RateBeer
   Home Sign Up or Login Advanced Search
   People Ratings Events Places Forums Shop Magazine
      Top By Category  RateBeer Best  Latest Ratings  Top 50    

AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

* picture credits
copyright may apply

 Percentile 
100
overall
A Scotch Ale brewed by
AleSmith Brewing Company

San Diego, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Regional Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
Send Corrections

 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
6184.09/5.04.09/5.010%99.5Thistle P  Stats

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?  
 cbkschubert (1640), Rattlesnake Country, Arizona, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/517/20

Jan 13, 2007  
<b>750 ml bottle</b> picked up from the brewey about a year ago. Pours a deep amber color with a nice one and a half finger light tan head. Light lacing. Aroma is light (dark esters), and caramel and light chocolate malt. Has a very light roast malt and smoked malt flavor. Very nice. A smooth, medium body beer. Alcohol is noticeable but not overpowering. Best Scotch ale I’ve tried. The Commercial Description pretty much sums it up. Very nice.

 Hophead22 (329), Redlands, California, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/518/20
Nov 19, 2008  
750ml bottle. Nice dark red pour, really nice with a tan head. Very dark and rich aroma, hint of anise maybe, very nice. Big and bold flavor, dark fruits,v ery rich and complex. Awesome!


 CaryTheDude (440), Ripon, Wisconsin, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
Nov 2, 2008  
Crushed with Honkeybra. One hell of a profile with wonderful warmth. Fruity and scotchy on the nose, which leads into awesomeness. Finish is bitter and dry, but the fruits are the real dominant party in this sexy bitch of a brew. Intimidating.


 HonkeyBra (472), Lemont, Illinois, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/58/103/518/20
Nov 2, 2008  
Crushed with theDude. Pours a dark brownish color with a big old rocky, off whit head. Aroma is sweet, with caramel and brown sugar, a bit of smoke. Flavor has a bit of scotch in the beginning, with lots of dark fruits coming through. Finish is a bit of hops and caramelized sugar. Awesome beer.;


 GAManiac (428), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/105/517/20
Oct 26, 2008  
This one pours a very dark brownish copper that is almost completely opaque in the glass. The large tan head lingers as a cap throughout leaving sheets of lacing. The aroma is big and complex and is dominated by the sweet, heavy caramel malts and brown sugar. There also plenty of dark fruits, raisins especially, and a hint of booze. The taste is just as complex as the aroma. The malts again dominate from start to finish There is a much bigger hop presence than the smell would suggest, some earthy hops and a bit of citrus. Finish is a dark fruit sweetness with the hops and some toffee lingering in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is crazy smooth, just silky. Lots of carbonation to accentuate the medium heavy body, keeping it from getting too cloying. This is one of, if not the best wee heavy I’ve ever tasted. It’s big and complex, yet very drinkable. Another great brew from AleSmith.


mcferc4 (37), Essex Fells, New Jersey, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/517/20
Oct 26, 2008  
Drank this guy a while ago, courtesy of BOLTZ7255. Thanks again Jason for hooking me up. Very dark for a Scotch Ale. Decent aroma. VERY smooth. Great amount of smoke on the flavor, not too much. Sometimes the smoke seems contrived (on weaker Scotch Ale’s) but definitely not here. Wow.. the alcohol is hardly noticable -- I’ve had 6%’ers that seem more alcoholic. Sweet, fruity aroma. Very smooth, long, building molasses finish. *Excellent execution, almost perfect. Archetype of the style*



would you like to read more ratings?



Then join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings.

Desired User Name
*


Valid Email (Needed to verify your account)
*

Relax. RateBeer is 100%, guaranteed spam-free. That's our promise to you.

I agree to the terms of the RateBeer User Agreement

RATE THIS BEER

Aroma

rating assistance

Appearance

rating assistance

Flavor

rating assistance

Palate

rating assistance

Overall impression

rating assistance

TOTAL SCORE

Comments

More Scotch Ales

AleSmith Barrel Aged Wee Heavy (4.13)

Bedondaine et Bedons Ronds Reyne Descosse (4.02)

Stoudts Barrel Aged Scotch Ale (3.98)

À l’Abri de la Tempête Corne de Brume (3.94)

Town Hall Wee Heavy (3.93)

Iron Hill Bourbon Wee Heavy (3.9)

Town Hall Barrel Aged Wee Heavy (3.88)

Founders Backwoods Bastard (3.83)

Kuhnhenn A Few Shillings Too Many (3.8)

Flyers Bottleworks VIII (140 Schilling Strong Scotch Ale) (3.79)


About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Add A Brewer | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Log out | Feedback? | Copyright 2000-2008, RateBeer LLC