Butte Creek Mt. Shasta Strong Ale

Formerly brewed at Butte Creek Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Chico, California USA

Dark amber/medium brown. Small amount of long-lasting head. Lots of caramel and toasty notes in the aroma; very little hops, what are there are sharp and biting. I like Suttree’s Bride’s description of pecan pie without the pecans, except, well, I sorta smell the pecans, too. Moderate amount of EtOH in the aroma. Flavor begins as wheat toast, and then tunnel visions out to a fading spot of uncertain sourness. I get some lightly sweetish, caramel notes here but overall not much richness or complexity. Nothing wrong here, but not inspiring to me.

Dense, murky brown, with no head. Surprising aroma - piney hops, then an intense sweet note. Flavor is brown sugar and toffee, with a surprisingly clean finish. The Bride descriped as tasting like pecan pie with out pecans, and I think that’s about right. As it warms, though, a fruity, cherry note emerges.

Name: Olde Ale
Date: 04/11/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

clear dark amber, headless, sweet aged malt aroma, thick body, sweet dark caramel malt flavor, light bitterness provides nice balance, good but nothing special, once warm it picks up some really nice ripe fruit character,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Crimson/ruddy color actually lends a nice clarity that leads to certain thoughts on the body. This really wasn’t a bad beer. It’s just not an old ale (no oxidation of vinous notes), and not really a good strong ale IMHO (which I would expect to be much hoppier). Light sugars and subtle malt are complimented but barely bolstered by hops. The alcohol is very well concealed and make this brew an easy quaffer. Tried this out of a snifter, and a tumbler, the latter being preffered.

750 ml. bottle. Clear magogany body with a rather spare, fading, tan head and little to no lace. Caramel, dark fruit, some alcohol in the aroma. Medium body and carbonation, slightly resinous mouthfeel. Sweet caramel with a hint of a burnt character opposite a peppery bitterness. Falvors seems ot dissipate quickly in a fading, marginally dry finish. Although drinkable and without anything really objectionable, I found this to be passable, but uninspired.

Clear copper orange with ruby hues and a thin ring of wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of slightly toasty sweet caramel malts with some mild earthy grapefruity hops. Body is pretty thick and sweet with good light fruity notes and caramel maltiness. Finishes fairly sweet and slightly warming with some bittersweet flavor hops. A decent strong ale.

This was named Olde Ale No.8. Poured a clear golden amber color with a thin head. Mildly sweet and malty with some fruity notes. Malty and mildly sweet some fruitiness. Light bitterness on the semi-dry finish.

Some dark fruits and slight chocolate in the aroma.Pours a deep mahogany with a thin off white head.Dark fruits and slight alcohol in the flavors.Medium mouthfeel with a bitter finish.