Coast Range Scotch Ale

Formerly brewed at Coast Range Brewing Co.
Style: Scotch Ale
Gilroy, California USA

Pours with a two finger thick, tan colored head that sits atop a brilliantly clear, concentrated honey, amber colored brew. As I pour this beer I swear I get notes of salty peat. As I go in for a deeper smell the salty peat notes die off, but are still just barely enough there to suggest that there might be some peat used in this recipe. Notes of fruity (apple, pear and raisin) caramel, toasted malt and hints of biscuits.

Soft and creamy feeling up front, a touch of spiciness, hops and carbonations tenders this as a sip moves past the tongue. The beer is fairly sweet, which accentuates notes of raisins and caramelized apples as well as some notes of cherries at times. Hints of smoky flavors, a touch of saltiness. I like how the soft malt sweetness balances with the astringent smoky, salt notes. Some touches of herbal hop character, a touch of bitterness. Light to medium mouthfeel, with just enough body to keep it from being thin.

This is a lot better than I was expecting; I really like the interesting fruit notes and how they mix with the caramelized malt character and some of the more savory notes.

650 mL bottle. Clear copper color with small fizzy white head. Faint aroma of caramel and apple. Semi-sweet taste of caramel with an uneventful finish. A one dimensional brew.

I realize that the president of the Coast Range Brewing Company is named Erskine and that is what they call this on their web site, and I know where the "Erskine" comes from in this name, but it certainly is not to be found on my bottle and I don’t know where all the haze comes from in the other ratings, because mine poured a very clear ruby color with a moderate light tan head and good lacing. A steady stream of bubbles rose from the bottom of my Duvel glass. A very attractive pour. Nose is very malty with slight overtones of fruit and caramel. Mouthfeel shows the alcohol, and carbonation is apparent. Flavors of malts and a somewhat sweet finish that is somewhat offputting. Overall this brew started srtong but faded in the stretch.

Amber beer with an off-white head. Aroma is quite rich and malty, sweet toffee, brown sugar and dark brown toasty malts. Sweet and malty with decent complexity. Sweet whole wheat breadiness. Light herbal bitterness but mostly on intense malty sweetness. Soft texture and a decent brew.

Pretty white foam with a pretty ruby reddish color. Taste starts off on the slightly malty side, but quickly transforms to the alcohol side with smoky overtones. Light malty scent mixed with alcohol. A bit harsh in the palate and aftertaste. I can take this or leave. Probably leaning towards the leave it side of the spectrum.

22oz bottle acquired in trade with DarkElf (thanks!). Poured a medium and clear reddish-brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, some dark fruits, very light peat and some potting soil. Tastes of toffee, light smoke, some dark fruits and caramel. Tastes and the body a little on the thin side.

Poured a murky dark copper that cleared up as it warmed. Very little carbonation. This beer was much different as it warmed up and i woudl recommend nothing under 60 degrees. A strong caramel and toffee flavor mixed with caramelized pears and plums. A light smokiness was more apperent as I first poured and it was cold, but as it aired out it was harder to detect. Also a DMS vegetal flavor was strong and did not improved the beer. A lot of residual sweetness gives a candyish character. Warming alcoholic burn gives the impression of more alcohol than it really has. A good beer worth trying though some serious refining could make this one great.

Uhh, I don’t know about this one. Pours hazy amber with a small head. Caramel and alcohol fill the nose. Malty caramel taste throughout. This beer has to be the only one where the oaky aftertaste is bad. Ths syrupy sweetness of this beer is too much. If they balance this out, it could be really good.