AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

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

Sampled at the RBSG 07 Grand Tasting. Lots of malt on the nose of this with molasses sticking out a bite and a smoky character as well. Dark brown color with faint head.

Approximately 1.5 oz. sample at the Grand Tasting of the RateBeer Summer Gathering 2007 in the Twin Cities, MN on July 23, 2007. This was the seventh of 26 beers that I sampled and rated during the tasting. Apple juice, lemon, and honey aroma with a touch of hops and a slight hint of smoke. Pours a hazy, gold-tinted brown with beige head. Fruity, floral, yeasty flavor with a sharp, dry finish. I really wish that I had taken better notes on this one, because I remember that there were a lot of specific, interesting flavors, but apparently I failed to write them down. With all the other beers I tasted that night and the three intervening days, I can’t remember those specific flavors, and that bugs me. Oh well. I suppose it’s bound to happen when you are rating as many beers as I did that day. Anyway... Little aftertaste. Heavy body. AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale is a fine beer across the board.

RBSG 2007 Grand Tasting

Dark red brown pour. Just a slight alcoholic bite. Very nice molasses, raisin, and just a touch of smoke here. A dry hoppy finish. Just another superb beer from a brewery that has not disappointed me with any of their beers. Now if they could only distribute in MN I would be an extremely happy man.

I have waited a long time to try this and I enjoyed it very much. I appreciate Skyview hauling it from the West Coast for the RBSG 07. Very malt in the aroma and flavor. Aroma also has roasted malt. Light fruit in the flavor, and some vinous character. I get some smoke, as well as fruit. A brown beer, fairly well carbonated. Thick and heavy, that is for sure. More of a roasted, malty scotch ale than some others I have had, but this was one of the highlights of RBSG.

Poured a cloudy brown with very small, cream-colored head. Very strong dark roasted malt aroma with noticeable alcohol wafting underneath. Somewhat surprised by the wateriness of this. I was expecting something a little more full-bodied. Strong alcohol kick to this with flavors of malt, toffee, and hazelnuts. Decent, not great. Probably needed to age this some more.

Bottle. Pours dark brown with a smallish tan colored head, some thin lacing. Aroma is raisin, molasses, toffee, smoked peat, caramel malt, earth. Flavor is molasses, peat, caramel, dried fruit, burnt sugar, raisins, roasted nuts. Palate is full bodied, mildly carbonated, silky smooth, lucious, sticky sweet, finishes caramelly sweet. Simply awesome. Alcohol is well hidden. Terrific on the tongue, so smooth and sexy. This is mind-blowing stuff!!

Deep mahagony, red highlights, with a great head of off tan that holds up nicely then fades into sporadic sticky thin lacing around the glass. With good retention overall. Raisin, mollasses, mission fig, black curran, black berry, smoked peat, caramel malt, and hints of woody earth round out the nicely balanced nose. This is a damn good beer. Full and rich mouthfeel leaves a layer of sweet malt on your tongue for the minute long or loner finish. Ripe mission fig, black currant, slight anise, malt is of sweet burnt caramel and is a mid palate wonder. A floral slightly earthy hop is introduced to balance and complete the long finish. Hints of peat smokey-ness are subdued but integrated nicely. Raisin, cured meat, and craft round this one out. A great, very easy too sip on beer.

750ml, 2005 vintage, cellar aged approx. 2 years. pours mahogany with white head. nose is brown sugar very sweet with traces of smoke, along with licorice, dates, a very sweet and tantalizing nose. first sip impressions and this is really rich and smokey, sharply charred wood. the sharpness in increased by biting alcohol that is really off-putting, very woody, not much smoke to balance it and sorta sweaty, and prunes. mouthfeel is a tad thin, alcohol smells and burns. lacks more smoke and sweet malts. wow this bottle did not age well at all. i feel a re-rate coming on soon.2.9.

10/10/07, another rating of an 06 bottle. pours dark ruby-brown with thin off-white head around the rim. nose has a wonderful port wine aroma with caramel malt in the background. as it warms up it becomes more smokey and alcohol is noticed more in the nose. flavor of sweet plums, woody smokiness, toffee, tobacco, and slight chocolate. awesome flavor. carbonation is low and body is medium. smooth finish. alcohol is very well hidden, you don’t taste it at all. a great beer. very barleywine-esque so perhaps it’s the barleywine of scotch ales. i bet this would hold it’s own against a barrel, maybe i should try that one soon...and i’ll have to rate a fresh one to see how it compares to this 1 year aged one. 4.2.