Buckerfields French Oaked Rileys Scotch Ale

Brewed by Swans Hotel - Buckerfield Brewery
Style: Scotch Ale
Victoria, Canada

Cask at the Alibi Room. Deep brown beer, no head. Aroma is really oaky. Sort of a cross between sweet caramel malts and a light sherry oxidized grapey note. There is a touch of bready sweetness as well. Light vanilla character that really plays well with the oak and the sweet caramel. Warming brings up more interesting frutiness. Vineous grapes, berries and a touch of light orange peel. More vanilla as the beer warms up. Light lingering honeyed sweetness on the back that is also pretty appealing. It’s quite sticky but the wood gives it a very interesting character that makes it substantially more drinkable than it might have otherwise been.

(Cask) Supposedly created for Robbie Burns Day. Anyhow, its nice to see Andrew Tessier breaking the mold. I cannot remember the last time a Victoria local did an oaked cask. Good on ya! One keg of the Riley’s Scotch Ale was aged for 6 weeks on oak. Pours a thin, dissipating white head atop a deep ruby body. Nose is very smooth and crafted - it smells like a European dessert. Wonderful red wine, scotch on the rocks, raspberry seeds, wood and vanilla malt. This is a real winner. Probably the closest I’ve tasted to À l’Abri de la Tempête Corne de Brume. So wildly malted, a kick swing of the alcohol bat to the head followed by a piecing of different malts through a Monet palate of ingredients. Cherries, cigars, oak chips, Band-Aid, caramel liqueur and the dehydrated scotch drippings left by a parting social glass. Really remarkable. For a style I’m terribly fond of I’ve got to say this is one of my Top 2. I bet Enniskillen, Irishboy and Rastacouere would love a sample of this. I’ll talk to the brewer to find if he’s going to bottle a few. Unbelievable transformation of their tap regular Scotch Ale. 10/3/9/4/18