead of the Yulesmith Summer edition. As good as that was this is probably the best beer I have tried in a while. It seems that Alesmith has not disappointed me yet as I work my way through their star studded lineup of craft beers. I look forward to getting another sample of the barrel aged version to see how this was affected by the aging.

Aroma / Appearance - A reddish-purple body looked nice under the moonlight. A short lived two finger head settled and left huge thick traces down the sides of the glass. Raspberries, chocolate truffle and thick velvet cake were so dense as to be almost suffocating. A hint of mint teased me as the possibilities within. It was almost as complex as some imperial stouts or huge fruit beers.

Flavor / Palate - The mouthfeel coated the tongue and throat leaving behind a mossy taste. Hops made an appearance but were well balanced. The finish of dark truffles and raspberries left me wanting to go right back to the store and buy another bottle. This was a fabulous beer that I’ll have to buy again at some point. The only thing keeping me from stocking this regularly is the price.

25.4 oz bottle, cellared 18 months. A deep but clear blood red with edgy tan froth. Concord grapes, peat, raisins and almond brittle. Smells incredible. Medium body with the barest hints of carb. Tastes like scotch at first, then coconut milk?, vanilla and toffee. Light drying with a tang. Immediately soothing; a fine sipper. I’d like to try a fresh one.

Very dark brown color; creamy head. Nice aroma, harmonious, with caramel, roasted barley coffee. Powerful body, sweet, with good mix of caramel, chocolate and roasted malt, dried fruits too; good bitterness. Very good mix and solid brew, excellent.

Pours a gorgeous mahogany with amber highlights and a medium white head. Aroma is magnificent- raisin, plum, clove, wine, yeast, caramel, toffee, molasses, chocolate- too many to list. Flavor is equally exquisite: Dark fruit and spice perfectly melted with a malt backbone of smokey chocolate, molasses, and yeast. Palate is creamy, and not at all cloying. A must try.

The first sample was perfect. Many more bottles have met their demise in this household, but not all of them illustrated the perfection that regularly peeks out. The possibility that only very fresh bottles perfectly suit my palate arises. Analyzation aside, many of my experiences with this beer have yielded awe-inspiring, nearly tearfully joyous moments. A feeling of a slight inconsistency is the only reason this doesn’t achieve perfection in scoring, even though it’s perfect in my mind. Any experience that was less than perfect was just barely so - this is a masterpiece, the finest beer I’ve ever had in my many years of craft beer enjoyment, the single most exciting beverage that’s ever crossed these lips.

The dense pour oozes from the bottle in a honeyed formation, filling the glass with a dark, shadowy ruby pour with devilish crimson brilliance. A thick head that’s creamier than cream itself forms and remains steadfast, throughout the consumption of the entire glass. The glass itself doesn’t even seem to matter, this always looks great. Lacing is thick, webbed and scattered in intricate patterns rarely encountered. Perfect.

Such rich aromas fill the air. The list is evergrowing as repeated whiffs are deemed necessary by someone who just can’t get enough, someone who just can’t get over how amazing this is. Peat, chocolate, vanilla, brandy, red wine, wood, hazelnuts, almonds, plums galore, caramel, butterscotch, roasted grains, fresh grass, molasses, herbs, coffee, flowers, toffee...the list goes on but I feel like it’s no longer a task sorting through such a numerous display of engaging nuances. Alcohol is prevalent throughout repeated inhalations but is never a deterrent or detractor from everything that captivates and satisfies. Perfect.

The first sip is better than silky, more luxurious than I can adequately describe. The body is full and robust but full of delicacy and complexity at the same time. Carbonation is low to medium and whirls the flavors around so efficiently that every tastebud has the opportunity to share in this momentous flavor. Peat and chocolate arrive first and set up a base camp at the perimeter. Smoke and caramel infiltrate the peaks and valleys. Sweetness is medium and perfectly wrought. Bitterness is low, hops are invisible. Acidity is nil, this is just too creamy. The finish is lengthy, bold and embracing; a soft glance at the preceding reveals a lingering chocolate and caramel edge with peated malt and faint fruit that fade gracefully away. Perfect.

Were this rated based upon the first bottle consumed, it likely would have been scored a perfect 5. Something so amazing warranted repeated visits nearly immediately though, and not all of those were as amazing. Not as amazing, as in 4.9 or 4.8 - this is always an amazing beer. Alesmith has not created their interpretation of a Scotch ale in the typical confines of the style, they’ve reinvented and improved upon the style to such a degree that I feel like this beer will never seem tiresome. To me, that is perfect.