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

Home > Brewers > California > AleSmith Brewing Company >

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
common

Regional Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
Send Corrections

 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
5934.09/5.04.09/5.010%99.5 Thistle 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 RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 Suttree (2275), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/103/517/20

Mar 14, 2004    Updated: Mar 16, 2004
Thanks to slikwily for the trade. Blackish Brown, tan head. Aroma of apples, pears, chocolate, and pine. Full and rich on the tongue. Flavors of coffee, walnuts, smoke, chocolate, and a hint of blueberry, maybe. Finishes with a slight alcohol burn and some oaky, woodsy flavors. Very tasty brew!

 msante79 (218), Illinois, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Aug 19, 2008  
750ml Bottle. Big thanks to Kegbear for this one. Pours dark reddish brown with thick light tan head. Huge aroma of sweet malt, caramel, dark fruits and alcohol. Flavor was sweet yet complex. Flavor was big with sweet malt along with caramel and dark fruit. Big alcohol warmth along with sweet and sticky mouthfeel. A fine brew that could be great with some age.


 thenick (538), North Bellmore, New York, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/105/516/20
Aug 17, 2008  
Bomber, shared. Pours a heavy and deep ruby-brown with a large and lacy tan head. Aroma is largely caramel and dark fruit, though I detected molasses, coffee, and slight wood characteristics as well. I was surprised to not find any of the heavy grain characteristic so common in Scotch ales. The flavor is an assault on your senses, with a velvety smooth texture throughout. You get heavy malt, chocolate, and dark fruit on the front, dissolving into hop bitterness at the end. There is a noticeable alcohol burn in the aftertaste, but it doesn’t take away from a powerful and world-class offering.


Praetorian (42), Los Angeles, California, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/518/20
Aug 15, 2008    Updated: Aug 16, 2008
Dark red-brown in color with a large, light brown head with great lacing. The aroma is of caramel, chocolate and dark fruits with notes of coffee, oak, and molasses. The flavor is slightly hoppy and chocolatey with a strong alcohol backbone and a coffee undertone. Mostly sweet with a bitter finish. The texture is creamy. A very enjoyable ale with a very complex and aggressive flavor. I LOVE IT!


chrisafari (75), Orange, California, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/103/58/104/519/20
Aug 11, 2008  
Pours dark brown/red with a nice tan head. Aroma is dominated by a wonderful punch of carmel malt. There is also alcohol and roasted nuts in the nose, with a hint of hops. Flavor is alcohol, malt and a very nice aftertaste of apples. Very good! One of my favorites!


 hellbilly (837), scottsdale über alles, Arizona, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/518/20
Aug 8, 2008  
pours a dark hazy ruby brown with clumps of yeast floaters and a cafe au lait colored head. lots of sweet grain in the aroma... wood, caramel, earthy spice, very mildly smoky, some unidentifiable fruits and a bunch of alcohol (which eventually fades just to show up in the flavor). it kinda smells like a snickers bar?... the first sip is rather uneventful but leaves behind an aftertaste of tons of whole roasted coffee beans... i’m really diggin’ the aftertaste! the palate is super malty but it’s without a whole lot of sweetness to muck up the flavor (thumbs up!)... golden raisins, buttered cinnamon toast, rich grain, nutty, toffee, chocolate cream, a tiny bit of smoke, nice level of acidity and a bitter spiciness (from alcohol, malt or hops?) on the finish. full bodied with very low carbonation. smooth velvety mouth feel. nice balance of rich/malty -vs- spicy/dry and it just gets better as the night goes on...




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 (4.14)

Bedondaine et Bedons Ronds Reyne Descosse (4.02)

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

Town Hall Wee Heavy (3.93)

Iron Hill Bourbon Wee Heavy (3.92)

Town Hall Barrel Aged Wee Heavy (3.88)

Founders Backwoods Bastard (3.84)

Flyers Bottleworks VIII (140 Schilling Strong Scotch Ale) (3.81)

Silver City Fat Woody Oak-Aged Scotch Style Ale (3.76)

Dieu du Ciel Cornemuse (3.76)

More California Brewers

Pompeii Brewing Company
  Los Gatos
Moylans Brewery & Restaurant
  Novato
Drakes Brewing Company
  San Leandro
TailGate Beer
  San Diego
Oggi''s Pizza and Brewing Co.
  San Diego
Hangar 24 Craft Brewery
  Redlands
Alpine Village Hofbrau
  Torrance
Auburn Alehouse (CA)
  Auburn
Bonnema Brewing Co.
  Atascadero
Pacific Beach Ale House
  San Diego
George Sawyer Estate Brewery
  Waterford
Napa Smith Brewery
  Napa
Craftsman Brewing Co.
  Pasadena
Silverado Brewing Co.
  St. Helena
Eel River Brewing Company
  Fortuna

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